The legalization of cannabis in Canada and some parts of the US has opened doors for many cannabis businesses. If you are operating a website that sells cannabis or cannabis-related products, you are legally required to take steps to ensure that only adults can access your products. When it comes to the highly accessible world-wide web, the simplest way to do this is to implement an age gate. An age gate is a digital tool that verifies a user's age before allowing them access to your website.
In Canada, provinces have varying requirements for online shopping, and businesses in some provinces (like Alberta) must age verify to stay compliant. This requirement is designed to protect young people from being able to access and purchase cannabis and to protect public health and safety by allowing only adults to access legal cannabis.
Age gating your website is a process that requires some planning and execution, but it's a crucial step to protecting your business from unwanted visitors. This blog post will outline how to easily age-gate your cannabis website and keep minors from accessing your content.
Dos And Don'ts Of Age Gating
Here are the do's and don'ts of age gating your cannabis website:
1. DO: Keep it Simple. Less Is More
When designing an age gate for your cannabis website, it's essential to strike the right balance between security and convenience. You want to ensure that only users of a certain age can access your content, but you don't want to make the process so complicated that you drive audiences away. The goal is to make it easy for users to find the information they need and to provide them with a smooth experience.
The most effective age gate experiences have a clean and minimal design, with clear instructions that are easy to follow. By keeping the design simple and approachable, you can help ensure that users will have a positive experience and be more likely to return in the future.
2. DO: Keep It Consistent With Your Brand Identity
Your brand identity is one key thing to remember when choosing an age gate for your cannabis website. It is important to keep consistent with your brand standards, including colours, tone and visuals to create a cohesive experience for your audience.
Your age gate should be easily identifiable as part of your website and reflect your brand's overall look and feel. Your age gate page may be the first encounter with your brand, and should meet them with a seamless experience all the way through.
3. DO: Keep Language Minimal, Friendly And Inviting
A memorable and thoughtful welcome message goes a long way. When creating your age verification page, focus on creating an atmosphere that greets people in a way where they want to come in rather than click away. Language is extremely important in your age gate page. Keep the copy simple, friendly, inviting and approachable. A little humour never hurt either.
Be sure to include a clear call-to-action, such as "Enter" or "Continue." Avoid using industry jargon or slang, as this could turn off potential customers. Instead, focus on conveying a message of safety and responsibility.
4. DON'T: Make It Difficult With Drop Downs That Create A Barrier
Potential customers should be able to enter their information quickly and easily without going through many extra steps. The last thing you want is for potential customers to be turned off by a cumbersome age gate that requires them to jump through hoops to get to your products.
One way to create a positive impression on your customers is to have a straightforward and easy-to-use age gate. If it’s not absolutely essential to collect, there is no need to include additional drop-downs or collect unnecessary information at this stage. Create a simple path for potential customers to enter their information and welcome them in.
How Does Merrco's Age Verify Work?
Merrco's Age Verify is a tool that allows businesses to verify the ages of their customers in 4 simple steps. Here is how you can age gate your cannabis website using Merrco's Age Verify:
Step 1: Customers visit your website.
Step 2: At the entry point to your website audiences are greeted with an age verification page that uses our Merrco Age Verify iframe, a secure and straightforward way to verify a customer's age.
The iframe is designed to be as user-friendly as possible and only takes a few seconds to complete.
Step 3: Merrco's iframe will quickly and easily authenticate the age of your customer, providing the results to your application in real-time.
Step 4: When the customer's age has been successfully confirmed, they can navigate through the site and shop.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Merrco's Age Verify?
Quick And Easy
Merrco's Age Verify is designed to be fast and convenient. Shoppers can enter their order information and verify their age in one session. No need to go through multiple steps or provide additional personal information. And because it's all digital, shoppers can access your site from whichever device they choose.
Safe And Secure
With our secure, easy-to-use age verification system, rest assured that your business is compliant with all provincial regulations. Plus, our system is completely safe and secure, so you can have peace of mind knowing that your customers' personal information is protected.
It Remembers Your Customers
Our age verification software remembers your customers, so you will not be charged again for a repeat customer's verification within 90 days.
Final Thoughts
Age gates are an essential component of many businesses, especially those that sell age-restricted products such as cannabis. By showing that you are willing to take steps to ensure that only adults can purchase your products, you are demonstrating that you are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all of your customers.
How Can Merrco Help?
Merrco provides payment processing services to CBD, cannabis and regulated businesses in Canada and the US. Merrco's contact information. We have a list of products that can help you streamline your payment processing. If you have any questions on how best we can help you, please contact us at info@merrco.com or call our toll-free line at 1-800-957-0534.