ADAM KING CEO, SWIPESTATION Progressing from tills to mobile ordering - how do stadiums make the transfer? Images: SwipeStation
he current system for taking
the most technologically advanced stadiums
It is forecast that 1.31 billion people will use a
money at high volume, high
with the snazziest till systems still have long
mobile ordering app worldwide by 2023. There
intensity stadiums is inefficient,
queues and irate customers. They just don’t
is no doubt that the pandemic has dramatically
counter-intuitive and expensive.
talk about it...
advanced attitudes towards mobile ordering
Most venues are at one of the following stages
Whether it’s upgrading existing systems or
by a few years in just a few months. People
in their ‘till journey’:
starting from scratch, clubs are faced with the
are now using their phones to order just
1.Tills from the middle ages that can only take
depressing choice of software and hardware
about anything - especially food and drinks.
cash: In a post-pandemic world these are no
packages that are extremely expensive -
A combination of digitally-savvy consumers,
longer an option.
because for 90% of the year the stadium lies
health and safety concerns, and multiple cost
2.Tills with card readers: All they do is take
dormant.
benefits has expedited this progress across
payment, so there’s no way to track stock
At a time when venues are recovering from a
the hospitality and retail sectors - which can
or sales data - which is vital in a venue with
long period of revenue that was low or even
only be a good thing. Even the 13% of the
multiple kiosks.
non-existent, how does a club sign off on
population who don’t use a smart phone are
3.EPOS with integrated card readers: Designed
such a technology upgrade? Even if they could
probably attending a match with someone who
to be used every day by well trained staff in
afford it, why compromise with a system that
does. If not, it’s still possible to service them
relatively calm environments, retrofit these
wasn’t designed for casual servers or half time
using special assistants.
systems into a stadium environment and they
stampedes - let alone both at the same time!
For a stadium still operating tills (or who are
prove to be the slowest, the least efficient
Or is there a way to bring an up-to-date
facing a costly EPOS renewal), this seismic
and certainly the most expensive option.
ordering experience to the customer without
shift in consumer behaviour is a blessing
They are far too complex for casual staff to
the massive capex expenditure of new card
and should be viewed as an opportunity to
understand, so servers must arrive early for
readers, EPOS systems or touch screens?
skip EPOS completely and jump straight to a
extra training - adding yet more expense.
The solution is within easy reach. Rather than
cheaper, more efficient payment method. This
Even with training, casual staffers are not
pay for expensive hardware and software, why
is an example of a ‘Leapfrog technology’ -
able to process orders quickly and frequently
not utilise the computers that we all carry in
where you skip the present and head straight
make mistakes - slowing service down. Even
our pockets?
for the future - like forgoing power lines and
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