Retail technology innovation of the week: football fans get a taste and appetite for checkout-free stores
Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a new series brought to you by RTIH and sponsored by 3D Cloud by Marxent, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.
Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, in the run up to the publication of the 2024 report in March.
So far, we’ve showcased work being done by Ocado Retail, Decathlon, Lacoste, Downtown Spirits, TalkShopLive, Huck’s, Rovertown, Wing, Nobody’s Child, IKI, Pixevia, Walmart, A.L.C., Archive, Therabody, Outform, Kingfisher, PMC, Żabka Polska, Boots UK, Ocula Technologies, Grace O'Malley Irish Whiskey, Metacask, Ikea, Carrefour Belgium, HMV, Worldpay from FIS, and FreedomPay, and McDonald’s.
And this week we’re focusing on Wembley Stadium and Delaware North.
Laying claim to being the first European national stadium to use frictionless technology, the pair introduced Bar Tap at the Carabao Cup final this past weekend.
The Delaware North team oversaw the project from conception to implementation, with the aim of promising a seamless experience for shoppers.
Upon entry, customers tap their cards, grab their items, and exit without any waiting time.
In a LinkedIn post, Delaware North said: “The adaptability of this innovative retail concept allows us to seamlessly tailor offerings to suit the specific type of event, ensuring a personalised experience for all our customers.”
“These improvements, alongside other stadium wide enhancements, solidify Wembley Stadium's reputation as a globally acclaimed fan first venue.”
Paul Scannell, Head of Hospitality at Wembley Stadium, commented: "We are thrilled to introduce our first food and drink service with cutting-edge frictionless technology.”
“We are constantly seeking innovative solutions to enhance the stadium experience, and the launch of Bar Tap represents a significant step forward in our mission to elevate the fan experience."
Honourable mention to…
American soccer club LAFC has added Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology to the King’s Hawaiian Grill on the main concourse at BMO Stadium.
This made its debut at LAFC’s home opener on Saturday, 24th February.
Guests use their mobile wallet or credit card at the entry gate, and the technology detects what shoppers take from or return to the shelves and creates a virtual shopping session.
When people have completed their shopping experience, they are able to leave the stand with their selected food and beverages and their choice of payment method will be charged for the items they took with them.
“We aim to deliver the best guest experience imaginable at BMO Stadium,” says Christian Lau, Chief Technology Officer at LAFC.
“By integrating cutting-edge solutions like Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology into our guest experience at BMO Stadium, we are eliminating friction by reducing lines and long wait times which allows our guests more time to enjoy the entertainment, whether that be on stage or on the pitch.”
The King’s Hawaiian Grillopened in 2023. Just Walk Out technology will enable guests to purchase the new Thai Chicken Sandwich served on the King’s Hawaiian Sweet Hamburger Bun, the updated LAFC Dog with yuzu garlic sauce, onion jam, Grillo’s Pickle de Gallo, the mac and cheese Sammy with bacon jam, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Grillo’s Pickle Chips, without long waits through a check-out free experience.
Just Walk Out technology is made possible by artificial intelligence like computer vision and deep learning techniques, including generative AI, to accurately determine who took what in any retail environment.
Amazon built synthetic datasets to mimic millions of realistic shopping scenarios, including variations in store format, lighting conditions, and even crowds of shoppers, to ensure accuracy in any environment.
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