Did you know that failing to verify a customer's age can cost liquor stores up to $10,000 in fines? That's a serious blow to any small business, especially when it's completely avoidable.
The good news is, you can use tools to help prevent age verification mistakes from hurting your bottom line — and your reputation. One of the best ways to master age verification in your liquor store is by integrating your age verification tech with your point of sale (POS) system.
Clover is one of the leading POS systems for small retailers. But does Clover have the right features for age verification?
And, most importantly, is it the best solution for your liquor store?
In this article, we’ll explore Clover’s age verification technology and how it works. We’ll also compare a few alternatives so that you can make an informed choice.
Does Clover Have Age Verification Technology?
Let’s cut to the chase. Does Clover have age verification technology? The simple answer is yes.
Clover includes age verification technology in its suite of features. It’s designed to help liquor store owners securely and quickly comply with regulations around age-restricted sales. Here are some key features of Clover's technology:
- Biometric authentication: Clover uses facial recognition to match the customer with their ID, adding an extra layer of security to prevent fraudulent transactions.
- Real-time data processing: The system instantly verifies age, helping to reduce wait times and ensure smooth transactions.
- Comprehensive database access: Clover cross-references ID details against various databases to confirm authenticity, providing a level of accuracy beyond manual checks.
- Data insights and reporting: With real-time reporting on age-restricted sales, Clover provides store owners with transparent records of all age verification transactions.
Clover’s age verification features offer some useful tools for compliance, but it may not be the best fit for every liquor store. User feedback highlights inconsistencies in age checks, lack of transparency about verification processes, and system outages that can disrupt compliance and potentially lead to illegal sales.
Clover's reported performance and support limitations might make it a riskier option for liquor stores, where strong compliance and quick issue resolution are essential. Exploring other POS systems designed specifically for liquor stores may provide more reliable security, better transparency, and stronger support to effectively meet legal requirements.
Why Age Verification Matters for a Liquor Store POS
Before we explore some Clover alternatives, let’s take a moment to understand why age verification is so important for liquor stores. Ensuring a reliable and efficient way to verify customers’ ages goes beyond simply following the law — it can have a big impact on your store’s success and day-to-day operations.
Legal compliance keeps your business protected:
One of the main advantages of age verification is staying compliant with local, state, and federal regulations. Properly verifying a customer’s age reduces the risk of heavy fines, legal action, or potentially losing your liquor license. By integrating age verification into your store’s POS, you safeguard your business from potential legal issues, ensuring all alcohol sales are compliant and above board.
Increased efficiency speeds up checkout processes:
A real-time age verification system can streamline transactions, confirming a customer’s age in seconds. This practice keeps your checkout process fast, prevents long lines, and improves the overall shopping experience, especially during busy periods. Quick verification helps your staff handle transactions smoothly, allowing your store to serve more customers without compromising compliance.
Verification tools reduce the risk of expensive mistakes:
Relying on manual age checks can lead to errors, with staff potentially misreading or misinterpreting ID details. An automated system lowers the chance of mistakes, reducing the risk of selling alcohol to underage customers. By improving accuracy, your store stays compliant and also builds a trustworthy reputation for responsibly managing alcohol sales.
The right tools simplify training and staff processes:
Training staff to verify ages manually can be time-consuming. A POS with built-in age verification simplifies this process, requiring employees to simply scan IDs to confirm age. This tool reduces training time, helps new staff get up to speed quickly, and provides a more consistent approach to ID checks, making your age verification processes easier and more reliable.
Audit trails and reliable records:
With an age verification tool, every ID scan is recorded, creating a clear, digital trail of all age verifications. This trail makes internal reviews and compliance audits straightforward, as you can easily access records if needed. Keeping detailed logs of all age-checked sales can help identify potential issues quickly and make it easier to provide the requested information in the event of an audit.
Provide an improved customer experience:
POS systems with built-in age verification confirm customer eligibility instantly. This quick processing keeps the checkout experience smooth and prevents delays, even during peak shopping times. Real-time verification means that age-restricted sales are processed quickly without slowing down other customers, keeping your operations efficient without sacrificing compliance.
Stay up to date with regulation updates:
Laws around age-restricted sales change over time, and a POS with age verification technology can be updated to reflect the latest regulations. This feature ensures your store stays up to date with any legal changes without needing manual tracking or adjustments. With the system automatically adapting to legal requirements, you can keep your focus on daily operations, knowing compliance is covered.
Clover Alternatives for Age Verification
While Clover is a popular choice, it’s not the only POS system offering age verification technology. Depending on your store’s specific needs, you might find that another option suits your business better. Here are three alternatives to consider.
1. Bottle POS: Best for Independent Liquor Stores
Bottle POS is an all-in-one point of sale and inventory management solution designed specifically for independent wine, liquor, and beer retailers. Having partnered with hundreds of stores, we understand the unique needs of small and medium-sized shops, providing the hardware, software, and support needed to help your business thrive.
