Jul 31, 2012Guests at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co.'s Hersheypark won't need to reach for their wallets anymore if they participate in using the amusement park's newly adopted Smart Band RFID Wristband system, provided by Precision Dynamics Corp. (PDC). Those utilizing the wristband can load money into a prepaid account, and then use the wristband's built-in RFID tag to make payments at concession stands and stores.
The park hopes that the contactless-payment system will make things more convenient for visitors, many of whom do not carry a wallet while on water rides. The technology also promises to make guests more inclined to spend money, since using the wristband eliminates the need to return to a locker to access a wallet or purse. Hersheypark could see tremendous spending growth, says Greg Cetera, PDC's regional sales manager, simply because thirsty visitors will no longer have to go back to a locker to retrieve money before buying a drink.
The system is the park's latest foray into employing RFID technology to allow guests to keep their hands free during visits. In 2008, Hersheypark adopted PDC's Smart Band solution to operate the lockers in which guests can store their personal effects. For those who opt to use a locker, the park provides a Smart Band wristband containing a 13.56 MHz Texas Instruments Tag-it HF-I passive RFID inlay compliant with the ISO 15693-2, ISO 15693-3 and ISO 18000-3 standards. Each wristband's tag is encoded with a unique ID number, linked to a specific unused locker among its bank of approximately 100 lockers.
If an individual wishes to access a locker, he or she can simply locate an RFIDeas AIR ID Enroll RFID reader and tap his or her wristband next to the device, which will then send that wristband's ID number, via a cabled connection, to PDC Smart Band software residing on Hersheypark's back-end system. The software will then transmit a trigger to release that locker's door. There are 30 to 40 lockers per reader, the company reports. For a user, it's simply a matter of tapping the wristband within a half inch of the reader, watching the lockers to see which door pops open and then proceeding to that locker to store belongings. When it's time to retrieve those items, the guest can simply tap a wristband against the reader once more, and then access the opened locker and leave the park. Upon the park's opening the following day, the locker will be automatically available for assignment to a new guest.
An RFIDeas reader is plugged into each of the 200 Agilysys POS terminals located throughout the park. Upon first acquiring a PDC Smart Band wristband, a guest can provide cash or a credit or debit card to load an account with a specified amount of money. A family of four, for example, could load each individual's wristband with $20, using the same account number to provide those funds.
If a guest wishes to make a purchase, such as buying a drink, snack or T-shirt, an employee rings up the purchase, after which the guest taps the wristband against the RFID reader, which sends that tag ID to the PDC software. The tag ID is then linked with the account balance, and that data is forwarded to the Agilysys POS software. The purchase price is deducted from that wristband's fund balance, and the individual can then take the purchased items. At the end of the visit, that guest may either take the wristband home and use it on other visits to the park—by loading additional money into the account, or by spending any existing balance—or simply discard the wristband. The park does not issue a refund for any unspent balance, however.
The wristband's use for locker access, on the other hand, is valid only on the day that the individual is at the amusement park. Once a guest checks out of the park, the locker is reassigned to someone else. The wristband, however, can still be used to make purchases during subsequent visits.
For visitors, the technology not only makes it easier to make purchases without having to carry a wallet, but it also makes a transaction faster, since it simply requires that a person tap his or her wristband against a reader.
The park piloted the technology last year, providing it to guests but not advertising it to the public. Beginning with the spring 2012 season, the park has put up signs on its premises, promoting the system and explaining how it works. To date, Dengler says, adoption has been sluggish, though he lacks specific numbers at present. "People are using it, but they're starting slowly," he reports, adding that he expects the option to become increasingly popular as guests became more aware of how the system functions. "At this time, it's still kind of new."
