Ahead of the game
We’re opening up a new part of the parcels market and getting ahead of the game in anticipation of future government legislation, with our Age Verification initiative.
The verification process is one of the major asks from Amazon and eBay for goods sold on their marketplaces. This new capability is expected to generate £28m a year of additional revenue by 2021/22.
The service uses the ‘Challenge 25’ principles – if the postman or woman delivering the item believes the person answering the door looks under the age of 25, they will ask to see ID confirming they are over 18. They can then confirm on the PDA that they have carried out the check, and the parcel can be delivered.
We launched this brand new capacity in November, following a successful pilot in the Carlisle area. One area where the service has proved particularly popular with customers is the Isle of Wight, where more than 2,500 Age Verification items have been delivered since the launch.
Postwoman Jessica Hill (pictured), from the island’s Newport Delivery Office said: ‘They are told when they buy the item online that the ID check will be carried out, so they are expecting it when I arrive. I haven’t had a single issue with a customer since we started.
‘Most people have a driving licence or passport to hand, or know where it is, so it only takes a couple of minutes. You wouldn’t walk into a shop to buy a bottle of wine and expect not to perhaps have to get your ID out, so it makes total sense.’
Delivery office manager Paul Watford added: ‘It’s not been an issue for us to introduce. Even though it came in during Peak, it’s all gone smoothly for us.’
