The checkout-free concession stands that Las Vegas Raiders fans have been enjoying for the past two NFL seasons at Allegiant Stadium will give the technology its big-game debut at the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
Powered by technology from Zippin, a San Francisco-based startup that is the leader in the stadium-specific market for checkout-free stores, the 10 checkout-free stands currently operating inside Allegiant Stadium will be the first of their kind encountered by fans attending the NFL’s championship game.
Over the past two years, checkout-free concession stands have become increasingly popular at many stadiums because of their ability to significantly decrease the amount of time spent on concession transactions.
While there has been a rapid deployment of checkout-free stands in numerous stadiums from a number of technology providers over the past year, no single venue has more checkout-free stands than the 10 stores deployed by the Las Vegas Raiders in Allegiant Stadium. Spread out over multiple concourse levels, the stores in Allegiant Stadium have proved to be very popular this football season, and seemed to easily attract new customers as witnessed by a Stadium Tech Report visit to a live game in September 2023.
“The Raiders provide our fans with best gameday environment possible, and Zippin’s cutting edge technology helps enhance the fan experience at Allegiant Stadium. Zippin continues to be an innovator in the checkout-free space and the Raiders are proud to partner with a leader in its field.”
Easy to learn, easy to use
Like other checkout-free stands, the Zippin stores have won rave reviews from fans for the transaction speed, and enthusiasm from venues because of the increase in sales per stand and the fewer staff needed to run a checkout-free stand.
“Our partnership with Zippin continues to provide great value for the Las Vegas Raiders,” said team president Sandra Douglass Morgan. “The Raiders provide our fans with best gameday environment possible, and Zippin’s cutting edge technology helps enhance the fan experience at Allegiant Stadium. Zippin continues to be an innovator in the checkout-free space and the Raiders are proud to partner with a leader in its field.”
If you’re not familiar with checkout-free stores, here’s a quick primer. Customers are allowed to enter gated stores by scanning a credit card or some other pre-authorized payment method (including biometric methods using faces or palms). After entering they simply take the items they want and then exit. Payment takes place online after they leave the store. (For more details on how checkout-free works, please see our previous MARKET REPORT on checkout-free concession stands).
While some checkout-free stores at other stadiums are located in previous concession stand areas, sometimes with hot food available, the layout for all the Zippin stores inside Allegiant Stadium are of the “drink lane” variety, mainly single-pass lanes with drink coolers and snack items on one side. Customers enter at one end where they present payment and a valid ID, then walk through and select their items, with only a quick stop at the end for a staffer to ensure that their alcoholic beverages are opened.
At the game we attended, a Sunday night contest between the Raiders and the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, fans quickly figured out the Zippin stores, especially the one just inside the main entrance gate. As the doors opened and fans started streaming down the main-level concourse, a number of customers veered into the Zippin store located parallel to the traffic flow and were able to quickly figure out how to get drinks and snacks.
One group of three guests walked up to the entrance together, and with easy instructions from the staffer at the entry gate it took them just 22 seconds to complete payment and ID verification for all three. The trio then went through the store, selected their beverages and walked out together, with a total transaction time of 54 seconds from start to finish, including the 22-second verification process.
“The Zippin stores are fantastic,” said Matt Pasco, vice president of information technology for the Las Vegas Raiders. “They really speed up the transaction speed for many items. This also decreases the lines at the hot-food stands. It’s a win-win for guest experience.”
“This is genius,” said one fan, who went through the line with a friend, also in less than a minute total. “Absoultely fantastic,” his friend agreed. They were followed by two separate fans who may have encountered the stands before because they needed no staff instruction. One of the two fans only needed 33 seconds for his entire process of check-in and selection of two beers, while the other browsed a bit before making his two choices, putting one beverage back into the cooler before selecting another choice, but still completed his entire Zippin process in 45 seconds.
Branding a big help on upfront costs
While some venues have been reluctant to fully embrace checkout-free stands because of the upfront deployment costs involved (which can include physical space renovation as well as the installation of cameras and sensors), the Raiders have clearly been able to offset their checkout-free stand expenses by selling advertising. All of the stands we saw had very clear and prominent sponsor branding, including color coordination and thematic designs. The list of sponsored stands we saw included several from Coors Light, one from Modelo and another from Simply Spiked Lemonade, and then others from America First Credit Union, which also sponsors the official Raiders debit card.
Like other venues, the Raiders have also been able to place many of their checkout-free stands in previously unused concourse or plaza space, adding a revenue-producing spot to somewhere where there was nothing before. The drink lane configuration is a good candidate for such deployments, as it involves little more than some coolers, a bit of paneling (or even just portable stanchions) to create the “lane,” and the overhead strip of cameras.
Two of the Zippin stores we saw at Allegiant Stadium have a bit more construction, as they are built into the sides of the two large escalators that carry fans to and from the plaza surrounding the Al Davis Memorial Torch on the stadium’s north side. Since the plaza is a prime gathering spot for fans, the two stores are perfectly placed for walk-by traffic and were heavily used while we watched during pregame activity.
“We have a lot of repeat customers here,” said a staffer at the entry gate of one of the plaza-level stores. “By the second time, people get it and don’t need any help.”
Reducing line pressure at belly-up stands
Two seasons ago, the Raiders had started with just four checkout-free stands, all placed on the third-level concourse across the walkway from some permanent belly-up concession stands. According to the Raiders, the idea was to use the checkout-free stands to accomodate fans who just wanted a drink and a snack, leaving the belly-up stands less crowded for customers who wanted the specialty hot items available at those locations.
From what we witnessed in the pregame crush just a few minutes before kickoff, the plan works to perfection, with multiple fans getting served quickly at the Zippin stores while the lines in front of the belly-up stands didn’t back up into the traffic flow.
Just before kickoff, at one of the America First Smart Shop Zippin stands the store briefly was packed front to back with nine fans. However, all those fans were simply waiting for the attendant to check to make sure their beverages were open, and within two minutes all nine of the fans were out of the store and headed back to their seats before the game began. Then just seconds before kickoff, one fan took advantage of the suddenly empty lane at the Zippin stand, taking just 21 seconds to get a beer and a bag of chips.
While the Zippin stores are just a part of the overall Allegiant Stadium concessions offering, it is likely that other venues will mimic the Raiders’ lead and add more checkout-free stores going forward because of the benefits to both fans and venues. “The Zippin stores are fantastic,” said Matt Pasco, vice president of information technology for the Las Vegas Raiders. “They really speed up the transaction speed for many items. This also decreases the lines at the hot-food stands. It’s a win-win for guest experience.”
Read more of our coverage of checkout-free concession technology:
Charting the checkout-free concession stand revolution
Checkout-free stadium concession stands: Where they are
Zippin, Aramark test facial authentication for ID and payment
CityPark Concessions: The technology powering the operation
