With Zigit's facial recognition technology, you can order beer from a vending machine.
Hosted by Zigit
We've all been there: it's a hot day, and you've got six holes in the round. Your first drink is long gone, and the drink cart is nowhere to be seen. Is there even one in the service today? You are not sure. But you're dry, and the clubhouse is miles away. The problem here is twofold: missing a drink not only disrupts the course experience for the player, it is also a loss of course revenue. But thanks to a new technology called “Zigit,” experiences like the one described above may soon be a thing of the past.
What exactly is Zigit? Zigit is a patented mobile app retail platform that uses facial recognition technology to allow users to access drinks from Zigit-enabled products. With Zigit, you can have a beer or mixed drink in hand in about 30 seconds.
How does this work? Let's say you play a course equipped with Zigit dispensers. All you have to do is download the Zigit app, scan your ID and your face, and voila. Your profile is now active. The process takes less than two minutes. At the dispenser, you scan a QR code to open the drink menu, make your selection, confirm the purchase with a face scanner, and the drink is dispensed. Payment is processed through a card stored as Apple Pay.
Zigit is currently in his third year of service at the American Airlines Center in Dallas and made his PGA Tour debut at the Wells Fargo Championship this summer. And thanks to increased interest from golf course owners and operators in recent months, Zigit may soon be available at a course near you.
The benefits are obvious: less waiting time for players, and more income for courses. A win-win! But what about courses with solid beverage car service? Won't Zigit steal their business?
According to Zigit founder and CEO Elsbeth Hurry, the data gathered from the courses Zigit uses paints a different picture: customers' spending on those courses has paid off. increased by 30 percent, as sales of premium cars rise at the same time.
“Zigit is a great addition to beer carts,” Hurry said. “With the beer cart, obviously, it's a good service. People expect to have that service. But they won't be everywhere at once. If you know that on hole 5 and hole 10 you can still get a drink if you want it, it's easy and fun for the guests.”
While caterers often serve bottled drinks, Hurry said some courses are getting creative when it comes to cocktails, providing liquor and mixers in dispensers and cups and ice machines that are readily available, meaning you can mix your own Transfusion. So what stops a young player from eating? Unfortunately, you cannot prevent an adult from buying and sharing inappropriately. But younger app users can use Zigit to buy soft drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages. And since the app knows which user is making the purchase, the illegal supplier can be tracked and identified.
Usage management can also vary, Hurry said. Some courses may choose to limit sales for a certain period of time. The Zigit app is also able to identify fake IDs so that attempts at illegal purchases can be blocked. Zigit user profiles are also limited to one per phone. In fact, one of the keys to Zigit's success is the power of the app's facial recognition technology.
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“The group we are working with is a group that works with the TSA, all government agencies,” said Hurry. “We didn't want to start from scratch, because there are a lot of newcomers in that area. We went with someone who was privately funded and established for 25 years. Besides us, they do 2.5 million ID authentications per day and 250 million facial recognitions per day. The probability of a false positive is immeasurably small. That's huge, because that's one of the key drivers of tech. It makes it simple, but it does it in a compliant way. “
Mike Miraglia owns and operates The Eagles Golf Club, a 36-hole community facility near Tampa, Fla. Zigit first caught his eye when he passed by Hurry's booth at the PGA Show earlier this year. He signed up quickly and currently has five active dispensers.
“It's been a problem with the money we get,” he said. “It's a big increase. It has been driving more and more sales of our beverage carts. We were a little worried, because our drink carts are very profitable and do very well. We're a little concerned that the gals in the drink cart might lose a little sales. In fact, it's quite the opposite. They didn't lose a cent. In some cases, paradoxically, sales increase. “
Miraglia said the new generation of golfers are so used to phones, apps, and facial recognition that Zigit was easily adopted.
“Golfers love the ease, convenience, and, frankly, fun aspect of getting drinks through facial recognition,” he said. “Those people are not afraid of that. They've actually gotten used to who they are.”
What's next for Zigit? Hurry said the continued expansion of the golf course is a major focus but is also interested in adding resorts, arenas and other large public spaces to Zigit's client list. When someone tries Zigit, he said, they usually come back for more.
“We have an 80 percent return rate,” he said. “If someone uses it once, they will use it again. It's always there on the 7th hole and the 10th hole if they need anything.”
For more information on Zigit, click here.
Golf.com Editor
As a four-year member of Columbia's first varsity golf class, Jessica knows how to outrun everyone on the golf course. He can pass them through the office, too, where he is primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF's first Style Issue, which began in February 2018. His first interview series, “A Round With,” released in November 2015, and appeared in both magazine and video form on GOLF.com.
