How to improve your stadium fan experience ?

As if running a huge venue holding thousands of spectators isn’t hard enough, adding an entire food and beverage service and catering to customers quickly can be a challenge. With an extensive point of sale (POS) system that can support larger venues, stadiums can optimise their processes as well as really make a difference for the vans that visit them.

So, what does an ideal POS solution for a stadium look like? What kind of features should it offer? Find out more below.

1. Opt for a powerful POS solution

The advantages that come with implementing a dedicated POS system for your stadium are endless.

Mainly, having a POS system across all checkouts within your venue — whether that’s for food, drinks or merchandise — makes orders and payments quicker and easier. POS systems can facilitate mobile orders, too, where customers can order directly from and to their seats through in-seat ordering and delivery. With optimised ordering and payment processes, stadiums can create an extremely efficient service that minimises queuing and streamlines the entire customer transaction.

By integrating the latest POS technology, venues can also gain access to data gathered from their customers and therefore personalise their individual fan experiences. This can involve remembering a customer's previous order, allergies, and more.

With Point of Sale Pro by SumUp, your POS software and hardware can be scaled to the size and layout of your business. It's packed with features that support you every day, such as:

• Simplified ordering

• Lightning-fast payments

• Slick hardware and easy-to-use software

• Real-time data and reports

• Multi-user access

Find out more by talking to our team via the link below.

2. Go cashless

Going cashless saves your team a huge amount of time, and processes your customers quickly and efficiently. Instead of setting up cash floats at the beginning of each workday, counting out change for each customer, and cashing all of the tills each evening — cashless payments mean everything is electronic and recorded correctly.

If you're using a POS solution, every payment you accept is synced to your system seamlessly. This feature has supported some venues in saving up to two hours of labour costs per day, per staff member.

On average, it takes 15 seconds to complete a cash transaction. In comparison, Chip & Pin payments take 5-8 seconds, and contactless in just 2 seconds.

Additional benefits include reducing the risk of human error and — because card and mobile transactions are automatically connected to your bank — there's no need to pay for a security team to support your business with bank transfers.

3. Start mobile ordering

Mobile and in-seat ordering gives stadiums a way to offer visitors a convenient, seamless experience where they can fully enjoy their event.

Using a mobile-ordering method, fans can order their food or drinks from their mobile device and either have it delivered to their seat or collect it as soon as it’s ready. On-the-go sales staff can also use hand-held POS terminals to sell quick-purchase items like drinks or ice-creams directly to fans, accepting payment right there and then.

If mobile or in-seat ordering isn’t an option, placing self-service kiosks around your stadium can give customers another way to fast-track their orders or purchases.

4. Implement self-service terminals

Having an ordering terminal like SumUp Kiosk can significantly improve the experience of your customers. At any time they can order and pay autonomously, before collecting their order at the counter.

For you, it’s a big win as well:

• Complete ordering and payment process directly at kiosk

• Understand your sales and consumers better with in-depth reporting

• Save money on front-of-house staffing — kiosks can reduce labour costs by 30%

• Upsell more: 51% of people buy more during an interaction with a kiosk

• Serve consumers faster and reduce queues

• Reduce waste with accurate ordering and less human error

5. Look for an all-in-one solution

Opting for a POS solution that ticks all boxes when it comes to orders, payments, reporting and more allows you to streamline your operations using one reliable platform. An easy-to-use point of sale system also makes every day easier for staff and allows them to be trained in minutes. Book a chat with our team and discover how Point of Sale Pro by SumUp can benefit your stadium or larger venue.