Baseball season began last week, and from the West Coast to the East, stadiums are approaching this year with a fresh focus on the concessions experience. Implementing new contactless digital technologies, they aim to bring the frictionless convenience that consumers are used to in their daily lives into the ballpark.
At the start of April, cloud technology company Oracle announced in a blog post that it is implementing mobile ordering options at the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park.
“Maintaining agility in the face of tumultuous market conditions and ever-evolving fan expectations is essential for ballpark operators,” Simon de Montfort Walker, senior vice president and general manager at Oracle Food and Beverage, said in a statement. “Oracle’s transaction platform, MICROS Simphony Cloud, helps venues serve fans faster, arms staff with intuitive tech and automates business operations.
Similarly, on Thursday (April 7), Fox 2 News reported that the Saint Louis Cardinals are introducing self-serve concessions stands wherein consumers can scan their own items, as well as mobile ordering whereby select items can be delivered to the eventgoer’s seat.
“The fan doesn’t have to miss any part of the game. They can sit in their seat. We’ll bring them their hot dog. We’ll bring them their beer,” Nate Green, hospitality director for the team, told the news outlet. “Whatever it is that is on that menu. And also, we’re hoping this helps lower the lines down at the concession stands.”
It is not only team making these changes. Erie, Pennsylvania’s Erie SeaWolves Minor League team introduced mobile ordering this year as well, according to a report from Erie News Now. Game attendees can place their order via their phones and then retrieve the items at one of two pickup points.
Research from the February edition of PYMNTS’ Digital Divide study, “The Digital Divide Report: Technology As A Catalyst For Restaurant Purchases,” created in collaboration with Paytronix, found that 30% of consumers say that mobile app ordering ability would incentivize them to make more purchases from a given restaurant.
Read more: How Eateries Can Tap Order Throttling Tools as Delivery Demand Grows
Additionally, the study, which surveyed a census-balanced panel of more than 2,400 United States adults in early December, found that 45% said the quick-service restaurants (QSRs) they visit offer mobile device payment options.
From purchasing tickets to leaving at the end of the game, sporting event venues are becoming a more connected experience.
“When we look at a day in the life of the fan it starts several days ahead, everything from digital engagement in the ability to buy ticketing, reserve parking, and then the journey the day of,” Scott Mackay, vice president, global digital commerce at Fiserv, told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster in an interview earlier this year.
“Really, the fan can be connected throughout the entire day, whether that be driving directions, parking, access to the facility, the reservation or ordering of attire, a jersey or a hat before getting into the stadium or the arena itself,” he said.
Related news: Game On! Stadiums Dazzle Sports Fans With New Connected Experiences
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