Foodservice Cateys 2019: Best Use of Technology Award – Aviva Stadium, Levy Ireland

Sponsored by CH&Co

 

They say the best ideas are the simplest ones, and this year’s winner of the Best Use of Technology award is no exception to the rule.

 

The problem: thousands of thirsty and hungry sports fans all need to order and consume their half-time beverages and snacks in a short space of time and from a limited number of bars.

 

The genius solution at Aviva Stadium in Dublin is RapidQ, a mobile pre-ordering service from Preoday, where users choose and pay for their drinks, select the time and bar they want to collect from, then simply show staff a code on their smartphone to redeem their order.

 

The results have been phenomenal. In February 2018, half of two bars at the stadium were turned into RapidQ Collection points. Sales were increased by 125% in these bars without cash sales being affected.

 

Staff productivity has also increased, while the Collection bar was transformed from a quiet area into a bustling environment.

 

Customers love the app too. Order history is deployed to make re-ordering easy, and user numbers have grown to 10,000 last year with an average of 2.3 orders being placed per user. More than 30 customers have ordered 10 times or more to date, while one customer has placed an incredible 58 orders alone.

 

Sales through the app grew by 62.5% to €52,963 (£47,236) last year, while order numbers grew by 64.8%.

 

In addition to revenue growth, customer satisfaction and staff efficiency, RapidQ’s ability to learn from customer behaviour is an additional key benefit. Data showed that 45% of orders were placed up to three hours before kick-off, with a further 42% placed during the first half before half-time, allowing Aviva to fine-tune its marketing strategy accordingly.

 

With the move to the cashless stadium moving ever closer, sports fans will be looking to purchase not just food and drink, but also merchandise, programmes and tickets for upcoming matches digitally, and the Aviva Stadium certainly has the edge over its competitors.

 

It’s not just Dublin’s rugby fans that love RapidQ, but also the 2019 Foodservice Cateys judges, who selected Aviva Stadium as their Best Use of Technology winner for 2019.

 

What the judges said

 

“Possibly the simplest and most obvious entry in this category. It wows with its effectiveness and scaleability and will surely be appearing everywhere in the coming years.”

 

Chris Stern, managing director, Stern Consultancy

 

“A really simple solution to a simple issue.”

 

Simon Houston, co-founder, Houston & Hawkes

 

“Aviva has employed pre-order technology that has enabled it to deliver significant customer savings and, in turn, massive revenue increases.”

 

Chris Durant, senior consultant, Litmus Partnership

 

“One of the most simple but effective uses of technology.”

 

Ryan Cantrill, client services manager, Cartwheel Recruitment

 

###The shortlist

 

Aviva Stadium, Levy Ireland

 

Bartlett Mitchell

 

The Genuine Dining Co

 

Hampshire County Council Catering Services (HC3S)