Online store for alcoholic beverages on WooCommerce

Iemalko.lv is an online store for alcoholic beverages built by CREATING.LV on WordPress and WooCommerce — with buyer age verification using eParaksts or Smart-ID at checkout, order amount rules and a customer account. The project was handed over in 2023.

When selling alcoholic beverages, the seller has to make sure of the buyer’s age, so the client needed a store in which age and identity verification is part of checkout rather than a separate manual task after the order has been received.

The second task was the order rules: the store itself had to enforce the minimum order amount and the free delivery threshold, so that staff would not have to check them for each order separately. That is why this store is not just a catalogue with a basket — it is an ordering process with built-in rules.

CREATING.LV carried out the project from design to the finished store. Our work covered:

• the entire website design;
• building the store on WordPress and WooCommerce;
• integrating age and identity verification at checkout with eID Easy — eParaksts, eParaksts mobile and Smart-ID;
• the minimum order amount rule and free delivery logic we developed;
• payment on the spot when the order is received;
• a customer account and adaptation for use on desktop and phone.

The buyer’s journey in the store is as follows:

• the buyer chooses drinks in the catalogue and adds them to the basket;
• if the basket total is below the minimum, the order cannot be placed;
• at the checkout step, the buyer confirms their identity with eParaksts, eParaksts mobile or Smart-ID;
• the buyer pays for the order on the spot when receiving it;
• the order is visible in the store admin and in the customer account.

Age verification and the amount rules work the same way for every order, and staff receive an order for which the buyer’s identity has already been confirmed at checkout.

Identity and age verification is provided by the service of the Estonian company eID Easy, which connects the store to the electronic identification tools common in Latvia — eParaksts, eParaksts mobile and Smart-ID. Verification takes place at checkout: buyers choose the tool that suits them best and confirm their identity without sending copies of documents. eParaksts and eParaksts mobile are provided by the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC): eParaksts is used with an eID or eParaksts card and a card reader, eParaksts mobile in a mobile app, while Smart-ID is a mobile app widely used in the Baltic states.

Many people already use these tools for online banking and government e-services, so there is nothing new to learn for the verification.

Because verification happens at the checkout step, the catalogue and prices can be viewed without identification, but an order can only be submitted after it. This way verification is tied to a specific order rather than to a one-off entry to the site.

The simplest online age confirmation is a question on entering the site — whether the visitor is of legal age — which visitors answer themselves. Age verification with eParaksts or Smart-ID is different in that the buyer’s identity is confirmed by an electronic identification tool rather than by the buyer ticking a box.

This alcoholic beverages online store does not use online payment. Under Latvian legislation, the buyer’s age has to be checked, so payment takes place on the spot when the buyer receives the order.

Online, buyers choose products, confirm their identity and place the order, while payment takes place in person when the goods are received. That is why buyers do not have to enter card or online banking details at checkout.

The store has two amount rules. The minimum order amount prevents placing an order that is too small, while the free delivery logic we developed determines from which basket total delivery is free for the buyer. Both rules work automatically at checkout, so staff do not have to check them manually. Buyers find out that the amount is insufficient before the order is submitted.

Retailers usually set a minimum amount so that they do not have to process and deliver orders that cost more to fulfil than the order itself, while a free delivery threshold gives buyers a clear target for how far to fill the basket. On the current site, both amounts are shown on the home page, so buyers see them before choosing products, not only in the basket.

When creating rules like these, you need to decide at the start which amount they are calculated from — for example, before or after discounts and promotional prices — and what happens if a buyer removes a product from the basket and the total falls below the threshold. If these cases are described before development, the free delivery logic can be built to work predictably in every situation.

Buyers can register and create an account. The account shows their previous orders and their status, and buyers manage their own details. For regular buyers this shortens the path to the next order, because at checkout they only need to choose products and confirm their identity. The order status in the account shows which stage the order is at, for example whether it is still being processed or has already been completed, so buyers can check it themselves without asking the store.

The entire website design is ours, and the store is adapted for use on both desktop and phone. On a phone, this also applies to age verification: eParaksts mobile and Smart-ID are mobile apps, so identity can be confirmed on the same device on which the order is being placed. More about this part of the work on the page Web design and UX/UI.

On the current site, the catalogue is organised by drink category, and customer login and registration are in the header.

WordPress and WooCommerce are the basis of the store, while eID Easy provides identity and age verification with eParaksts, eParaksts mobile and Smart-ID. Age verification, the amount rules and payment on the spot work in one WooCommerce order flow, so all orders are in one admin environment. More about the platform — on the page WooCommerce online store development.

For a retailer who has to check the buyer’s age before selling, and for a company that needs order amount rules, for example a minimum basket or free delivery from a certain amount. An alcoholic beverages online store with payment on the spot also suits a retailer who wants to accept orders online but receive payment in person.

If you are planning a project like this, see our online store development service.

• Online store development
• System development
• Web design

iemalko.lv

This portfolio entry reflects the solution as delivered at handover. The current website may have changed.