Welcome to Stadium Tech Report’s Fall 2023 market numbers report on checkout-free concession stands — which we also call “the list that will be updated soon.”
Those of you who are longtime Stadium Tech Report readers may remember our old “unofficial” lists of the top single-day Wi-Fi events at stadiums. While we’ve put those numbers aside (for now!) Stadium Tech Report has a new set of scoreboards ready for the revolution of the checkout-free stadium concession stand, a market in which almost 100 new stores have launched in the past year.
Well, maybe “almost.” By the time we’re done editing and publishing this post, we may have to update the lists again (we actually had to change the graphics three times in the last few days because of more stores being announced). And based on what we know from a reliable rumor mill, we fully expect many more stores from all providers to be announced in the near future as they come online.
But as of midnight, Sept. 28, 2023, here are our “unofficial” statistics on who’s doing what in the checkout-free concession stand market, which now stands by our count at 141 stadium-specific stores, worldwide. As with our past lists, suggestions, proof of errors or omissions and comments are all welcome — the more the better! So here we go:
Top checkout-free vendors
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).
One thing we have noticed in the stadiums where we’ve seen live checkout-free stands is that they quickly become popular with fans.
Though there are a few scattered stores overseas, the bulk of the checkout-free concession stand deployments are in the U.S. As such, it’s not a surprise that the leading vendors are all U.S.-based, with three startups and one retail behemoth providing all the open or publicly announced stadium stores we know of. Here’s a quick rundown on who’s been doing what and how many.
Number 1: Zippin (71 stores)
The San Francisco-based Zippin raced to an early lead in this market by aggressively targeting stadiums, and so far has been able to hold onto its lead. What has led to big jumps in Zippin growth are teams and venues who started with a small number of Zippin stores and then quickly added more. Tops in this department are the Las Vegas Raiders, who now have 10 Zippin stores in Allegiant Stadium, the most of any kind of checkout-free store in any venue, and the Denver Broncos, who have nine Zippin stores at Empower Field at Mile High. A year ago the Raiders started with four stores and quickly added six more, based on the success of the initial deployments. Zippin has also led the market in innovating different store shapes and sizes, from full buildouts of older concession stands to their newest “walk-up” model, where a stripped-down Zippin store can be deployed cheaply and quickly in an existing concession stand footprint, without any construction needed. It also launched a pilot program this year in Denver to test using facial authentication technology for payment and age verification to allow fans to get into stores even more quickly.
Number 2: Amazon (54 stores)
Though nobody really knows yet exactly why Amazon, one of the world’s largest companies with hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue per year, has chosen to compete in the relatively small stadium concession business, its “Just Walk Out” branded stores are multiplying quickly. Like Zippin Amazon is in stadiums across all pro leagues, and was the first to get stores put into a college stadium when it launched three stores at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field last year. At many of its Just Walk Out stores Amazon also allows fans to enter by using the Amazon One biometric system, which ties payment and in some cases age verification to a customer’s palm.
Number 3: AiFi (13 stores)
A leadership change last year may have slowed the growth of the Bay Area-based AiFi, but it started adding some new stores last year with a deployment at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta of two stores, and then made a big attention splash earlier this year when the Steve Ballmer-owned Los Angeles Clippers announced that AiFi would “deploy several technology solutions for Intuit Dome, the new home of the LA Clippers, scheduled to open in Inglewood during the fall of 2024.” With hints of more AiFi stores coming soon, the Verizon Ventures-backed company may start to close the gap on the market leaders.
Number 4: Standard AI (3 stores)
While Standard AI (formerly known as Standard Cognition) hasn’t added to its store totals in the past year, we are keeping a watch on them as a preliminary discussion with company execs this summer hinted at some new-store info to come sometime soon. The San Francisco-based firm has been around since 2017, with more than $230 million of funding raised so far. In addition to two stores at American Airlines Arena in Dallas and one at a minor-league ballpark, Standard AI like the other providers has deployed its technology in locations like convenience stores and college campuses.
Venues with the most checkout-free stands
One thing we have noticed in the stadiums where we’ve seen live checkout-free stands is that they quickly become popular with fans. That trend has led several stadiums to quickly install more stands, and we expect to see more venues currently with just a small number of stores to add to those in the future, especially as more lower-cost versions of the stores come into play.
So which venue has the most checkout-free stores? As of this compilation, the leader is Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with 10 Zippin stores. Close behind is Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, with nine Zippin stores. The venue with the most Amazon Just Walk Out stores is Lumen Field in Seattle, with eight stores, plus one merchandise store that does use some Just Walk Out technology — but because it isn’t really a “Just Walk Out” store (because customers actually have to scan goods at an exit gate) we’re not counting it in our totals.
Chicago’s United Center recently surged to the top of the list for NBA/NHL size arenas, adding four new stores to three existing stores to get to seven Amazon Just Walk Out stores. Barclays Center in Brooklyn has five Zippin stores, while Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (Amazon) and Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (Zippin) have four each. T-Mobile Park in Seattle also has four Amazon Just Walk Out stores to put it in the Major League Baseball lead, while CityPark in St. Louis (Zippin) leads the MLS with three checkout-free stands.
