June 23, 2017
For the third year in a row, Lollapalooza will be offering guests the option of using wearable tech at the summer concert event. Attendees will have the option of receiving a wearable wristband as part of the Lolla Cashless program, which will allow them to make purchases at the event without the need to carry cash or a card. The wristband is valid with all bars, food vendors, art vendors, and merchandise tents, and it offers guest a more convenient, secure way to pay. It’s a perfect use case for wearable tech and signals where the industry may go in the future.
Lolla Cashless Wearable Tech
In essence, the idea is simple. Guest will have the option to order the wristband, and it will be delivered before the event. From there, they must register their wristband on the Lollapalooza website, link a credit card to the wristband, and select a three-digit pin for them to use on the weekend of the event.
When paying for a drink, a sandwich, or other merchandise at Lollapalooza, the guest need only inform the vendor that they are using their wristband, tap the wristband to the receptor, and enjoy their purchase. They will even be prompted to leave a tip if they like.
To ensure security of this payment method, no actual credit card information is stored on the wristband itself. Instead, the wristband is registered to a database which links it to the card from there. This will prevent users from stealing credit information directly from the wristband itself, and the pin number will ensure that a stolen wristband cannot be used to make further purchases at the event.
Furthermore, if for whatever reason, internet connectivity were to go down during Lollapalooza, the Lolla Cashless program will still operate as normal. Vendors will automatically store purchase information on their tablet, smartphone, or other device at the time of purchase and process the payment once connectivity is restored.
Other Examples of Wearable Tech and Where the Industry is Headed
Lolla Cashless is not alone in its use of wearable tech at contained events. Disney World introduced the MagicBand in 2015 to serve multiple purposes. It alerts restaurant staff when a family arrives for their reservation, allows guest to check into hotels, board shuttle buses, and enter the parks themselves. It digitally consolidates their stay at Disneyworld into a digital wristband.
Compared to the uneven success of wearable technology, wristbands specifically, enclosed experiences like a concert festival or theme park are proving to be effective and welcome uses for the technology. The main differentiator between these devices and the Google Glass, smartwatches, or even the Fitbit is that they are only useful for a finite period and a specific purpose.
After your Disney vacation, you can take off and leave the wristband behind. After Lollapalooza ends, so does the need to Lolla Cashless. It provides users with all of the convenience of the technology without asking them to learn a new platform, change their lifestyle, or alter their routine at all. This greatly lowers the demands of adoption. While we shouldn’t expect the smartwatch or the Fitbit to go away, we can expect more examples of Lolla Cashless popping up in the future as wearable tech continues to develop as an industry.
Like what you read?
About Mindsight
Mindsight, a Chicago IT services provider, is an extension of your team. Our culture is built on transparency and trust, and our team is made up of extraordinary people – the kinds of people you would hire. We have one of the largest expert-level engineering teams delivering the full spectrum of IT services and solutions, from cloud to infrastructure, collaboration to contact center. Our highly-certified engineers and process-oriented excellence have certainly been key to our success. But what really sets us apart is our straightforward and honest approach to every conversation, whether it is for an emerging business or global enterprise. Our customers rely on our thought leadership, responsiveness, and dedication to solving their toughest technology challenges.
Contact us at GoMindsight.com.
For Further Reading: