Mercedes-Benz Stadium has rolled out a new self-service concession market to help fans enjoy their game day experience a little more.
The ATL Market, located at the 100-level concourse between sections 123 and 124, is checkout-free so that fans no longer have to wait in long lines while the game is going on. The market allows fans to scan their card, enter, and leave with whatever snack or drink they want.
Fans will be able to scan their debit cards at the front entrance and then the gate will allow them and whoever they bring with them into the marketplace. They can then grab cheap concessions like chips, beer, and hotdogs and walk directly out the exit. Their card will be charged for the items upon exiting.
Guests can bring as many people in at once and the system will still only charge the card that was scanned to enter. Whether it’s just one person or 10 people getting concessions, the charge will only go towards one card.
The marketplace is filled with over 40 cameras that track what consumers pick up and send messages to the server when the consumer leaves so that their card is charged for the item(s). The cameras also know when items are placed back and they also alert employees when the stock of an item is running low.
The stadium introduced the marketplace for the first time during the Falcons’matchup against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday.
It was an immediate success.
“Our beta test went very well, very smoothly,” Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at AMB Sports, Gordon Barfield said. “Fans were definitely using it.”
The market experience for the fans will allow them to make multiple stress-free trips to the concession stand throughout the duration of the game and the food and drinks will always be ready to go as soon as the gates open.
The idea mimics those of Whole Foods and Amazon Marketplace where consumers can add items to their shopping carts and the cart will charge the card when the consumer exits the store.
The stadium and logistics team is still trying to figure out the manning for the market before they can expand it to other parts of the stadium.
“For the initial few events when we are trying to educate fans on how it works, we will be over-staffed and we’ll have people at the gates to check IDs, explain where to swipe their cards, and we’ll have someone restocking if necessary,” Barfield said.
A lot of stadiums and venues are moving away from cash transactions and the market helps that cause. Fans are required to have either their mobile device or physical credit/debit card to access the marketplace. Cash will not be accepted as a form of payment for the marketplace.
The stadium looks to implement this checkout-free experience in other areas such as souvenirs and t-shirts as they see more success with their first marketplace.
