Sports Concessions, Dunkin’ To Test Mastercard Checkout-Free System

As merchants attempt to fulfill the demands of customers for expediency and less person-to-person contact, Dunkin’ and sports venue hospitality stands are experimenting with a new Mastercard checkout-free payment technology, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

Mastercard is debuting its Shop Anywhere technology in the last quarter of 2020, which is created with the computer vision infrastructure of Accel Robotics.

Food and beverage stand operator Delaware North intends to test Shop Anywhere in Q4. The firm is working with sports leagues to make sure it experiments with the infrastructure in places that will have contests and spectators in 2020.

“Guests and fans coming into a stadium environment now want to quickly and safely get in and out with little to no wait times on entry and exit,” Delaware North Chief Information Officer Jeffrey Wilkinson said in the report.

Dunkin’ Brands is piloting the Mastercard system at a California store that was not named in the report and will take on the name of Dunkin’ Dash. To get a quick-response (QR) code that allows them to go into the store, diners will have to sign up their credit card at an outdoor kiosk.

In the store, cameras will monitor the customers as they choose from coffee they serve themselves, snacks and baked goods that come in packages.

The news comes as Dunkin’ Brands’ Q2 earnings displayed an anticipated fall in store revenue because of the pandemic but provided minimal details on its stated aim of digital acceleration.

Worldwide sales for all of the company, which includes Baskin Robbins, fell 20.8 percent because of temporary and for-good closures due to COVID-19.

Separately, the sports world is adapting to accommodate a new generation of mobile and digital fans, with the inclusion of virtual and in-real-life sports experiences.

A Juniper Research study determined that mobile ticketing is becoming common in sports, and users are forecasted to spend $23 billion through mobile in 2023, up from $14 billion last year.