Tom HallBleep UK PLC installed its EPOS and Payment solution and Self-Service Checkout Kiosks across Japan for the 2019 tournament.
Bleep UK PLC installed an integrated EPOS and Payments solution and Self-Service Checkout Kiosk system for the retail stores at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The tournament was hosted in Asia for the first time and was held from the 20th September until the 2nd November 2019, with South Africa taking home the prestigious Webb Ellis trophy. Industry-leader Legends International were appointed as the official retail partner and operator for the Rugby World Cup 2019 and they selected Bleep as the point of sale technology provider for this event, based on their track record supplying the world’s most prestigious events.
Bleep installed their proven, award-winning retail solution in 12 stadiums right across Japan, with retail shops at all stadia and in the fan zones. There was also a flagship 11,000 square foot megastore at Shinjuku Odakyu Park, Tokyo. All stores sold a range of team-branded goods, official licensed products and exclusive event memorabilia, including replica shirts, apparel, balls and souvenirs.
The Flagship Rugby World Cup Megastore in Shinjuku Odakyu Park, Tokyo
The solution deployed by Bleep featured a mix of traditional point of sale, handheld devices and self-service checkout kiosks, with the emphasis upon the speed of service, positive customer experience and user-friendly for staff and customers. Bleep’s TS-813 Android EPOS terminal was selected as the perfect fit for the retail stores, complete with built-in printers, barcode scanners, and POS media video customer displays – showing a range of sponsor advertisements. Each terminal had an integrated payment device for ultra-fast and secure contactless payments.
The Bleep V2 handheld POS device was used in the fan zones for hawking, mobile sales and queue busting, allowing more best sellers and smaller items to be sold during peak times.
All EPOS hardware, whether at the megastore, around or inside the stadia on a matchday or in the fan zones, sent live sales and stock data to W-BO (Web Back Office) for real-time reporting and stock control, viewable by management on any web-enabled device.
Self-Service Checkout Kiosks were used for the Mastercard Priority Lane in the Megastore
Bleep SS-821 Self-service checkout kiosks were installed in the Tokyo Megastore as part of the ‘Mastercard Priority Lane’ and this multi-language solution enabled fans to self-scan products and pay at the wall-mounted, seamless and intuitive self-service kiosks. Also, Mastercard’s new ‘Sonic’ aural brand, was initialised whenever a customer used a Mastercard as a payment method on a Bleep EPOS terminal or Self-Service Kiosk. The Sonic has been launched to help customers recognise the brand when they make purchases and the Bleep EPOS hardware physically played the ‘sonic’ sound and simultaneously displayed the animation on the customer-facing POS Media displays.
Nick Price, chief commercial officer, Legends International, said: “Central to any good retailer is your EPOS system. We have been extremely pleased with the solution we have provided through our partners, Bleep and Mastercard. Working with this solution has allowed us to bring our average transaction time down and we have enjoyed record sales at a truly memorable Rugby World Cup – proving to be the most successful in history.”
“One of the key features of our activation at the Rugby World Cup has been our introduction of Self-Service machines – for the first time in Japanese event retail environments. It has gone down extremely well with the Japanese public and it is something we are incredibly happy with.”
John Wellman, group CEO of Bleep UK PLC said: “Bleep was selected as the POS partner for another world-class sporting event outside of the UK. We delivered an unrivalled solution in terms of innovation, reliability and performance.”
“While the Final never saw the result we wanted, Bleep put in a consistence performance from the group stages right through to the final! This is due to our hardworking team of Bleep EPOS experts – both those out in Japan or back at home in our UK offices. The in-store customer experience across all sites was truly best-in-class, thanks due to the Bleep system and our latest technological innovations.”
The Rugby World Cup capped off a busy year of sporting events for Bleep – with traditional EPOS and Payment solutions deployed across the globe at prestigious events including Wimbledon, The Open, the F1, Tour de France and many more. Bleep’s new Self-Service terminals have also been installed at several events, such as the Champions League Final in Madrid, with positive feedback from event operators and customers alike.
