Buy beer at vending machines using Singpass

Singpass is widely used to access e-government services, but you can now also use it to buy alcohol at home-grown alcohol retailer Cellarbration's flagship store at Downtown East in Pasir Ris.

Scan the QR code on the shop's three new vending machines with the Singpass app to verify your age - you have to be at least 18 - and then pick your tipple.

Two machines are stocked with beer, which comes in glass bottles or cans.

The third dispenses champagne, whisky and other spirits.

The beverages on offer include popular drinks and new products. Options include The Singleton 12 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($62), Mortlach 20 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky ($265), Rossl Bier ($4.20) and San Miguel beer ($4).

Prices are the same as those in-store and online.

The vending machines - developed with local fintech and AI (artificial intelligence) technology firm Auresys and electronic payment service provider Nets - can be remotely managed on the back-end.

A robotic arm handles heavy, odd-shaped and fragile items, and dispenses stubby glass bottles.

A Cellarbration spokesman tells The Straits Times that the idea came about after the Government Technology Agency's (GovTech) showcase in March, which featured new ways that Singpass, the national identification system, could be used to authenticate one's identity and age.

The Straits Times reported then that by the third quarter of this year, another Singapore fintech company, Ascan, is planning to launch a new feature in vending machines that allows customers to buy alcoholic beverages using Singpass.

"We were inspired and went on to explore and implement the vending machines that can verify legal drinking ages, instead of using a physical identity card," the Cellarbration spokesman says.

In a press statement, Mr Raymond Yap, managing director of Auresys, said: "Embracing digitalisation, optimising and leveraging technology help drive businesses forward, sustain market relevance and revenue growth.

"Cellarbration has taken a big step in this initiative to expand its retail footprint using automation, AI and unattended verification solution."

According to GovTech, as of this month, there are over four million Singpass users, with more than three million using the app.

Cellarbration, which has six other outlets and runs an online platform for alcohol delivery, is looking to roll out the vending machines across the island - such as in hotels, chalets and Housing Board estates.

On why people would use the machine instead of heading to the supermarket, the spokesman says: "The main difference is in cutting out the queue... and being able to quickly quench your thirst for booze."

Curious about the vending machines, Mr Shawn Leng, 41, bought beer from them at the Cellarbration store on Wednesday.

"Aside from scanning the QR code, it works just like any vending machine. It's convenient," says the marketing consultant.

He recommends installing the machines at condominiums, many of which already have vending machines dispensing items such as bread and non-alcoholic beverages.

"You could be buying beer and bread at the same time," he says.