The practice of using your face to pay for concessions purchases is growing rapidly at the Cleveland Browns’ Huntington Bank Field, thanks in part to an expansion of the Browns’ facial authentication programs this season.
Along with main technology and deployment partners Wicket and Aramark, the Browns’ decision to double the number of concession stands using facial authentication technology for payment and age verification is getting an enthusiastic reception from fans through the first two home games of the current NFL season, according to statistics provided by the Browns and its program partners.
With 12 stands now offering the option of “paying with your face,” the partners said this week that enrollment and repeat usage figures are already surpassing those seen during last season’s trial deployment of the technology, which is designed to greatly speed up concession transaction times.
“We’re getting some amazing enrollment numbers,” said Brandon Covert, vice president of information technology for the Cleveland Browns, in an interview. “We’re thrilled to expand this program.”
New payment options support technology expansion
The expansion of facial authentication technology for concessions payments is just the latest step in the Browns’ embrace of the technology, which was first used just for ticket verification. Now after a couple years of beer-only trials in the concession space, the Browns, Aramark and Wicket have significantly expanded the facial authentication program to include stands that sell not just beverages but other food and drink options as well.
Ten of these stands are permanent structures in concourse locations, with express lanes for facial authentication customers and regular lanes for other customers. The joint access for Express and non-Express customers, Covert said, allows any fan to use the stands for purchases while preserving the “express” amenity of the facial-authentication program.
The other two stands are portable beer cart deployments deployed just past security scanners, which allow fans using Express Access to get drinks even before they enter the stadium gates.
To further facilitate the technology’s expansion, the Browns have also added two new payment technology options that support facial authentication, including a self-checkout kiosk using software from TapIn2 and Mashgin optical-scanning devices. For the facial authenticaion, the TapIn2 devices have a camera embedded in the kiosk tablet, while the Mashgin devices have an embedded iPhone above their traditional payment device. The Browns are also still using standalone tablets with TapIn2 software at some of the stands, which also have embedded cameras.
According to the partners, after just two games facial authentication purchases are already accounting for an average of 11 percent of all transactions at the new stands, with two stands showing 24 percent of facial-authentication transactions recorded in the crush time before kickoff. A full 30 percent of facial authentication transactions are repeat-customer transactions, the partners said.
Overall, both the Browns’ Express Access ticketing and concessions programs are continuing to draw new enrollees, according to the team. After two games this season, the Browns reported that 39,176 fans were enrolled in the Express Access program, with 3,299 of those new to this season.
On the concessions side, the Browns now have 6,476 fans who also enrolled in the concessions Express Access program, with 2,604 of those signups coming this season — meaning that almost 79 percent of the new enrollees this year chose to participate in both ticketing and concessions Express Access.
A faster way to authenticate age and payment information
If you’re not familiar with the Browns’ program, here’s a quick primer. Fans who are already enrolled in the Cleveland Browns’ Express Access ticketing system that uses facial authentication technology from the Cambridge, Mass.-based startup Wicket must add additional information to their profile to use the Express Access concession stands. That information includes back and front photos of a state-issued I.D., a selfie photograph, and a valid credit card number.
Once enrolled, fans can simply go to any of the Express Access stands and after a quick validation check at a screen on a walk-through “portal” to prove they are enrolled, they enter the stand, select their beverages and food from grab-and-go layouts, and proceed to the payment stations. There, they verify their items either by self-scanning (kiosks), by optical scanning (Mashgin) or by selecting items on the standalone tablets, and select the facial authentication option for verification of age (for alcohol purchases) and payment information. After checking to make sure alcoholic beverage containers are opened, staffers will send the customer on their way, with billing taking place online.
Like other new low-friction concession technology options that have emerged in the stadium space, the Express Access setup significantly reduces the time spent in line in two ways: One, since fans have to sign up beforehand, not everyone at the game can get into an Express Access line; Two, with age and payment verification confirmed by a simple stare into a screen or camera, the transaction times can take seconds instead of a minute or more for payment and ID checking that is sometimes required at other types of stands.
Turning an idea into an accepted practice
Alicia Woznicki, vice president of design and development for Aramark Sports + Entertainment, said the buy-in from the Browns and from Wicket was key to allowing Aramark to expand the Express Access concessions idea to all parts of the stadium, including club and general-admission areas. With new branding that unifies the Express Access concessions and the Express Access ticketing practices (bright green signage with distinctive lettering), the idea of using your face for multiple interactions has clearly moved the concept from an interesting idea to a well-accepted practice.
“We wanted to make sure the amenity was seamless across the building,” said Woznicki, whose firm has been at the forefront of the usage of new technologies to improve the fan concession experience. “We know it works. The acceptance [by fans] shows how far we’ve come.”
For Wicket, the expansion of the Browns’ concession program is another feather in the cap for the startup, which was also selected by the NFL to provide league-wide security access technology for back-of-house credential verification this season.
“It’s great to partner with the Browns and Aramark,” said Jeff Boehm, chief operating officer for Wicket, saying the blending of expertise from all the partners is leading to improvements on many levels. For the new program, Wicket refreshed the application process as well as performed the necessary integrations with the new POS hardware options, among other improvements.
In addition to Mashgin and TapIn2, the Express Access concessions program also uses age and ID verification services from a Boulder, Colo.-based company, IDmission; and loyalty and credit card authentication software from Lava.ai, a San Francisco-based startup. The Express Access ticketing practice is sponsored by Verizon, while the Express Access concessions practice is sponsored by Bud Light.
