As Euro 2028 approaches, UK venues are embracing cutting-edge frictionless shopping solutions powered by AWS's Just Walk Out technology that eliminate queues and transform the entire matchday experience—not just at half-time, but from arrival to final whistle.
It's 9 July 2028, at Wembley Stadium. The final of the 2028 UEFA Men's European Football Championship is approaching kick-off, with Thomas Tuchel’s England facing their opponents under the famous arch. Whether the Three Lions will go one better than their runners-up finish in 2024 against defending champions Spain and claim their first men's silverware since 1966 remains uncertain. What is guaranteed, however, is that the 90,000 fans will experience something transformative throughout the match. Whether celebrating success or commiserating in defeat, supporters can be assured of a smoother matchday with Just Walk Out technology at Bar>>Tap, implemented by Delaware North, and without the traditional friction of queuing.
Like a game-changing tactical substitution, frictionless shopping technology has emerged as the difference-maker for stadium experiences. Fans no longer time their refreshment runs around breaks in play. Instead, they seamlessly grab drinks during quiet periods, purchase merchandise while queuing for the toilets, or stock up on snacks knowing they'll miss minimal action. An application on their smartphones shows real-time bar occupancy levels, directing them to the quietest locations.
During a typical football match, supporters face difficult trade-offs. Half-time lasts precisely 15 minutes, during which tens of thousands attempt to purchase refreshments simultaneously. Traditional systems force fans to choose between missing action, or going without a drink or food. Frictionless technology eliminates this compromise while extending opportunities throughout the match.
This transformation represents the culmination of years of development that's now scoring across Britain's premier entertainment venues, from London's iconic stadiums to rugby's headquarters at Twickenham, and beyond to theme parks and concert halls nationwide.
Cognizant's patient build-up pays off
Like a team that's spent seasons developing its playing style, Cognizant has been perfecting frictionless retail implementation for several years. We have built deep expertise in deploying Amazon Web Services' pioneering Just Walk Out technology, developing middleware solutions and white-label apps that bridge cutting-edge innovation with existing venue infrastructure.
Only now is this patient preparation scoring in the UK market. The business case is clear: venues embracing frictionless shopping report dramatic improvements in fan satisfaction and revenue generation. For instance, Cognizant's Customer Concierge Solution, built through a 14-year partnership with AWS and leveraging over 6,000 certified AWS professionals, has successfully deployed implementations across diverse environments.
The timing reflects market appetite for change. Recent research, commissioned by Avery Dennison in 2024, indicates that behaviours are evolving. Over a third (37%) of shoppers polled across the US and the UK say they would switch to a retailer that offers full check-out free stores. Additionally, two-thirds (67%) would opt for retailers that offer self-scanning at the end of a shop, while 59% say the same about self-scanning as they shop.
According to International Data Corporation research, venues implementing AWS's Just Walk Out technology report throughput increases of 20-30% compared to conventional concession stands.
Cognizant is helping clients with Just Walk Out implementation. For instance, at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, we partnered with Mars to address three critical challenges: improving traveller convenience, maintaining micro-market leadership, and generating data-driven retail insights.
Kaarthik Subramaniam, Director of Digital Experiences Platforms at Mars, explains the transformation: "We were starved of data to make decisions when it comes to unattended retail business. With Cognizant's help, we leveraged the Just Walk Out solution and built custom solutions on top of it using AWS compute services, including EC2 and Lambda." Results showed increased basket sizes compared to traditional vending options, directly improving customer order values.5
Elsewhere, Cognizant launched the first Just Walk Out store in the Southern Hemisphere when it implemented the technology for the Canberra Institute of Technology Student Association in November 2023, now running across three stores on different campuses. According to Cognizant's official announcement, this deployment featured seamless point-of-sale integration with LightSpeed, a credit card-based, fully delegated model, and deployment in eight weeks using Cognizant's Software-as-a-Service offering.6
Rob Marchiori, Head of Australia at Cognizant, says: "By automating the checkout process, the Student Association can offer almost 24-hour access to store resources that students need to stay focused on their studies. This demonstrates Cognizant's focus on deploying fit-for-purpose technology designed to improve customer experience."
The implementation addressed specific student needs, as Andrew Scotford, CEO of the CIT Student Association, explains: "Amazon's Just Walk Out technology benefits all CIT students, especially those studying outside regular business hours. Many CIT students balance work, study, and training, so flexibility and accessibility are important."
Why now matters for UK venues
Euro 2028 will see nine stadiums across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland welcome millions of international visitors. Many will experience something largely unavailable in their home countries—AWS's Just Walk Out technology faces significant deployment challenges across continental Europe.
