How Leyton Orient FC Is Leveraging Contactless Payment Solutions

“You only know a system like this is good because of the issues it doesn’t create. I think it’s a testament to SumUp that we’ve had next to no issues”.

Leyton Orient Football Club, steeped in history as London’s second-oldest professional football club, is now at the forefront of innovation. Welcoming an average crowd of 6,000, the club recently adopted a cashless solution for events in partnership with SumUp. The contactless payment solutions have not only enhanced their hospitality services but also revolutionised the fan experience, cementing their place as pioneers in the sports industry.

In an interview, Layton Orient Football Club provides an overview of their experience in using the new POS systems.

A Leap from the 19th to the 21st Century POS Solution

“As a club, we wanted to join the 21st century because our previous system was more like the 19th century! We had a very manual process with cash payments.”

For years, Leyton Orient relied on outdated, cash-based systems that struggled to keep up with modern demands.

“Our food and beverage operations were an area that had been neglected for a long time. We needed to bring improvements from the quality of our food to the speed and simplicity of our service. Slow service, such as in the key half-time period, means that the fans buying refreshments will be unhappy. An unintended consequence of the slow service was that you also risk annoying the other fans around them when they walk past if the game has restarted.”

Their goal? Implement a stadium POS system that would seamlessly integrate match-day and non-match-day operations. This would ensure fast, efficient, and contactless payments for fans.

The Unique Challenges of a Stadium Environment

We have 12 catering units, which, for the size of the stadium, is relatively large. The stadium is a “concrete jungle,” and as a result, our Wi-Fi setup was a long way from being perfect. We knew we would have to do a lot of Wi-Fi configuration with our new partner, as we wanted our new POS systems to be wirelessly connected.

The new stadium POS system had to be just at home in the corporate and non-matchday areas of the business, such as our bars and restaurants, as it is on a busy stadium concourse.

With the unique challenges facing the football club, they need seamless payment integration that allows various features, including discounts and incentives to fans.

SumUp Football Stadium Partnership: The Perfect Match

How Did You Find Out About SumUp?

It was recommended to us. We didn’t even need to see it in the live stadium, as we knew from the credentials SumUp have and the calibre of the people recommending us to them that they could and would deliver. However, we did a lot of research and knew we wanted a provider who combined experience in the intricacies of the sports environment with a passion for their service – which is why SumUp shone within the tender process.

Why Did You Choose SumUp?

When looking for contactless payment solutions, Leyton Orient was looking for a partner who understood the complex stadium environment.

“Along with live-stock reporting, we needed to know what was being spent and when it was being spent. We also wanted a system that could allow us to reward our fans' loyalty and purchases with incentives and discounts. For example, we’d like to reward the fans who turn up to the match early and buy a drink or burger and be able to incentivise those who turn up at kickoff time to arrive a bit earlier, which can help to build the atmosphere in the stadium.”

SumUp stood out for offering a reliable stadium POS system that ticked all the boxes:

• Ease of use for stadium staff.

• Space efficiency since it can fit in compact setups.

• Scalable solution that grows with the club’s needs.

Transforming the Fan Experience with SumUp Integration

Before SumUp, taking card payments felt like navigating a labyrinth with fans waiting for available card readers during the half-time window. The frustration was palpable. With SumUp’s cashless events payment systems, everything changed:

• Speed: Fans now breeze through the concession stands, which ensures they don’t miss the action.

• Efficiency: Catering staff can now serve 20% more people in the key pre-match and half-time windows solely through having installed the SumUp POS system.

• Satisfaction: Focus groups praised the improved service.

How Did SumUp Stand Out in Contactless Payment Solutions?

Many providers promised an engineer to be on-site when their system went live for the first match, but SumUp went above and beyond and attended the first four matches instead of just the first two contracted ones – which gave us increased confidence that if a problem occurred, an expert was there to solve it.

How has SumUp Changed the Way You Work?

Before getting a POS system, our cash intake was 85-90%. Pre-lockdown, we managed to move this to a 50/50 split with cards – and when we open up again with crowds, we’ll be going 100% cashless to maintain a COVID-secure environment.

What SumUp Features Were More Useful to You?

There were a number of improvements that SumUp has allowed us to implement operationally for both match-day and non-matchday. We really appreciated the ease of reporting. When you get nothing but positive feedback from your staff and your management team, you know the product is good!

For instance, we now know what is selling and what is not. Before, we didn’t know if we’d sold 500 pies or 50 pies! It helps us to drill down into each stand and each concession area. That way, we see what products are popular and which are not – leading to better stock management and control.

The insights of knowing what sold, and therefore, what stock we’ve got left sounds like the basics, but we weren’t able to do it – but now we can as part of our standard procedure.

What Advice Do You Have for Other Venues?

Make sure you fully understand the requirements of your whole team. I’d recommend that anyone wanting to implement a new POS system should spend an event day working with your catering staff so that you can fully understand the issues that the new POS system has to address. Only then can you write a tender document to find a supplier that delivers a cashless for sports clubs solution. “The product is as good as the service, and the service is as good as the product.”

Transforming the Stadium Experience with Cashless Payment

By adopting SumUp’s cashless events payment system, Leyton Orient Football Club managed to transform its hospitality capabilities and improve the fan experience. Whether fans are cheering on the team or enjoying a drink at the bar, providing a cashless sports club payment option improves the experience.

FAQs

Why are some venues cashless?

Many venues are offering cashless payment solutions to improve customer experience by speeding up transactions and reducing the need for queues in venues. They can provide faster services and easily streamline payments.

Why are people against going cashless?

Most people who are against going cashless have privacy concerns. Digital transactions leave a detailed record of spending habits, raising concerns about data collection.

What Cashless solutions does SumUp have for football clubs?

SumUp provides a variety of cashless payment solutions for football clubs. You can use the Mobile POS, SumUp card readers, or payments via links.