For every great moment in sports, somebody was waiting in line for a soda. Leveraging its relationship with the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center, American Express created the first Card Member exclusive, cashier-less concession experience within a partner venue, unlocking a one-stop shop for fans to buy food, beverages, and merchandise. No waiting required.

By combining artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, American Express Card Members could simply tap their card, grab what they wanted and were able to head back to the action within seconds. Take away standing in line and transactions, and customers saved an average of ten minutes. Which in sports is several lifetimes.

Through this innovative approach to membership benefits, American Express not only solved a major fan pain point, but also elevated everyday transactions to unique experiences and connected commerce with Card Member passion points.

To enter the store, Card Members simply tap their credit card or mobile wallet to enter the store. Once inside, Card Members are tracked by overhead cameras and weight-sensitive shelf sensors which keep track of the items they pick up, replace or remove from the store and charges their accounts upon exit, eliminating the need for cashiers and increasing speed and efficiency.

Indeed, the principle of creating an entirely frictionless shopping experience drove our creative approach. From entry through exit, the design and execution revolved around seamless, speedy interaction. Whether at entry - through tapping a contactless-enabled card or using a mobile wallet - or at point of product interaction - using open air coolers - our creative intent remained consistent.

When so much time, money, excitement, and expectation is put into attending live, in-venue experiences, even the smallest disruptions become large hindrances to enjoyment, and those blocks equate to ‘negative value’ put on the in-venue experience as a whole. It makes people wonder if attending is ‘worth it.’

Research showed that venues are high-pressure transaction environments, with chaotic, long lines, and not wanting to be the person who holds up the line because of indecision or a payment type that isn’t accepted.

Given American Express' core audiences’ affinity for live experiences, these challenges provide the opportunity to change a negative into a moment of joy.

To enter the store, Card Members can use multiple form factors including their physical credit card or a digital wallet on a mobile device/other payment-responsive wearable (e.g. watch). Once in store, items that Card Members pick up are added to their virtual cart while items returned to the shelf are removed. Upon exit, Card Members are charged based on the items taken from the store, and a digital receipt is generated by the technology partner, viewable through a dedicated store web portal (accessible using the card information associated with the purchase).

To build greater awareness of the Shop, American Express developed a robust marketing campaign inclusive of digital exterior signage and highly curated in-venue assets. Additional social messaging via partner-owned channels not only supported these broader awareness efforts, but also highlighted many of the local small businesses carried within the store.

The American Express Shop immediately achieved its original objectives in elevating the gameday concession experience for Card Members while also supporting broader enterprise initiatives, including Shop Small. Key successes include:

Decreasing shopping time (concession wait time) from an average of 12-15 minutes to between 90-120 seconds.

In-store purchase conversion percentage of over 75%

American Express Shop social media posts from brand-owned channels drove 10x the average engagement and store-related Brooklyn Nets emails over-indexed on both open and click-thru rates vs. average team emails. Conversation was universally positive, with Card Members asking for similar stores to be brought to airports and other high touch Card Member locations.