In a first for UK football, tappit has supported Bury FC in implementing a new prepaid card system in the club’s Energy Check Stadium at Gigg Lane. tappit – also the club’s away shirt sponsor – is a specialist in providing a cashless experience at sports events, festivals and other entertainment venues around the world.
Bury FC joins a number of other experiences around the world that have recently made the switch to cashless payments for their customers. Cashless solutions have become increasingly important as a means of making the payment process as convenient as possible for visitors. This improves the customer experience at the event, helping to drive loyalty and significantly boosting revenue in turn.
Under the new system implemented by Bury FC, fans simply tap their prepaid Bury-branded card against a POS terminal when purchasing refreshments. This significantly cuts queuing times at concession stands, freeing fans to enjoy their visit to the stadium.
The cards can be used at four of the club’s concession stands: the Members Suite; Starkies Restaurant; the Social Club; and the Retail Shop. Cardholders simply preload funds, then enjoy the match without the need to carry cash.
In addition to providing supporters with an improved match-day experience, the card system gives Bury FC a wealth of information about users’ spending habits to help them explore ways to improve engagement with fans and provide tailored offers in the future.
Bury FC Commercial Director, Matt Caren, said: “We’re hugely excited to bring new technology to the club to offer our fans the chance to go cashless at Gigg Lane. tappit is now much more than a shirt sponsor – it is a partner providing us with expertise to improve the matchday experience for our supporters. The new system will play a key role in helping us find out more about the behaviours of our supporters and learn how best we can communicate with fans moving forward.”
tappit CEO, Rob Groombridge, added: “When we first spoke to Bury about becoming a sponsor, we discussed taking the stadium cashless and were delighted to find the club keen to embrace the new technology. This is the first step in Bury’s journey to becoming the UK’s first cashless stadium, leading the way in payment innovation within football. We look forward to giving Bury fans a great cashless experience for many years to come.”