Press Release
Instacart and Aramark Sports + Entertainment Unveil Contact-Free Food and Beverage Checkout in Time for Baseball Season
Caper Counter, an AI-powered point-of-sale (POS) system from Instacart, has its baseball stadium debut in Boston, providing frictionless checkout experiences, increased checkout transaction volume and shorter food and beverage lines
SAN FRANCISCO and PHILADELPHIA, April 20, 2022 – Instacart, a leading retail enablement company in North America, today announced that it is unveiling its Caper Counter, an artificial intelligence-powered (AI) point-of-sale (POS) system, at Boston’s historic ballpark in partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment, the award-winning food and beverage partner at nine Major League Baseball stadiums. The new Caper Counter checkout systems will provide fast, contact-free transactions of food and beverage selection for fans through visual recognition and AI technology, helping to reduce transaction times.
Starting today, customers will be able to use three Caper Counters for contact-free checkout experiences at select areas around the Boston stadium, located at the Truly Terrace and Walk Thru Bru. Caper Counter’s technology allows for packaged food and beverage items – such as peanuts, soda, beer and candy – to be scanned and purchased in seconds while also increasing health and safety throughout the ballpark.
Caper Counter is powered by AI – including computer vision and Sensor Fusion technology – to visually detect and identify items based on their shape, color, key features and sizes. Customers place items for purchase on Caper Counter, where they will be automatically detected and added to the cart for checkout. Customers then select ‘pay’ and choose from either a credit card, loaded ticket or team rewards as their method of payment, and can then gather their food and beverages, completing a seamless, autonomous transaction.
“We are excited to introduce Caper Counter to baseball fans this season and elevate the concessions experience with a method in which guests can quickly and seamlessly grab their favorite snack and get back to their seats to enjoy the game with their family and friends,” said Alicia Woznicki, Vice President of Design and Development at Aramark Sports + Entertainment.
“Nothing compares to the experience of attending a game in person at the stadium, but we know fans increasingly want a more engaging, seamless and contact-free checkout experience. By helping to speed up the checkout experience, fans can spend less time buying their peanuts and beer and more time where they want to – in the stands, cheering on their team,” said Lindon Gao, Vice President of Engineering at Instacart. “On average, Caper Counter decreases transaction times by approximately 65%. We’re excited to continue bridging the gap between in-store and online experiences through our omnichannel solutions, and look forward to expanding our partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment in the future.”
Caper Counters are one example of the in-store technologies offered as a part of Instacart Platform, a suite of enterprise-grade technologies to enhance and digitize retail experiences. Caper Counter is designed for retailers that have a smaller physical footprint and stock-keeping unit (SKU) count, allowing customers to seamlessly purchase a handful of items at a time – ranging from stadiums to convenience stores. To power in-store technologies for larger retailers, Instacart also offers Caper Carts, smart carts that auto-detect items instantly with AI-powered cameras. Instacart Platform provides retailers access to the technologies behind Instacart’s consumer marketplace to power their own digital properties and retail operations. Instacart Platform brings together the technologies retailers need to improve the consumer experience online or in-store and digitize the end-to-end grocery operation. For more information about Caper by Instacart, visit www.instacart.com/company/platform.
About Instacart
Instacart is a leading retail enablement platform that works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. Today, Instacart partners with more than 750 national, regional and local retail brands to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 70,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America. Millions of busy people and families turn to Instacart to get the groceries they need from the retailers they love, and more than 600,000 Instacart shoppers pick, pack and deliver orders for customers on their own flexible schedule. The Instacart Platform offers a suite of enterprise-grade technology products and services to power e-commerce, fulfillment, in-store, ads and insights for retailers across the U.S. and Canada. Hundreds of retailers partner with Instacart to power their e-commerce experiences across the Instacart App and their own white-label sites and solutions. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands partner with the company to connect directly with consumers online. For more information, visit www.instacart.com/company, and to start shopping, visit www.instacart.com. For anyone interested in becoming an Instacart shopper, visit https://shoppers.instacart.com/.
About Aramark Sports + Entertainment
Aramark Sports + Entertainment serves more than 150 award-winning food and beverage, retail, and facility service programs in premier stadiums, arenas, convention centers, cultural attractions, performance venues, and unique entertainment destinations across North America. The company has received accolades for industry innovations including autonomous markets, dining concepts powered by artificial intelligence, and high-profile events like NBA All-Star 2022 and MLB at Field of Dreams. In 2021, Aramark entered into a strategic collaboration with the Philadelphia-based Starr Restaurant Organization, led by entrepreneur and James Beard Award-winning restaurateur, Stephen Starr, which will bring the renowned culinary visionary’s highly sought-after concepts to clients throughout Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s portfolio. Aramark ranked No. 1 In the Diversified Outsourcing Services Category on FORTUNE’s 2022 List of ‘World’s Most Admired Companies’ and has been named to DiversityInc’s “Top 50 Companies for Diversity” list, the Forbes list of “America’s Best Employers for Diversity,” the HRC’s “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” and scored 100% on the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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