New Fan Service Integrations Bolster Case for Wicket’s Biometric Tech

Wicket’s efforts to pioneer face-based stadium access and fan services continue, with new integrations that have begun to deliver compelling results. The company has expanded the scope of its partnership with the Cleveland Browns, and worked with Aramark to integrate its biometric fan recognition system into more checkout kiosks to enable biometric concessions purchases.

In other words, the companies have made it even easier for football fans to buy beer and snacks at Huntington Bank Field.

The collaboration has brought Wicket’s “Express Access” system into self-checkout systems deployed at the stadium by Tapin2 and Mashgin. Fans who have enrolled in Wicket’s face-based stadium access system have the option of linking payment information to their Express Access profile, enabling them to grab the drinks and snacks they want, and pay without the use of a card, cash, or any other kind of physical token. For purchases of alcohol, the system can automatically match a fan to their government-issued ID.

Some promising data is starting to come out of the first weeks of these deployments, building a case for wider rollouts of the biometric fan service tech. On September 8, 11 percent of all transactions across Express Access locations were processed biometrically, and that number rose to 24 percent during the peak period prior to kickoff.

Sixty-five percent of fans who enrolled in Wicket’s face-based ticketing system also enrolled in the payments service, and 30 percent of Express Access customers made repeat purchases, signalling its ease of use.

The numbers build on previous data illustrating the benefits of the identity technology. Last year, data from the Cleveland Browns’ 2022 season showed that fans enrolled in the biometric system cleared queues 10 minutes faster than average. That also reduced operating costs, with 75 percent less space needed for ticketing operations, and estimated savings of about $8,000 per Wicket ticketing lane.

The “Express Beer” system allowing enrolled fans to get alcoholic drinks has also improved the customer experience. Wicket says that last year, deployments in partnership with Tapin2 and Lava.ai, a customer engagement specialist, saw wait times reduced by over 30 seconds.

Other sports organizations beyond American football are taking notice. Major League Soccer has selected Wicket as one of six companies to be included in the second-ever cohort of its MLS Innovation Lab, an accelerator program dedicated to new tech that can enhance the fan experience, athletic performance, and media coverage. Participants in the program will be invited to demonstrate their technologies in events like December’s MLS NEXT Fest in California, the Generation Adidas Cup, MLS NEXT Cup and the MLS NEXT All-Star Game; and select companies will be invited to showcase their tech at the 2025 MLS All-Star Game in Austin.

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October 2, 2024 – by Alex Perala