This creates an opportunity for UK venues already implementing the technology. At Allianz Stadium's Guinness Patch bar during the 2025 Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final, over 7,000 products were served with average transaction times under six seconds. The venue achieved 20% higher throughput compared to neighbouring traditional bars and a 15% uplift in sales relative to historical averages.7
Multiple frictionless solutions compete in the market, each with distinct characteristics. Traditional self-checkout with cameras requires customers to scan items themselves while AI detection helps prevent theft—but retains manual processes that create bottlenecks. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems require every item to be tagged and struggle if tags are removed. In contrast, smart shopping carts are well-suited for larger purchases but require specific infrastructure investments.
AWS's Just Walk Out technology eliminates all customer interaction with checkout processes. "The key differentiator is complete automation—customers shop exactly as they always have, but payment happens invisibly in the background," explains Premankur Roy Paladhi, Cognizant’s practice head, EMEA and APJ, Industry Solutions Group for Retail, Consumer Goods and Travel & Hospitality. "Other solutions still require some customer behaviour change, whether that's scanning items, using special carts, or interacting with self-service terminals."
UK venues embrace the technology
Major entertainment venues across Britain are implementing sophisticated frictionless retail solutions. Delaware North—whose tagline "We create the world's best experiences" reflects its fan-focused philosophy—has deployed AWS's Just Walk Out technology at Wembley Stadium and London Stadium. At Wembley, Delaware North operates Bar>>Tap locations using the technology, branded as Bar Tap at the venue, with two bars currently operational and potential for expansion ahead of Euro 2028.
These implementations demonstrate the technology's game-changing potential beyond traditional half-time rushes. Fans can now purchase items during natural breaks in play, reducing pressure on peak periods while increasing overall spending opportunities. The mobile apps show real-time bar occupancy levels, directing supporters to quieter locations and optimising crowd flow.
At The O2 Arena, Levy UK + Ireland's deployment showcases versatility beyond sports venues. The self-serve bar operates even on "dark days"—industry parlance for non-event periods—demonstrating frictionless retail's ability to generate revenue when traditional staffed outlets wouldn't be economical. Computer vision and shelf sensors detect items taken or returned, with coloured dots tracking customers' movements without capturing biometric data.
Real-time menu adjustments based on demographic data and AWS heat-mapping tools enable beer-heavy offerings for football matches or cocktail-focused selections for music events. Staff roles have evolved from transaction processing to hospitality and compliance, ensuring bottles are uncapped per venue policy and helping newcomers navigate unfamiliar systems.
Wembley's Bar>>Tap faced its ultimate stress test during Taylor Swift's sold-out European tour finale in August 2024, serving 92,000 attendees. The deployment featured optimised gate configurations—four entry gates and three exit gates—with offerings explicitly tailored for concert demographics, including pre-poured cocktails ready for immediate collection.
At Twickenham's Guinness Patch, the system served over 7,000 products during a single rugby final. Fan feedback highlighted the "hassle-free" and intuitive experience, while venue operators celebrated transaction times averaging under six seconds—crucial for rugby's brief halftime intervals.
London Stadium's implementation during a sold-out Iron Maiden concert, in June 2025, proved the technology's adaptability across diverse event types. Ryan Edge, Catering Services Director at Delaware North, summarises the fan-centric philosophy. "Fans hate missing a single second of the action, and we get it,” he says.
American venues demonstrate scale
Across the Atlantic, US venues demonstrate what's possible at scale. At Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, frictionless retail has become integral to the ballpark experience, with fans seamlessly purchasing concessions during brief intervals between innings. The technology proves particularly valuable in baseball's stop-start rhythm, where traditional queuing would mean missing crucial moments of play.
American sports venues now operate over 100 Just Walk Out stores across stadiums in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada⁷. Delaware North operates successful installations at TD Garden (Boston), Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle), Bridgestone Arena (Nashville), and Globe Life Field (Texas), consistently reporting 20-30% throughput increases and reduced labour costs.
Marvel Stadium in Melbourne provides compelling evidence of the technology's impact under extreme pressure. Australian Football League quarter breaks last just six minutes, creating demand surges that overwhelm traditional checkout systems. The venue processes up to 1,900 Just Walk Out orders per match, eliminating checkout delays that previously meant fans missing play resumption.
Technical architecture and integration
Cognizant's Customer Concierge Solution provides comprehensive middleware connecting AWS's Just Walk Out technology with existing venue infrastructure, including POS systems, loyalty programmes, and master data management systems. This certified solution from Amazon has architecture that encompasses seven integrated components: user authentication through Amazon Cognito, QR code generation via API Gateway, identity validation through connector APIs, real-time shopping experience management, order processing, integrated payment handling, and comprehensive DevOps automation.
The solution includes universal connectors for major POS systems, enabling rapid integration with existing retail infrastructure. Multiple entry models are supported—credit card tap and mobile app QR codes—while handling authentication, fraud detection, and payment processing seamlessly.
