Yoti and tech partners help UK retailers and pubs accept digital proof of age for alcohol sales
As students head back to UK campuses and the new academic year gets under way, Yoti has announced partnerships with technology providers including Diebold Nixdorf, Flooid, StrongPoint, Kestronics, and Zebra Technologies to help UK supermarkets, retailers and hospitality businesses introduce digital age checks for alcohol sales.
This follows a change in the law allowing Yoti ID and Post Office EasyID, as well as other digital IDs certified to the UK government’s Digital Verification Services (DVS) Trust Framework, to be used as proof of age when buying alcohol in licensed premises.
Diebold Nixdorf, Flooid, StrongPoint, Kestronics and Zebra Technologies provide point of sale and self-checkout technology to UK supermarkets, retail and hospitality businesses. Through the tie up, they will integrate digital ID checks into their existing systems.
For smaller independent retailers and licensed premises, Yoti has a free ID Checker mobile and web app and a partnership with Licensing Connect. The app allows staff to check that a customer’s digital proof of age is authentic and valid. More than 15,000 businesses downloaded the ID Checker app ahead of the change in law.
"Digital proof of age has the potential to make age-restricted purchases simpler, faster and more convenient for everyone involved,” says Matt Redwood, Vice President, Solutions & Consulting Group at Diebold Nixdorf. “For guests and shoppers, it means a smoother checkout experience with greater choice and privacy. For retailers, it can improve throughput, reduce manual interventions and support more efficient store operations. And for store colleagues, it creates a clearer and more consistent age verification process, helping reduce friction at the point of sale and enabling more positive customer engagement."
Alex Eveleigh, SVP StrongPoint UK and Ireland, says: “This is an exciting step forward for digital retail. The legislative change opens the door to smarter checkout, frictionless unattended collection and enhanced payment experiences that make age verification faster, simpler and more convenient for customers and colleagues both in-store and online.”
"For retailers and hospitality businesses, digital proof of age offers a practical new option for managing age restricted sales at the point of service,” comments Mark Shirran, Managing Director at Kestronics. “It can help make checks quicker and more consistent for colleagues, while giving customers a more convenient way to prove they are over 18. We are well positioned to support deployments across POS, kiosk and self-checkout environments.”
“With decades of experience designing, integrating and supporting these customer-facing technologies, alongside delivering biometric identity solutions for high-throughput airport passenger journeys, we have a strong foundation in implementing secure solutions where reliability, speed and security are essential. Through our partnership with Yoti, we will help businesses integrate digital proof of age into their existing operations, delivering a smoother experience for staff and customers alike."
Donna Stevens, Senior Vice President Global Marketing at Flooid, says: “We are proud to partner with Yoti as the UK moves toward smarter, more secure age verification in retail. These upcoming changes to alcohol licensing conditions mark a pivotal step forward in smart usage of innovative technology for the retail industry, and Flooid are committed to our solutions supporting a seamless transition to digital ID that benefits both our customers and their shoppers.”
Until now, the Mandatory Licensing Conditions under the Licensing Act 2003 required acceptable proof of age for alcohol sales to contain physical security features, such as a hologram or ultraviolet mark, preventing digital IDs from being used for these checks. Digital ID will now be an additional choice, rather than replacing physical documents or requiring every business to accept digital ID.
Robin Tombs, CEO at Yoti, says: “The change in law to allow digital IDs for alcohol sales is a landmark moment for digital identity in the UK. We’ve been working towards this moment since Yoti was founded in 2014 and we’re delighted to work with leading technology providers including Diebold Nixdorf, Flooid, StrongPoint, Kestronics and Zebra Technologies to make it simple for businesses to start accepting digital proof of age.”
“Yoti ID and Post Office EasyID can make age checks faster and more private for customers, while giving businesses a secure and reliable way to check someone’s age and prevent underage sales. Importantly, someone can prove they are over 18 without sharing their name, address, date of birth or any other personal information. Retail staff welcome the use of digital IDs as it reduces friction and requesting physical ID is one of the main triggers of verbal abuse and even physical violence towards staff serving customers.”
“People have been using Yoti ID and Post Office EasyID for years to prove their age for purchases such as energy drinks, vapes and tattoos. They’ll now be able to use the same digital IDs when buying alcohol at supermarkets, convenience stores, bars, pubs and nightclubs. As businesses across the country start accepting digital proof of age for alcohol sales, this will quickly become an everyday part of buying age restricted goods.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Point of sale solutions will be a key focus area at our sister title RTIH’s 2026 Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out the 2025 winners here.
RTIH’s 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
