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When the Cleveland Browns open their 2023 NFL home stand Sunday, fans at the stadium using credit and debit cards will be tapping and dipping via new Clover Sport devices.
Announced Wednesday, the nearly 500-device installation in concession and premium-seating locations in the Cleveland Browns Stadium will make the arena the latest among more than 300 venues already using Fiserv Inc.’s Clover Sport. Fiserv says seven of the NFL’s 30 stadiums use Clover POS systems.
Besides in-person payments, the POS system enables contactless ordering, integrated loyalty, and stored value embedded in a patron’s ticket. The expectation is a customer will spend less time standing in line and get more time to watch a game.
Clover Sport, born from the Clover POS system that Fiserv Inc. acquired in 2012, combines the Clover hardware with vertically-integrated software. In addition to enabling multiple transaction methods, it integrates with back-of-house operations and can provide better reporting on sales that helps venue operators understand the flow of activity, Fiserv says. With contactless ordering, patrons can order from their seats and pay with stored-value funds associated with their digital tickets. The system at the Browns stadium also uses mobile devices for in-seat service and line busting.
“Clover Sport provides us with the technology we need to enhance the fan experience throughout our venue,” Brandon Covert, Cleveland Browns vice president information technology, says in a statement.
The installation process—which typically takes place in the offseason—for sporting venues with more than 500 devices can take one to two months, with Clover staff on site for at least a week to finalize installation and conduct testing before a venue opens its gates.
Stadium POS is a competitive market with providers like Cheq Inc., Shift4 Payments Inc., and SpotOn Transact LLC vying for the potentially lucrative processing business.
