Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball team the Colorado Rockies, has become the first sports venue to implement Amazon One’s new age-verification technology.
Amazon One, a free contactless service, allows customers to use the palm of their hand to pay, enter or identify themselves. Fans at Coors Field can prove their eligibility to purchase alcohol in just a few seconds by using the technology.
Amazon One has teamed up with Aramark Sports + Entertainment, the hospitality provider at Coors Field, to introduce the verification capability at the Sandlot Brewery and the Coors Light Silver Bullet Bar.
New customers will be required to visit an Amazon One enrolment kiosk at either the SandLot Brewery or Coors Light Silver Bullet Bar, before taking a photo on their mobile device of the front and back of their ID, and then taking a selfie to verify their ID.
Once completed, guests will be prompted to hover their palm over the Amazon One device at the bar for all future alcoholic beverage purchases. If they are of drinking age, the bartender will see a ‘21+’ message along with the customer-uploaded selfie displayed on screen on their side of the counter. Customers can then hover their palm over the device once more and will be charged for their purchase.
If a Coors Field guest has previously enrolled in Amazon One at locations like Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, or Whole Foods Market, they can upload their ID and selfie online at one.amazon.com prior to arriving at the stadium.
John McKay, senior director of food service operations and development for the Rockies, said: “At Coors Field, we pride ourselves in putting the customer experience first. As the first sports stadium to enable cutting-edge palm recognition technology like Amazon One for age verification, we are enabling a friction-free experience for Colorado Rockies fans so they can grab a drink and get back to the game faster.
“Hearing from Amazon One customers across the country, we understand that they love the convenience it delivers: shorter wait times, quicker access, being able to link their loyalty memberships, and now an easy way to grab their beer.”
Dilip Kumar, vice-president of AWS Applications, added: “Our team continually innovates to improve the customer experience, and age verification is the latest way we’re solving a customer pain point.
“Fans no longer need to fumble for their wallet and ID. Instead, they can quickly confirm their age and make their purchase with just a hover of their palm. At Coors Field, this will help fans get back to the game faster, and we look forward to rolling this feature out to additional establishments in the coming months.”
Amazon has also been introducing its Just Walk Out stores at a host of venues across the US. The technology eliminates the need for fans to checkout when purchasing food and drinks by detecting what they take from or return to the shelves.
