Remember verified customers
Real ID can track which of your customers have already completed ID verification once. This way your customers can return and make repeat purchases without requiring ID verification on each purchase.
If enabled, Real ID will remember repeat customers and not require already verified customers to provide photos again.
Enabling Remembering Repeat Customers
In the settings of the app, open the Automations tab. If you're using ID verification after checkout open the Exceptions tab.
Then click the checkbox next to Customers only need to verify once to enable the feature.
How are verified customers tracked?
Real ID will associate the completed ID check with your customer's account on your store. There are some differences between the out of the box ID verification flows, we'll go into those details below.
After checkout flow
When a already verified customer returns to your store to checkout again, Real ID will automatically find the completed or manually verified ID check in the database of your store's ID checks and count the customer as verified.
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
On Shopify, customer profiles with the ID verification completed or ID check manually approved tags are considered verified.
Real ID automatically updates tags on orders and customers during the ID check lifecycle. If a returning verified customer places an order using the same email address or the is logged into their account on your store before placing the order, then Shopify will associate that order with their prior account that includes the ID verification completed or ID check manually approved tags.
Real ID will receive this order notification and see that the customer is already verified, so the returning customer won't be prompted for verification on their new order.
On WooCommerce, customer profiles with the real_id_check_status set to completed or manually_approved will be considered verified. Real ID automatically updates metadata on both orders and customers during the ID verification lifecycle.
If an already verified customer returns using the same email address as their prior order or they are logged into their account before purchasing, then Real ID will not prompt the customer to verify again.
Before checkout flow
If you're requiring ID verification before or during checkout, before the order is placed, then Real ID uses three different methods to determine if a returning customer is already verified:
In the before checkout flow, Real ID does not use tags or metafields to consider the customer verified.
From browser cookies
Because customers can be unregistered at the time they verify their ID, Real ID will place a cookie within their browser to mark them as verified. Then after the customer completes checkout, their account will be associated with the ID check in Real ID's database.
That way, if the customer switches browsers or devices in the future, they can still login to their acccount on your store and remain verified.
However, this is the most brittle of the methods. Customers may switch devices, or browsers, or have their browsers to block cookies.
If an unregistered customer blocks cookies, they'll still be able to verify their ID as well as look it up using their email address when returning to your store.
From the customers login
Customers can also log into their account on your store and Real ID will automatically recognize them as verified.
After the customer logs in, Real ID will not require them to verify their ID again. Instead they'll be able to checkout directly.
For this feature to work properly, we highly recommend enabling customer accounts and allowing customers to login to their accounts.
From the customers email address
If a returning customer isn't logged in, but they enter in the same email address from their account, then Real ID will recognize their past ID check.
The customer will be sent a 6 digit confirmation code to their email inbox. When the customer enters in this 6 digit code into the Real ID prompt, it will automatically load their corresponding ID check.
If they have a prior verified or manually approved ID check, then the customer will be able to complete the order.
This way, even if the customer isn't logged in, Real ID will recognize their already completed ID check.
This feature includes ID checks that are in progress, in review, or manually rejected by your staff.
If you'd like to allow the customer to try again, use the resend ID check feature to send the customer a brand new ID check for them to attempt again.
You are not charged for customers that return using their prior ID check from a confirmation code.
How can I tell in my store admin if a customer is considered verified?
You can view your customers verification status witin your eCommerce platform's dashboard.
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
Real ID automatically tags orders and customer profiles in your Shopify dashboard. When a customer completes ID verification, their profile is tagged with ID verification completed. Additionally, if you elect to manually approve an ID check, the customer will be tagged with ID check manually approved. Either one of these tags counts the customer as permanently verified for future orders.
Since tags can be modified in the Shopify Admin, they do not dictate if an order is verified or not. The customer must have a prior completed or manually approved ID check to be considered verified.
Additionally, Real ID also updates the metafields on the customer's account as they complete ID verification.
You can view the metafields of a customer within your Shopify dashboard, by visiting the customer's profile.
Metafields are also accessible in your store's theme within liquid templates, which allows you to craft feedback to the customer in their account page if they are verified.
Real ID uses meta data on the customer's user profile to store their ID verification status.
You can view this meta within your theme, or within the WordPress dashboard.
Expired IDs
IDs such as driver's licenses commonly feature an expiration date. After the expiration date passes, the ID is no longer valid. For example, a U.S. issued drivers license can be unexpired at the time of verification, but in the future that ID's expiration date will pass and the ID is no longer valid.
Real ID will automatically invalidate expired IDs for you. If an ID is expired, the customer's tag on their profile will be updated to ID expired, so that way you can tell the ID is now expired.
The next time the customer returns to place an order, they will be prompted to verify their ID again.
Example
A customer Jane Doe verified her ID for her purchase on your store. Her ID isn't set to expire until January 1st 2030. Jane Doe will be automatically verified for future purchases.
After January 1st 2030 Jane's ID will be expired and no longer valid. Real ID will automatically update her profile to ID expired which will invalidate her ID. The next time Jane makes a purchase from your store, she will be prompted to verify her ID once more.
Some forms of ID do not feature an expiration date, or Real ID may not be able to confidently read the expiration date on the ID and the ID is manually approved by your staff.
In these cases, Real ID will not be able expire these IDs automatically because there is not expiration date to invalidate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this feature work with manually approved customers?
Yes! If you manually approve a check, Real ID will also count this as a successful verification.
Manually approving an ID check will tag the customer with "ID check manually approved", and future orders will count as verified.
You can manually approve an ID check at any time, even if the customer has not actually submitted any photos.
Please be certain you intend to manually override a customer's ID verification for their order or account, because on future purchases they will not be prompted again if manually overridden.
Does this work with the before checkout and before viewing store flows?
Yes, by default Real ID will remember your already verified customers if you decide to require ID verification before checkout or before customers can view your store.
How can I pre-approve customers in the before checkout flow?
You can pre-approve customers in the before checkout flow by starting an ID check manually for them, and then manually approving the ID check immediately after sending it.
That way, an ID check is created in Real ID's database for that account, and they can use their email address at checkout to link the ID check to their account.
They will not be prompted to submit photos, and their already manually approved check will be used.