At VisioLab, we’re constantly innovating to redefine the food services and hospitality experience through cutting-edge technology. Our journey with Sodexo Live!, a leader in the world of live events and entertainment, has been a pivotal chapter in our story. We're thrilled to share how our AI-powered self-checkout solution has not only enhanced customer experiences but also significantly boosted profitability for Sodexo Live!
In 2022, we were excited to join Sodexo Live!'s first North American cohort in their Accelerator program, designed to amplify innovations shaping the future of live events. Our mission? To tackle the long-standing challenge of wait times – a notorious pain point for guests – and to streamline the sales process, ultimately driving increased revenue for Sodexo Live! clients.
Our solution: a visual self-checkout and automated food recognition system that accelerates the checkout process and enriches the customer experience. Launched in the summer of 2023 with Sodexo Live!, this technology has been a game-changer in how guests interact and transact at events.
Our approach with VisioLab's portable iPad-powered app is straightforward yet powerful. By integrating simplicity with speed, our app offers a tenfold increase in throughput without the need for additional cashiers or complex hardware setups. Our AI, needing just a few images to train, recognizes both packaged and unpackaged items almost instantly. This intuitive technology means guests can simply place their items under the iPad's camera, tap their card to pay, and quickly return to enjoying their event, leaving long queues behind.
We piloted our software across three notable Sodexo Live! venues: the Smoothie King Center, Ernest M. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, and Louisville Slugger Field in Kentucky. The results were astounding. In just 14 days, covering a range of events from music concerts to sports championships, our self-checkout software processed over 4,400 transactions and nearly 10,000 items, totaling an impressive $90,000 in revenue.
But what truly stands out is the operational efficiency we achieved – an astounding 99.8% accuracy rate and transaction times reduced to 24-26 seconds, a significant improvement over the typical minute-long wait times.
Our collaboration with Sodexo Live! transcended mere transactional efficiency. We witnessed firsthand how our technology not only alleviated the staff’s workload but also allowed them to engage more meaningfully with customers. The feedback from various event attendees, ranging from Zack Bryan fans to National Gymnastics Association competitors, was overwhelmingly positive. They were particularly impressed with the swift and hassle-free checkout process.
It’s a well-known fact that low efficiency during peak times can have dire economic consequences. With our system, Sodexo Live! could divert from the traditional one POS, one cashier model. Now, a single team member can oversee multiple POS systems, significantly enhancing transaction throughput and, potentially, increasing sales volumes. Studies indicate that self-service concepts can boost order volumes by up to 20%.
Our partnership with Sodexo Live! marks just the beginning of our journey in reshaping the landscape of live events. We are enthusiastic about further exploring this collaboration, driven by a shared vision of enhancing fan experiences and boosting sales.
At VisioLab, we are not just providing a product; we are reimagining the future of customer interaction in live events. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate and transform the hospitality and retail sectors.
To read e original post by Sodexo Live, click this link.
Also, check out this link to read about the accelerator.
This blog post critically examines the efficacy of self-checkout systems in the retail industry, drawing insights from Amanda Mull's article in "The Atlantic" and Nathaniel Meyersohn's piece in CNN Business. Initially hailed for their potential to reduce labor costs and streamline customer experiences, these systems have faced significant challenges, including high setup costs, maintenance issues, and mixed customer reactions. The post further explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence in redefining self-checkouts. VisioLab's innovative AI-based solution, which leverages visual object detection technology, is highlighted as a game-changer that overcomes the limitations of traditional self-checkout systems, offering an efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly alternative that promises immediate return on investment and enhanced customer satisfaction.
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