Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour”
Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
In the world of pop icon Taylor Swift, everything seems perfect. She’s now a billionaire. She’s got a charismatic boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who’s a star in his own right. Her most recent album, Tortured Poets Department, broke all-time streaming records when it debuted.
Swift’s The Eras concert tour has met with unprecedented success. In the U.S., it contributed over $4 billion to the nation’s GDP. In the U.K., she sold out an unimaginable eight performances at Wembley Stadium, which are predicted to result in over a $1 billion boost to Britain’s GDP. There are even worries that her concerts in the EU could spark regional inflation.
Taylor Swift Merch Issues
Merchandise is another highlight of the Swift universe. Last year, The Eras merch racked up $200 million in sales.
But merchandise is one of the few weak points in the otherwise impregnable Swift fortress. Earlier this year, Axios detailed various complaints from Swift fans that included shipping delays, low quality items, slow refunds, and long lines at in-person events.
Stadium Merchandise Sales
Events at stadiums and similar venues present a unique challenge in selling merchandise, particularly when the demand is off the charts as it seems to be at Swift’s concerts.
Events happen of the space of a few hours. Thousands, or tens of thousands, of customers arrive in one place during that time window. The space available for stores is often limited. Staffing can be a problem since the work hours are short and irregular. It’s not just apparel and souveniers, in concert and sports venues food and beverage sales suffer from similar issues.
Stadiums of every size have queue problems. Here, South Bend Cubs fans wait for food and drinks
Photo Credit: Roger Dooley
From a fan standpoint, long waits are the biggest problem. I recently attended a minor league baseball game in South Bend, Indiana. The crowd seemed to be near the venue’s 5,000 spectator capacity. Although there were a variety of well-staffed food and drink concessions, there was always a lengthy wait at every one. Buying a hot dog and a soda could easily consume an entire inning.
Swifties’ Dilemma
Imagine… You’ve waited months for this night, spent a small fortune on tickets, and now you’re faced with a choice – wait in a seemingly endless queue for that coveted blue crew neck shirt or risk missing Swift’s opening number. It’s a dilemma facing fans around the world, from Lisbon to Tokyo.
YouTubeHow long are Taylor Swift fans waiting in Eras Tour merch pre-sale in Sydney?
These lines aren’t just a nuisance; they’re a real problem. Fans are reporting wait times of hours, sometimes missing parts of the show they paid to see. And for Swift? It means lost sales and frustrated fans.
Even when merch trucks set up in the days preceding a concert, the lines can still be long.
Making Queues Quicker
Enter an unlikely hero: Amazon. No, Jeff Bezos isn’t about to duet with Taylor on stage (though I’d pay to see that). I’m talking about Amazon’s retail technology, specifically their Just Walk Out (JWO) and RFID systems.
You might have encountered this tech at an airport or sports stadium. Grab what you want, walk out, and get charged automatically. No lines, no fuss. It’s like magic, but with more algorithms and fewer wands. Recently, I wrote a more detailed description of Amazon’s retail tech.
Now, imagine applying this to Swift’s merch stores. Fans could browse, grab their coveted items, and be into their seats in no time. The potential benefits for both fans and Swift include faster transactions, shorter lines, and likely increased sales. Most important, it’s a better fan experience.
RFID Gates To The Rescue
The technology most likely to cut the queues would be JWO RFID checkout gates. These can be set up and take down quickly, and don’t require complex camera networks and store mapping. A shopper can enter the store without a payment method, encouraging browsing. The shopper can pick up items and, when finished shopping, exit through the gate using a credit card or Amazon One palm recognition. Items the shopper has collected are automatically tallied and charged.
Amazon RFID tech automatically tallies purchases and charges customers as they exit.
Credit: Amazon
Of course, there would be challenges in quickly creating and taking apart merch stores at every performance. Concert venues aren’t permanent stores, and the volume of eager Swifties is no joke. But if anyone has the resources and motivation to make it work, it’s the team behind the highest-grossing tour in history.
From a fan perspective, this could be a game-changer. More time to enjoy the show, less time stressing about missing out on merch. And who knows? Some fans who might be put off by an enormous line might now decide to buy something. Previously unthinkable repeat visits might be more practical without massive queues.
Not Just For Taylor Swift
The implications go beyond just Swift’s tour. This same technology is already beginning to change how merchandise is sold at concerts and sporting events. High-traffic, time-sensitive retail environments could all benefit from faster throughput.
The Seattle Seahawks Pro Shop Outlet has installed this technology with good results. Geekwire tested it out during a game, noting, “It felt like normal shopping — browse through items, try stuff on, put stuff back, etc. — until the end, when you either plug a credit card in for a few seconds or scan your palm to pay. The best part was not wasting time in line… This advantage was made more apparent as I walked down the concourse and saw a horde of people waiting to check out at the main pro shop store.”
Easier, faster merch checkouts might not generate many tabloid headlines, but it could make millions of Swifties’ concert experiences just a little bit more magical. In the words of Jon Jenkins, JWO vice president, “People hate standing in line, so if we can solve that problem – it’s a meaningful problem to solve.” No doubt Taylor Swift fans would agree.
Source link : https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2024/07/17/forget-travis-kelce-heres-who-taylor-swift-really-needs/
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Publish date : 2024-07-17 08:15:00
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