AI helps UK stores prevent underage vape sales effectively

Data from UK vape stores has shown the effectiveness of AgeAI, an age estimation AI technology by Privately SA, in identifying minors attempting to purchase vapes.

The field data collected over six months indicates that each vape store equipped with AgeAI devices prevents, on average, eight underage customers from making purchases daily, as part of approximately 92 scans per day. The technology has been instrumental in mitigating the risk of fines, which can exceed GBP £1,500 for selling vapes to minors.

AgeAI offers a fully automated and anonymous solution featuring facial age estimation to remove the guesswork from age verification processes. The system is designed to comply entirely with GDPR standards, as no images are transmitted or stored. This automated approach not only protects stores from potential fines but also reduces conflicts that can arise between staff and customers over age verification.

Ankush Panwar, AgeAI Product Manager at Privately SA, stated, "Asking for age ID can be a major source of conflict and automation is a hugely effective way of addressing this. Age estimation removes the potential for friction and allows store owners and managers to make smart and AI-based decisions. They want to do their best to operate responsibly and not sell to minors, and AgeAI makes this seamless for all parties."

Privately, SA's SafetyTech innovation has facilitated over one million age checks in retail settings. Business owners managing multiple store locations can use data from AgeAI to identify sites where minors are more likely to attempt to purchase vapes, enabling the implementation of more rigorous verification processes.

A distinctive element of AgeAI is its automated 'refusals register.' This feature digitally documents instances where customers are denied purchases due to age restrictions, offering simplified compliance and enhanced accuracy in reporting.

Ankush Panwar commented, "It's a challenging environment for retailers, and anything that can reduce conflict is hugely welcome. Using AI and automation for this purpose is a triple win – it's frictionless for customers, store owners can mitigate the risk of sales to minors and the subsequent fines, and it shows the vape industry is serious about preventing underage sales."

"Furthermore, our automated refusals register is transformative. It can be challenging for stores to understand how refusals are being maintained, but automating the process means streamlined tracking for improved accuracy and efficiency, centralised metrics for compliance management and actionable feedback to enhance staff training and ensure accountability."

"As the UK tightens enforcement on underage vape sales, solutions such as AgeAI provide a scalable, accurate and privacy-conscious way to ensure compliance while reducing in-store tensions," said Panwar.