(PHOENIX, Ariz.) – ZIGIT has named Kevin Carpenter as Head of Golf Partnerships to promote the new, app-enabled platform that makes it easy to sell and buy alcoholic beverages at strategic locations on golf courses, as well as other sports and entertainment venues.
A 25-year golf industry veteran, Carpenter will leverage his extensive relationships with golf course, country club and resort owners and operators to position attractive, stand-alone ZIGIT-enabled dispensing stations, which house ice-cold can and bottle beer and mixed drinks, along golfers’ journeys. Purchase eligibility is validated through ID verification / authentication and facial recognition, and, at the tap of a smartphone, drinks are dispensed typically within 30 seconds.
“Automated retail improves revenue in many industries – now it’s golf’s turn,” says Carpenter. “Incremental alcohol sales, higher margins, and a self-serve, convenient service provided to members and guests without additional overhead make for business success.
“Golfers are frustrated by long waits for the beverage carts to quench their thirsts,” he adds.
Carpenter held senior leadership positions with GPS Industries and Club Car, where he advised golf course owner-operators how to incorporate technology to enhance golfers’ experiences. He also founded Grateful for Golf, a non-profit that leverages the disciplines of golf to improve lives of at-risk youth.
To enjoy ZIGIT, golfers first complete a 90-second, one-time enrollment on the app, which includes ID authentication and collection of biometric markers to verify they are of legal age to purchase alcoholic beverages. They then simply scan a QR code on a ZIGIT-enabled dispensing station, select their desired drinks, take a quick selfie to confirm their identity, pay via the app, and collect their adult beverages (or even water and soda).
All biometric information and payment data are securely processed through users’ smartphones, not through ZIGIT-enabled hardware.
Locations of dispensing station locations include outdoor restrooms / comfort stations along the course, at the first tee and the turn, and on driving ranges. Dispensing stations only need a flat surface, run on a standard electric outlet without the need for Wi-Fi, and sturdily hold up against tough weather. There is little to no maintenance required (stocking takes less than 10 minutes, mainly after-hours) and they can hold up to 600 drinks.
For golf course owner-operators, ZIGIT’s convenient and transformative technology:
- Provides golfers with immediate, gratuity-free access to the alcoholic beverages they love
- Generates meaningful, incremental revenue at higher margins
- Requires less overhead and staffing headaches
- Upholds compliance controls, including ID and individual verification, and drink limits per day, per user
- Tracks real-time inventory
- Reduces alcohol inventory shrinkage, which often reaches 30%
- Speeds pace of play
Profits are also tied to selling at least one more drink to golfers each round (a 20% lift), as well as including drinks at ZIGIT-enabled dispensing stations for golf outing and tournament participants.
The ZIGIT platform and multiple dispensing stations were at the 2023 PGA TOUR Wells Fargo Championship as a welcome alternative to waiting in long drink lines. ZIGIT also enjoys success at the American Airlines Center, home to the NBA Dallas Mavericks and NHL Dallas Stars, as well at other sports and entertainment venues.
About ZIGIT
Owned by Phoenix-based technology company Bizboxes, LLC., ZIGIT is a mobile app-enabled retail SaaS platform for easy, convenient and profitable self-serve dispensing of controlled products, notably alcohol cans and bottles, at ZIGIT-enabled dispensing stations at sports, entertainment, event and other venues. It utilizes secure technology widely used in airport travel, banking and government identification-checking applications. Users complete a 90-second initial enrollment, which includes ID verification / authentication and collection of biometric markers, to verify an individual is of legal age to purchase controlled products. Once enrolled, they collect their products from ZIGIT-enabled dispensing stations in about 30 seconds by simply scanning the QR code and taking a quick selfie to confirm their identity and purchase eligibility prior to selecting and collecting their products. Venue operators enhance customer experiences while generating meaningful, incremental revenue and profits relatively effortlessly.
More information: www.zigit.app, info@zigit.app
CONTACT:
Rich Katz
rkatz@katzstrategy.com
703.283.4852