Featured image credit: AFL
Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium will become the first venue in the southern hemisphere to implement Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology for checkout-free purchases.
The move is designed to modernise Marvel Stadium’s food and beverage offering and will give fans the chance to purchase items without needing to scan them.
The Just Walk Out technology will be available at two outlets known as The Runner – one food and beverage store and one bar – in time for the early rounds of the 2023 AFL season. Fans will be able to use their credit/debit card or mobile wallet payment option at entry, collect their items, and leave the store without having to wait in line to checkout.
The technology uses artificial intelligence-style computer vision and deep learning techniques to accurately determine who took what in any retail environment. Amazon has built synthetic datasets to mimic millions of realistic shopping scenarios, including variations in store format, lighting conditions and crowds of shoppers to ensure accuracy in any environment.
Fans using the stores to purchase alcohol at Marvel Stadium will be required to show their ID to a store attendant for age verification. The project is being supported by the stadium’s food and beverage partner Delaware North and technology partner Telstra.
Kylie Rogers, the AFL’s executive general manager of technology, said: “We are continually looking at new ways to innovate and modernise our fan experience, and we know everyone will love the fast, convenient experience that Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology will deliver. Ultimately, this is about the fans, bringing them a next-generation stadium experience so they can spend more time enjoying the footy.”
Dilip Kumar, vice-president of AWS Applications, added: “It’s a big day for our Just Walk Out technology as we announce our first implementation in the southern hemisphere with two major Australian sporting institutions – AFL and Marvel Stadium. We’re proud to bring our convenient checkout experience to fans across the globe so they can get what they need and get back to their seats faster, never missing a moment of the game.”
Just Walk Out stores are in use at several sports venues across the US, including TD Garden, home of the NBA’s Boston Celtics and NHL’s Boston Bruins, and Climate Pledge Arena, home of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
Q2 Stadium recently became the first soccer-specific stadium to introduce the technology through a collaboration between Amazon and Major League Soccer team Austin FC. Last month, Globe Life Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, became the first Dallas-area sports venue to open Just Walk Out stores.
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