JOHN LEWIS
Enhancing John Lewis’ Checkout with AI-Based Age Verification for Restricted Products.
In the world of online retail, verifying a customer’s age is crucial when selling legally restricted products like knives, ensuring compliance with regulations and preventing unauthorised sales.
For John Lewis we integrated Yoti, an AI-powered facial recognition tool, into the checkout flow. This implementation enabled a seamless and accurate age verification process that meets legal requirements while enhancing customer trust and delivering a frictionless shopping experience.
Why is selling knives different from selling alcohol?
While John Lewis already sells alcohol online, where customers self-declare their date of birth at checkout and age is verified upon delivery, selling knives requires stricter measures.
Under the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, retailers must confirm a customer’s age both at the point of sale and upon delivery when selling bladed items. This legislation also prohibits delivery of knives to residential addresses without verified age checks, adding complexity to ensure compliance, safety, and legal accountability.
Soft Grip Stainless Steel Santoku Knife, 17cm
Quantity: 1
Why Yoti’s Facial Age Estimation is the perfect fit for John Lewis
Yoti was chosen for its straightforward integration and advanced facial age estimation capabilities, eliminating the need for physical interaction or traditional ID verification. This fast, efficient solution enhances the user experience and ensures compliance. By leveraging the Yoti API, John Lewis securely redirects customers to Yoti’s trusted environment, where the entire age verification process is handled offsite.
Through a simple session initiation, Yoti captures and analyses the user’s facial image using advanced AI algorithms to quickly assess age and verify liveness, eliminating the need for complex data processing on John Lewis servers. This streamlined approach ensures regulatory compliance for age-restricted products like knives, while minimising technical overhead and providing a secure, efficient, and easily implemented solution.
Integrating Yoti’s External Verification Process in John Lewis’ checkout flow
Soft Grip Stainless Steel Santoku Knife, 17cm
Quantity: 1
[ Initiate Age Verification ]
Customer selects an age-restricted item during checkout.
System displays prompt: 'Age verification required.'
John Lewis generates a unique session URL for Yoti's secure environment.
[ Redirect to Yoti ]
User is redirected to Yoti's portal.
URL contains encrypted parameters to link verification to purchase.
![Sun]()
Find a light area
![Hat]()
Remove any headwear
![Glasses]()
Keep your glasses on
[ Age Verification at Yoti ]
User completes age verification in Yoti’s environment.
please wait while we verify your age, this could take up to 30 seconds
[ API Callback from Yoti ]
Yoti sends a secure JSON response to John Lewis’s backend with estimated age.
The backend checks if the customer meets the required age threshold.
We have confirmed you meet the required age
[ Process Results - Proceed with Checkout ]
If successful, user continues with checkout.
Soft Grip Stainless Steel Santoku Knife, 17cm
Quantity: 1
[ Process Results - Display Error Message ]
If unsuccessful, prompt user with appropriate message.
Resuming the Checkout Flow:
Successful Verification: The user is redirected back to the checkout page and can proceed with their purchase.
Failed Verification: If the verification fails, the user receives a clear prompt explaining why the purchase cannot continue, maintaining transparency while ensuring compliance.
Addressing Technical and UX Challenges
Integrating an external age verification process introduced unique technical and user experience challenges. Here’s how we tackled each to ensure a smooth, frustration-free checkout flow:
1. Ensuring a Cohesive User Flow
To prevent disruption during the checkout process, we implemented an efficient redirection from John Lewis to Yoti and back again:
Clear Communication:
Customers were informed upfront about why age verification was required, helping set expectations.
Automatic Return:
Upon successful verification, users were automatically redirected to the exact stage of checkout they left off, ensuring continuity and minimising friction.
2. Managing Sessions and State Continuity
Redirecting to an external environment can risk session loss, so we developed mechanisms to retain user progress:
State Preservation:
Key session and cart data were securely tracked so users could resume where they left off without re-entering information.
Graceful Recovery:
If users navigated away during verification, their session could be restored when they returned, reducing frustration and abandonment.
3. Enhancing User Guidance in the Yoti Environment
To support users unfamiliar with facial verification, we collaborated with Yoti to optimise the experience:
Helpful Prompts:
Yoti’s interface was enhanced with clear instructions to guide users through the verification process.
Cohesive Branding:
Subtle styling adjustments aligned the Yoti environment with John Lewis’ brand, creating a familiar look and feel.
Support Availability:
Clear help links on the John Lewis checkout page provided quick assistance for users encountering difficulties.
4. Robust Error Handling and Service Unavailability
While Yoti’s service is highly reliable, we prepared for potential outages to maintain user confidence and trust:
Soft Grip Stainless Steel Santoku Knife, 17cm
Quantity: 1
Friendly Messaging:
If the service was unavailable, users received clear, jargon-free messages explaining the temporary issue. To maintain a smooth experience, we provided additional options:
Save Items for Later:
If there were other items in the basket, users could save the restricted product for a future purchase.
Return to Basket:
If the basket contained only the restricted item, users could quickly return to their basket to modify their purchase.
Further Guidance:
Links to additional support and guidance were provided to help users understand the next steps or resolve any concerns.
Soft Grip Stainless Steel Santoku Knife, 17cm
Quantity: 1
Le Creuset 3-Ply Stainless Steel Saucepans and Frying Pan Set, 4 Pieces
Quantity: 1
Data Integrity:
Cart and checkout data were preserved, ensuring users wouldn’t lose progress or need to re-enter information upon returning to complete their purchase.
Continue Without Restricted Items:
Customers were given flexible options to maintain a smooth experience:
Proceed with Other Items: Users could continue to purchase the non-restricted items in their cart, excluding the age-restricted product.
Quick Return to Basket: If the basket contained only the restricted item, users could quickly return to their basket to modify their purchase or add alternative items.
Achieving compliance and enhancing customer experience
By adopting Yoti’s facial age estimation, John Lewis ensures full compliance with legal requirements for selling restricted products online. This integration guarantees that age-restricted items, like knives, are sold responsibly, while also enhancing the checkout experience with a swift and secure verification process. Moreover, this approach maintains technical stability and upholds the trusted, user-centric standards that John Lewis is known for.
The result is a seamless, user-friendly journey that balances regulatory compliance with customer trust and convenience, reinforcing John Lewis’ commitment to quality and satisfaction.