Two ways to confirm age
| Approach | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Pop-up gate | A screen on arrival asking the visitor to confirm their age | Visible to reviewers, but blocks browsing and can lose buyers |
| Checkout confirmation | A required box at checkout: over 21, buying for research | Recorded with the order, no friction while browsing |
| Both | A light notice on arrival plus the checkout confirmation | Common in this category |
Design mistakes that cost orders
- A gate that asks for name, email and full date of birth before anyone can browse.
- An exit button that sends visitors to another website.
- A gate that appears again on every page because the answer is not remembered.
- Small text boxes that make phones zoom in, so the form is hard to fill.
- A gate on the checkout page itself, blocking a buyer who has already decided.
If you collect email on the gate, make it optional. Required personal details on arrival turn a browsing visitor into a lost one.
What to record
Keep the buyer's confirmation with each order: the time, the statement they agreed to, and the order number. If a processor or a regulator ever asks how you confirm age, that record is your answer.
How Purity handles it
Purity stores keep browsing open and ask for the confirmation at checkout: the buyer must tick that the order is for laboratory research use before it can be placed. Put your age requirement in your terms of sale, which are linked from the store and from every order email.
Common questions
- Is a 21+ gate required by law?
- Requirements vary by place and product. Many processors expect an age confirmation from research stores, so most stores include one. Check with your processor and your lawyer.
- Does a pop-up gate hurt search rankings?
- It can if it hides the page content from visitors. A checkout confirmation avoids the issue.