Philadelphia Eagles home field opens two cashierless stores
Consumers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia have a new autonomous checkout option.
The Philadelphia Eagles NFL football franchise and Lincoln Financial Field have opened two “On the Fly” Express Shops. The stores use the Verizon 5G wireless network, off-the-shelf cameras and artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer vision technology to provide a cashierless way to purchase food and drinks onsite.
To shop at one of the On the Fly stores, customers walk into the store, check in with their app or credit card, select their items and head back to their seat. They receive a receipt on their app or email after leaving the store.
Shopping and supply chain-related activity is seamlessly tracked without any disruption to the customer. The stores are located on the main concourse (Section 106) and in Pepsi Plaza, located at the north end of the stadium.
“We always strive to offer a best-in-class experience at Lincoln Financial Field,” said Brian Napoli, senior VP of corporate partnerships, Philadelphia Eagles. “Leveraging Verizon’s industry-leading technology and communication services to build out the new ‘On the Fly’ Express Shops will create a more seamless and efficient shopping experience at the stadium.”
“When it comes to the customer journey, just like with sports, every second counts,” said Jonathan Nikols, senior VP of global enterprise, Americas, Verizon Business. “Connectivity is key to ensuring fans are able to get the most out of every encounter. With the launch of these automated checkouts, the Philadelphia Eagles are demonstrating the true power of Verizon 5G and edge computing, by creating smarter spaces that reduce transaction times and streamline the shopping experience.”
Sports arenas implement autonomous checkout
A large number of stadiums and arenas across all major U.S. sports leagues are adopting cashierless shopping solutions from a variety of vendors, including Verizon.
For example, in August 2023 the Golden State Warriors NBA basketball franchise and Chase Center opened ampm ASAP Grab-and-Go, a convenience store offering autonomous checkout that runs on Verizon Business and AiFi technology.
Customers can tap, swipe or insert a credit card upon entering the store. After selecting their preferred items, they can then walk through the exit gate and items are automatically charged to their card without cashier interaction or any required wait times.
Leveraging Verizon 5G network capabilities, ampm ASAP Grab and Go utilizes back-end store analytics and computer vision to ensure available stock and prevent shrinkage.
In other examples, two convenience stores equipped with Amazon’s Just Walk Out frictionless shopping platform and Amazon One palm-based payment solution are now open at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home field of the Texas Rangers pro baseball team.
And the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball team is partnering with integrated payment technology provider Shift4 to provide a frictionless shopping experience at concession locations across its Oriole Park at Camden Yards home stadium. Meanwhile, an integration between Shift4 and officially-licensed fan gear and merchandise brand Fanatics will support the retail transactions at the stadium’s merchandise locations.