CHICAGO, IL — HoneyWired, the independent creative agency and technology studio, today announced the launch of Gatekeeper, a premium age-verification app designed specifically for Shopify merchants in the wine, spirits, tobacco, CBD, and regulated-goods sectors.
In an industry where compliance tools often come at the expense of site performance and brand aesthetics, Gatekeeper introduces a "privacy-first, design-forward" philosophy. Built as a native Shopify Theme App Extension, Gatekeeper eliminates the common pitfalls of traditional age gates—such as layout shifts, slow loading times, and invasive data collection.
“Most age gates feel like a bolted-on afterthought that breaks the customer experience,” said Kevin McGlone, the creative lead at HoneyWired. “With Gatekeeper, we wanted to build a tool that feels like a natural extension of a brand’s storefront while ensuring that privacy isn’t just a feature, but a default.”
Key Features of Gatekeeper include:
- Design-Led Architecture: Merchants can choose from six professionally designed templates—Editorial, Minimal, Bold, Estate, Split, and Banner—each optimized for typography and tone. The app pulls logos and brand colors directly from Shopify settings for instant visual consistency.
- Privacy-First Security: Verification runs entirely in the visitor’s browser. Birth dates, IP addresses, and session data are never sent to or stored on HoneyWired servers, removing the risk of data breaches for the merchant.
- Zero Impact on SEO: Gatekeeper includes pre-configured rules that allow search crawlers to bypass the gate, ensuring products remain indexable while human visitors stay compliant.
- Precise Targeting: Merchants can deploy the gate based on URL patterns, product tags, or geographic regions, allowing for varied age requirements across different international jurisdictions.
- Native Integration: Because it utilizes Shopify’s modern Theme App Extension framework, there is no render delay or code injection required. Verified orders are automatically tagged within the Shopify admin for a seamless audit trail.
Pricing and Availability
Gatekeeper is available now on the Shopify App Store. HoneyWired offers a simple, transparent pricing model: $9.99 per month or an annual plan at $83.90 ($6.99/mo effective). Every feature is included in a single tier, with no hidden upsells. A 14-day free trial is available for all new installs.
For more information, visit honeywired.com/apps/gatekeeper/.
About HoneyWired
HoneyWired is an independent advertising and design agency based in Chicago. By bridging the gap between strategic branding and technical development, HoneyWired creates digital products and campaigns that prioritize user privacy, high-fidelity design, and functional simplicity.