Reprinted by permission from Stadium Tech Report. To see the full article or the latest issue, click here.
The checkout-free concession stands that Las Vegas Raiders fans have been enjoying for the past two NFL seasons at Allegiant Stadium will give the technology its big-game debut at the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII on February 11 in Las Vegas.
Powered by technology from Zippin, a San Francisco-based startup that is the leader in the stadium-specific market for checkout-free stores, the 10 checkout-free stands currently operating inside Allegiant Stadium will be the first of their kind encountered by fans attending the NFL’s championship game. Over the past two years, checkout-free concession stands have become increasingly popular at many stadiums because of their ability to significantly decrease the amount of time spent on concession transactions.
While there has been a rapid deployment of checkout-free stands in numerous stadiums from a number of technology providers over the past year, no single venue has more checkout-free stands than the 10 stores deployed by the Las Vegas Raiders in Allegiant Stadium. Spread out over multiple concourse levels, the stores in Allegiant Stadium have proved to be very popular this football season, and seemed to easily attract new customers as witnessed by a Stadium Tech Report visit to a live game in September 2023.
While some checkout-free stores at other stadiums are located in previous concession stand areas, sometimes with hot food available, the layout for all the Zippin stores inside Allegiant Stadium are of the “drink lane” variety, mainly single-pass lanes with drink coolers and snack items on one side. Customers enter at one end where they present payment and a valid ID, then walk through and select their items, with only a quick stop at the end for a staffer to ensure that their alcoholic beverages are opened.
“The Zippin stores are fantastic,” said Matt Pasco, vice president of information technology for the Las Vegas Raiders. “They really speed up the transaction speed for many items. This also decreases the lines at the hot-food stands. It’s a win-win for guest experience.”
Like other venues, the Raiders have also been able to place many of their checkout-free stands in previously unused concourse or plaza space, adding a revenue-producing spot to somewhere where there was nothing before. The drink lane configuration is a good candidate for such deployments, as it involves little more than some coolers, a bit of paneling (or even just portable stanchions) to create the “lane,” and the overhead strip of cameras.
While the Zippin stores are just a part of the overall Allegiant Stadium concessions offering, it is likely that other venues will mimic the Raiders’ lead and add more checkout-free stores going forward because of the benefits to both fans and venues.
By Paul Kapustka, Editor in Chief, Stadium Tech Report
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