Amazon Tech Coming to Texas A&M’s Kyle Field
Hospitality company Levy and Texas A&M Athletics have revealed joint plans to bring three unique food and beverage stores using Amazon’s Just Walk Out and Amazon One technology to the university’s football stadium, Kyle Field. The stores are scheduled to open this fall so that Texas A&M Aggies fans can shop at them during college football season.
When the stores open, it will mark the first time Amazon’s checkout-free technology and palm recognition service will be used in a collegiate venue anywhere in the world. Kyle Field is one of the 10 highest capacity stadiums in the world, with more than 100,000 spectators attending most games.
“Since we first teamed up with Amazon to announce the first location for Just Walk Out technology in sports in 2020, fans have embraced the offer, and their expectations are at an all-time high for how it can enhance their experiences,” said Andy Lansing, president and CEO of Chicago-based Levy. “DBK Studio was created to support this evolution and has worked with the best innovators to scale these experiences to meet fans where they are. There is no more fitting environment for what will be one of the most extensive and accessible frictionless food and beverage programs in sports to date than for the 12th Man at Kyle Field.”
“Texas A&M seeks to always be on the cutting edge of technology so it’s fitting that Kyle Field, Home of the 12th Man, would be the first collegiate venue in the world to feature Amazon’s innovative customer shopping experience,” noted Ross Bjork, director of athletics at College Station-based Texas A&M. “We must always make the fan experience better, and I know that Aggies and our guests will love having the ability to avoid the line and get back to the football game as fast as possible. This exciting customer experience, enabled by the combination of Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and our hospitality partner Levy, makes our concessions operations that much better and will be an incredible benefit for the 12th Man as we continue our mission of creating opportunities through championship athletics!”
“We’re thrilled to work with Levy and Texas A&M to enable a fast and effortless shopping experience for fans when they visit the three stores at Kyle Field equipped with Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One,” said Dilip Kumar, VP of physical retail and technology at Amazon. “Our physical retail technologies are designed to eliminate checkout lines and remove friction for shoppers, and we’re excited to enable fans at the stadium to grab what they need quickly without missing a moment of the game.”
Two stores will be located in Section 125, and the third will be located in Section 129. They will sell products like snacks, chips, soda, bottled water and alcoholic beverages. Those buying alcohol will be required to show ID to a store attendant for age verification.
Amazon cashierless tech has also rolled out at Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) and T-Mobile Park (Seattle Mariners).
Seattle-based Amazon is No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