No solution is complete without advanced security and monitoring. Considering security of utmost importance for its customers, Cognizant employs advanced AWS services including AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF), Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail, and Amazon GuardDuty—managing it all with AWS Security Hub.
Cognizant's white-label app capability enables venues to maintain brand consistency while deploying sophisticated technology rapidly. The mobile application can also be integrated to fetch real-time occupancy data, showing fans which bars and concession stands are busiest, enabling better crowd management and improved customer experiences.
Beyond transaction efficiency, frictionless retail unlocks unprecedented customer insights that elevate the entire fan experience. By linking purchase data with ticketing systems, venues create comprehensive supporter profiles enabling personalised experiences and enhanced loyalty programmes.
"We're seeing venues approach this strategically now rather than as isolated pilot projects," says Roy Paladhi. "Successful operators are thinking about comprehensive transformation, how frictionless retail integrates with mobile ticketing, loyalty programmes, personalised offers, and predictive analytics to create genuinely differentiated fan experiences."
For the first time, venues can attribute total spending to individual customers across all touchpoints: tickets, food, beverages, and merchandise. This comprehensive view enables targeted marketing campaigns, personalised pre-arrival offers, and optimised concession placement based on fan movement patterns.
Stadiums, and entertainment venues more broadly, are embracing these capabilities. Theme parks use the data to understand visitor flows and optimise attraction queuing, and concert venues adjust merchandise placement based on audience demographics. The applications extend across any high-traffic entertainment environment where customer experience drives loyalty and revenue.
Business benefits and implementation considerations
The commercial advantages extend beyond throughput improvements. Venues report that frictionless systems enable extended operating hours, turning previously idle spaces into productive retail environments during off-peak periods. The 15% sales increase observed at venues like Allianz Stadium represents significant revenue growth without expanding physical footprint.
Additional benefits include reduced theft through automated billing, better inventory management through real-time tracking, and valuable customer behaviour data enabling personalised marketing and optimised product placement. According to venue operators, labour efficiency gains typically offset technology investments within the first two years of operation.
"The return on investment encompasses more than transaction speed," says Roy Paladhi. "Venues must factor in labour cost savings, extended operating hours, reduced shrinkage, and the premium customers pay for a superior experience. The venues succeeding fastest treat this as a comprehensive operational transformation rather than a simple technology deployment."
Privacy considerations remain paramount in venue discussions. While the system tracks customer movements and purchasing behaviour, no biometric data is captured or stored. Customers are associated only with payment methods, and comprehensive data purging occurs after transaction completion. The GDPR constraints affecting continental Europe highlight the importance of robust privacy frameworks, which UK implementations address through careful system design.
Age verification for alcohol sales requires sophisticated solutions. Most venues integrate verification with entry systems, using ID checking at designated gates rather than POS verification. This approach front-loads compliance while maintaining transaction speed during service periods.
System reliability during peak periods demands robust infrastructure. Venues deploy redundant camera arrays and edge computing systems to prevent single points of failure. When issues occur, staff can quickly revert to traditional checkout processes while maintaining service continuity.
Employment impact varies by venue and existing staffing models. While checkout positions may become redundant, successful implementations typically redeploy staff into hospitality roles, customer assistance, and experience enhancement rather than reducing headcount. Union engagement and transparent communication about role evolution prove crucial for smooth transitions.
Implementation pathway
For venue operators considering deployment, several factors determine success. Entry model selection depends on customer demographics and existing technology infrastructure. Space configuration requires thoughtful redesign to optimize customer flow while accommodating camera arrays and sensor systems.
Cognizant's partnership with AWS provides venues a proven implementation pathway. Implementation typically takes just eight to 12 weeks based on the entry model chosen, from contract signature to go-live, including space preparation, system installation, staff training, and operational testing. Success factors include clear communication about technology capabilities, comprehensive staff preparation for evolving roles, and robust contingency planning for peak-period demands.
The white-label app capability enables venues to maintain brand consistency while rapidly deploying sophisticated technology. Integration with broader venue ecosystems creates comprehensive fan behaviour profiles, enabling personalised offerings and improved facility planning.
As Euro 2028 approaches and UK venues prepare to welcome international audiences, frictionless retail technology represents both showcase opportunity and competitive necessity. The venues implementing these systems now are building operational advantages that will serve them long after the tournament concludes.
Whether Tuchel’s England team lift the trophy on that July evening remains to be seen. What's certain is that fans—celebrating or commiserating—will experience seamless service that elevates every moment of their visit, setting a new standard for sports hospitality that venues worldwide will strive to match.
Transform your venue's fan experience with proven frictionless technology. Contact Cognizant today to discover how our Customer Concierge Solution can eliminate queues, increase revenue, and create the seamless experiences that modern audiences demand. Don't wait for the competition to score first.