Our advanced age verification features let you and your team quickly approve customer purchases, helping to reduce the risk of selling to minors. Our platform also has the following features:
- Centralized product database: Easily update inventory with access to a comprehensive product database, ensuring your stock details are always accurate and up to date.
- Automated inventory receiving: Streamline inventory management by automatically importing shipment details. Simply review and approve, cutting down on manual data entry.
- AI-powered sales analytics & auto ranking: Identify top sellers and underperforming stock with an A-D ranking system, color-coded based on sales patterns.
- Auto-generated purchase orders & invoicing: Low stock? The system creates purchase orders for you, and when shipments arrive, invoices are pre-filled, requiring only your final approval.
- Dual pricing (cash discounting): Offer discounts to cash-paying customers, while those using credit cards cover transaction fees. This feature helps reduce processing costs.
- 24/7 inventory management: Update stock and add new items anytime, anywhere — whether on your POS, back office, or mobile device.
Pricing:
Use our transparent build-and-price tool to get a customized quote that fits your store’s specific needs.
2. POS Nation: Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses
POS Nation provides a tailored point of sale solution for liquor, wine, and other alcohol retailers. With tools designed to simplify your operations, optimize inventory management, and drive sales, their system is a reliable choice for small to mid-sized businesses looking to improve efficiency and compliance.
Key Features
- Age verification and loss prevention: Integrated ID scanning ensures compliance with alcohol purchase laws, making age verification quick and reliable. Additional loss prevention features, such as camera integration, transaction logs, and employee permission settings, help reduce shrinkage.
- Case break inventory tracking: Manage your stock at various levels — whether by case, bottle, or six-pack. POS Nation automatically adjusts inventory for case breaks, ensuring that your records stay accurate and up to date, regardless of how products are sold.
- Mix and match pricing: Create bundled promotions on liquor, wine, or beer to boost sales and offer compelling deals. This flexible pricing option helps you move inventory efficiently and provide attractive discounts to your customers.
- Sales reporting and AI-powered analysis: With advanced sales analytics, you can track performance by department, brand, or product. AI-driven insights rank and color-code your items, letting you quickly spot bestsellers and slow movers, helping you make informed, data-driven decisions.
- Automated inventory management: Simplify large deliveries, shelf counts, and year-end evaluations with auto invoicing. This feature minimizes manual paperwork and lets you update inventory with a single click.
Pricing
Get a custom quote that fits your business needs with POS Nation’s online pricing tool.
3. IDScan.net: Best for Age & Identity Verification at Scale
IDScan.net is a leading identity verification platform that supports over 7,500 global brands with ID scanning, fraud prevention, and compliance management. With AI-powered tools, IDScan.net ensures that businesses can verify identities quickly, securely, and accurately — whether for age-restricted products or access management.
Key Features
- Advanced age verification & fake ID detection: Use cutting-edge technology to catch fake IDs, employing multi-wavelength light checks and AI-driven ID analysis. From simple barcode scans to in-depth document authentication, IDScan.net helps ensure your customers meet age requirements.
- Identity verification anywhere: Integrate remote identity proofing into your onboarding workflows to validate IDs and perform biometric checks. This enables you to verify identities no matter where your customers are, streamlining enrollment or age-restricted access.
- Data automation & form filling: Eliminate manual data entry by automatically sending scanned ID data into your key systems. This ensures accurate, typo-free information capture, speeding up workflows and reducing database errors.
- Third-party compliance checks: IDScan.net’s platform offers layered verification, allowing for additional third-party checks to enhance security and prevent fraud. This extra layer keeps your business safe while maintaining a smooth customer experience.
Pricing
IDScan.net’s pricing starts with a basic plan at $249 per device, with options ranging up to the comprehensive plan at $1,290 per device, offering various solutions to match your business requirements.
Finding the Right Age Verification Solution for Your Liquor Store
Age verification is crucial to running a compliant, efficient, and secure liquor store. While Clover offers some age verification features, its limitations may make it less suitable for businesses that require robust and reliable compliance processes and swift issue resolution.
Alternatives like Bottle POS, POS Nation, and IDScan.net are designed specifically to meet the unique needs of liquor stores, providing advanced security, streamlined inventory management, and customizable pricing options.
Choosing the right POS system for your liquor store means finding a solution that doesn’t just check the boxes for age verification but also aligns with your store’s operational needs and customer experience. From speeding up transactions and reducing errors to staying up to date with the latest regulations, a tailored POS system helps your business thrive while maintaining compliance.
If you’re looking for a system built specifically for liquor stores, why not see how Bottle POS could work for you? Schedule a demo with our experts to see our system in action.
