Amazon has added age verification capability to Amazon One—its palm-based identity service—after seeing that consumers were hitting a snag when it came to producing a government-issued ID to complete their purchase.
To make sure they’re ready at checkout, consumers can visit Amazon One’s website, and upload the front and back photos of their government-issued ID, as well as a selfie, to verify their identity. Consumers who aren’t enrolled on the Amazon One platform can do so by pre-enrolling online or at kiosks where Amazon One is offered.
“Accounting for age-restricted goods like alcohol is an important step for Amazon One and any similar payment technologies,” said Daniel Keyes, Senior Analyst of Merchant Services at Javelin Strategy & Research.
“Amazon One offers consumers a convenient and fast checkout option, but if consumers can’t use it consistently, like when they want to purchase alcohol, they can’t rely on it for all of their purchases. That will potentially lead them to use it less often. Uploading an ID initially does create friction and some consumers won’t follow through on the process, but it is a one-time issue that many consumers will likely accept in order to use Amazon One more consistently.”
Verify to Pay
With this new feature, Amazon has confirmed that Amazon One does not store government-issued IDs, but rather, they’re verified by an ISO 27001-cerfified identity verification provider.
Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team, will be the first site offering Amazon One’s age verification capability.
“Hearing from Amazon One customers across the country, we understand that they love the convenience it delivers: shorter wait times, quick access to buildings and locations, being able to link their loyalty memberships, and now an easy way to grab their beer,” said John McKay Senior Director, Food Service Operations and Development, Colorado Rockies, in a prepared statement.
At the venue, consumers can place their palm over an Amazon One device and the bartender will be able to verify their age by seeing both the “21+” message, along with the selfie the customer loaded on the screen. After the verification process, consumers place their palm over the Amazon One device to complete the purchase.
Amazon first introduced its palm payment feature in 2020 in an effort to enhance the customer shopping experience. We previously covered Amazon One’s foray into Whole Foods Market in 11 locations in Colorado. Furthering the acceleration of both contacts and biometric payments, Amazon One has also been piloted at Starbucks in Seattle and in Panera Bread.