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TECHNOLOGY

Cashless

Considerations

Today’s feature-packed systems

pay off in numerous ways.

BY BARRY SPARKS

SEBASTIAN MOCHKOVSKY of Sacoa says the No. 1 reason Eliminating coin and ticket jams decreases the need
to install a cashless card system is to make more money. for a mechanic or attention from a staff member. It also
And, he adds, the No. 2 reason is to make more money. minimizes the need for placing an “out of order” sign
There’s a long list of other reasons, but nothing trumps on the game, saving significant revenue. With a cashless
making more money. card system, coins and tickets don’t have to be refilled or
“Revenue increases 30%, on average, after operators counted.
install a cashless card system,” declares Mochkovsky. “You can use your staff more wisely,” says Licausi.
Sara Paz of Embed says: “Operators will see double- “They can focus on customer service, maintain and
digit growth in revenue almost overnight.” improve the redemption center, clean or do a variety of
“Cashless card systems are a tremendous opportunity jobs that need more attention.”
to save money and labor,” adds Robert Sax of Intercard. Theft is a common problem with a token or coin sys-
“A combination of reducing operating costs and custom- tem. Employees sometimes pocket coins, tokens or
ers spending more money produces a 25 to 30 percent tickets. They might resell them or give them away to
increase in revenue.” friends. False claims are another problem, according to
The perception of spending is much less with a cash- Mochkovsky.
less card system. Eight tokens or two dollars in quarters “Customers may claim they won X number of tickets
to play a game seem like a lot more than having points but didn’t receive them. Most operators end up honor-
taken off one’s game card. Operators can set the number ing their claim, even if they may not believe it. A cashless
of points per dollar value on the game card. card system, however, easily tracks payouts. Tickets or
“You eliminate the emotional transaction,” points out points go directly to the card account.”
Frank Licausi of Amusement Connect. Cashless card systems give operators flexibility they
“Without a cashless card system, customers leave when lack under a token or coin system. Prices can be changed
they run out of cash,” adds Brian Duke of Semnox. seamlessly or pre-programmed to offer special deals dur-
Paz says studies have shown that customers spend an ing certain parts of the day or week.
average of $9.90 in the arcade when paying with cash, If you offer better prizes in your crane machines, you
$31.95 with credit and $50.57 with Apple or Google can easily increase the price to play. Or, you can offer a
Wallet. “happy hour” during which games are half-price between
“Customers want immediacy and certain hours, such as 4-6 p.m. You can select specific
Scan this QR an immersive experience,” she says. games or all your games. Perhaps you want to lower
code to view a “That’s why just tapping a card to prices Monday through Wednesday.
“Pro t Break” play is so important. If you are still Cashless card systems present numerous opportuni-
interview with operating an arcade with coins or ties to upsell customers. Think about how movie theaters
Jason Mitchell tokens, your days in business are upsell on popcorn and soft drinks. They offer to move
on getting the numbered.” customers from a small popcorn and soft drink to a medi-
most out of a Licausi says cashless card systems um for an extra $1.25.
card system. improve the customer experience by Operators can configure the upsell opportunities in any
making play simple and efficient. way they want. It may be if a customer spends $20, they
“Players no longer have to worry qualify to receive bonus credits. Or if they spend an addi-
about being interrupted by coin jams tional $10, they can receive $12 in credits. Licausi says
or ticket jams,” he offers. “Plus, they upselling can account for 10% of the monthly revenue.
can use multiple forms of payment at Collecting data is easy when you have a cashless card
the kiosks — cash, credit card, debit system. Real-time reporting provides an immediate
card or a digital wallet.” (continued on page 42)

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