Alcohol Access: State-identification Check Failure Rates in the Age of E-commerce.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of pandemic-related changes on retail alcohol sales as they relate to verifying state-issued identification. Methods: Trained staff and volunteers completed an online survey entitled the Community Alcohol-to-go Research Tool each time they ordered an alcoholic beverage via a website or phone application, commonly referred to as an e-commerce order. These surveys were collected and analyzed to ascertain how often a state-issued identification was verified after an alcoholic beverage was ordered using an e-commerce option. In addition, we conducted focus groups. Results: After three years of research, we determined that the identification failure rate for overall e-commerce alcohol-to-go sales was approximately 64.8%. The identification failure rate ranged from 26.7% for third-party delivery drivers to 90.0% for customers who walked into a restaurant or grocery store to pick up their e-commerce orders. Conclusions: State alcoholic beverage control agencies must redesign their compliance measures to ensure that only those legally eligible to purchase an alcoholic beverage receive those orders, especially when placed via an e-commerce platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]