The following is a guest blog by Tal Vinnik of Bypass.

Ready, BC Place, Centerplate, and Bypass have joined forces to create all-new in-seat ordering that’s more seamless than ever before.

When fans don’t want to miss any of the action at your venue, ordering from their seat at a venue and having food brought to you is an easy sell, especially when concessions lines stretch into the distance. But in-seat ordering doesn’t come without its barriers. For the venue, that includes adding features or integrations to an app—or the creation of an app in the first place—which may not be feasible for sports and entertainment budgets). For fans, the typical process for in-seat ordering is less than instantaneous:

1. Find the app

2. Download and install

3. Create an account

4. Enter your section and seat

5. Enter your order

6. Enter your payment info

All those steps—for what could be a one-off transaction—can deter fans, feeding into a general trend of app fatigue. Even though more and more apps continue to fill the marketplace, Gartner found over 60 percent of consumers are still downloading the same amount or even less apps year over year. So BC Place, home to the BC Lions Football Club and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, decided to take the concessions experience to the next level without an app.

BC Place partnered with Bypass and Ready to streamline the in-seat mobile order process for fans while saving on app integration costs to create a seamless mobile ordering solution that allowed fans to order and pay without downloading an app, signing up, or logging in.

Skipping In-App Ordering with QR Codes

QR code usage has gained traction with built-in scanning in the iPhone and Android camera apps, along with major retailers like Starbucks and Whole Foods using them for loyalty programs and other campaigns.

Bypass and Ready worked with BC Place to develop a streamlined process for ordering using QR code technology:

1. Scan. Fans use their phone’s camera to scan a unique QR code on the armrest of their seat, which directs them to the order page and identifies where their order should be brought.

2. Order. Fans choose from the full concession menu in their phone’s browser.

3. Pay. Without registering, fans securely pay with their credit card.

1. Enjoy. The order is brought to the fan so they can just sit back, relax, and enjoy.

With Apple or Android Pay a fan wouldn’t just avoid downloading an app or registering. They could go through the whole ordering process without ever having to type anything or take out their wallet.

On the streamlined, four-step approach, BC Place’s Director of IT Services, Milad Sakiani said, “Bypass and Ready were able to take a great idea and execute it seamlessly, producing an exceptional in-stadium experience for our guests. We are very excited to offer this industry-leading service at BC Place.”

Looking ahead: Increasing revenue and reaching more fans

BC Place recently launched the in-seat experience at over 1,500 seats. Ready technology not only aims to increase concessions sales through in-seat mobile order at these seats, but to reduce congestion at concession stands. This goal is part of Bypass and Ready’s overall effort to transform the fan experience with more ways to order, pay, and enjoy.