Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, emerges as the clear leader in sports concessions, securing the title of the 2023 Zippin Award for Highest Grossing Store in the Sports & Entertainment Category for the Short Stop Bar located at the Budweiser Porch.
The Zippin-powered store also made history when it opened in April 2023 as the first checkout-free store integrated with VenueNext by Shift4, enabling fans to pay with mobile payments within the MLB Ballpark app.
This win is attributed to the team’s “all in” approach to checkout-free. Rather than dipping their toe into a checkout-free with a test run, they chose to convert their busiest and most profitable bar into a Zippin-powered store.
The approach worked! Implementation of Zippin's checkout-free technology at the bustling Short Stop bar yielded MVP results. Their sales in 2023 were 44% higher than the Zippin-powered store that came in second place in the category. They also achieved:
The success of this checkout-free installation at one of the busiest concession areas in Tropicana Field provides a blueprint for sports stadiums globally, showcasing how transformative solutions can elevate the concessions game and leave a lasting impression on fans.
Learn more about the Zippin Awards here.