FULL HOUSE: Arrowhead Stadium, shown here during the Chiefs-Bengals game on Sept. 15 in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo)
“Scan N Go” Didn’t Go As Planned
Sometimes, innovation backfires in the sports and entertainment biz, and it’s best to revert back to traditional methods to deliver the best fan experience.
That was the case for Aramark, which two years ago tested “Scan N Go,” the NFL’s first self-checkout system for retail, situated on the club level at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Initially, it increased speed of service and generated higher sales volume, according to Tim Witkowski, Aramark’s district manager, whose territory covers Kansas City, Missouri and San Antonio, Texas.
Over time, though, the mobile payment system, powered by QR codes in tandem with multiple technology providers, did not go well and it put more pressure on another merchandise location on the club level, overcrowding that retail space, Witkowski said.
Ultimately, Chiefs fans weren’t ready for the format, in part because it lacked critical mass. The premium level has a smaller audience and Scan N Go wasn’t available for general admission ticket holders.
The system seamlessly applied the 15% discount for Chiefs Kingdom rewards holders, the NFL team’s loyalty program, but in the end, fans were reluctant to adopt the technology.
“At Arrowhead, there’s a high concentration of season-ticket holder rewards members that receive discounts, and people were a little afraid they wouldn’t get their points for rewards,” Witkowski said. (The technology) moved people away from it. But that’s the next great landscape in my world. How do you create speed checkout for retail that works, as well as for inventory on the back side? It’s not been perfected yet and it’s something I’m keeping my eye on.”
Last season, Aramark went back to traditional checkout with cashiers in place. It was an “easy flapjack” to adjust line queues and signage at the 52-year-old building, Witkowski said.
On the food side, Aramark continues to expand autonomous checkout in concessions. The concessionaire added a second Zippin location at Arrowhead for the 2024 season after seeing rapid transactions completed at the first Zippin stand last year.
“I’m in love with autonomous checkout,” he said. “When you see a 12-second concessions checkout — the first time I saw it, my jaw dropped and I said we have to find a way to expand it at the right amount. I’m also adding two Zippin checkouts at (Frost Bank Center) this year for the Spurs that open for the preseason.”
Aramark was at the forefront of self-checkout in sports, dating to six years ago, before it started trending across the industry.
“It’s about doing research and working with the design and development and data science teams,” he said. “I’m a big data science person and so are my clients.”
