Hospitality stands at sports stadiums are testing a new checkout-free payment system from Mastercard, as retailers "try to meet shoppers' desire for speed and reduced human contact," according to Katie Deighton of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Delaware North Chief Information Officer Jeffrey Wilkinson said that the company "plans to test" Mastercard's Shop Anywhere in Q4. He added that Delaware North is working with leagues like the NFL "to ensure it tests the technology in venues that will host games and fans this year." Wilkinson: "Guests and fans coming into a stadium environment now want to quickly and safely get in and out with little to no wait times on entry and exit." Mastercard said that it offers Shop Anywhere as a service that retailers "can pay for on a recurring basis, giving them access to authentication technology and analytics, rather than a one-time buy." Brand experience consultant Tim Manning estimated that an initial cashierless hardware and code setup "could cost as much as $3 million." He also estimated that installing the system "would cost around $100,000 per store -- a figure he said could be recouped within a year by reduced spending on staff and checkout machines" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/23).
