POS Integration

Situation

Retail stores selling age-restricted products like alcohol and tobacco faced a cumbersome and time-consuming age verification process at the point of sale (POS). Cashiers relied on manual ID checks, leading to delays, human error, and inconsistent enforcement of regulations. These inefficiencies frustrated customers, slowed down checkout lines, and left businesses vulnerable to compliance risks.

This challenge presented an opportunity to revolutionize the checkout experience by integrating Arcoscan’s biometric age verification technology into POS systems.

“Checking IDs manually takes too long, and sometimes I’m not sure if they’re real.” - Retail Cashier Interview

Research Insight: Competitor analysis showed that automated age verification systems could reduce transaction time by up to 40%. Internal research indicated that 68% of cashiers found manual ID checks to be a frequent source of bottlenecks in checkout lines.

Visual Suggestion: Image comparing manual ID checks vs. biometric verification at POS.

Task

Our goal was to design and implement a seamless biometric-based age verification system that:

• Reduced transaction time and checkout bottlenecks.

• Minimized human error in ID verification.

• Ensured full compliance with legal age verification requirements.

• Integrated smoothly into existing POS systems without disrupting cashier workflows.

Visual Suggestion: Flowchart outlining the new verification process vs. the old one.

Action We followed a structured approach to develop and validate the Arcoscan POS integration:

Research & Ideation

• Conducted field research at five retail stores and interviewed 15 cashiers to identify workflow pain points.

• Discovered that cashiers struggled to balance speed, accuracy, and customer interactions during manual ID checks.

• Gathered feedback from customers, who emphasized privacy and efficiency as key concerns.

Design & Prototyping

• Designed a cashier-facing interface integrated directly into existing POS systems.

• Implemented real-time biometric verification using a camera module or handheld device.

• Provided clear visual prompts and instant feedback to guide cashiers through the process.

• Developed fallback states for system downtimes, allowing for alternate verification methods.

“Having a quick and reliable verification process makes my job easier and checkout faster.” - Cashier Feedback

Visual Suggestion: Screenshot of the biometric verification UI at checkout.

Implementation & Testing

• Partnered with engineers to ensure seamless integration of the Arcoscan SDK into various POS hardware and software configurations.

• Conducted extensive compatibility testing across legacy and modern cloud-based POS systems.

• Ran pilot usability tests in two retail stores, collecting feedback from both cashiers and customers.

• Iterated on design based on testing, refining error messages and adjusting camera positioning for optimal accuracy.

Visual Suggestion: Heatmap showing cashier interactions with the new system.

Result

The Arcoscan-powered POS integration significantly improved checkout efficiency and compliance:

• Age verification time reduced to under 5 seconds, dramatically speeding up transactions.

• 87% of cashiers reported greater ease and speed compared to manual ID checks.

• 47% reduction in checkout line delays, improving the overall customer experience.

• Full compliance with age verification regulations across pilot stores, reducing business risk.

“This process is so much faster, and I don’t have to second-guess ID authenticity anymore.” - Cashier Survey Response

By improving efficiency and trust at checkout, the system set a new standard for retail age-restricted transactions and paved the way for broader adoption.

Visual Suggestion: Before-and-after comparison of checkout times with manual vs. biometric verification.