Robot waiters will help average spending on food and drink in theme parks increase by 160 per cent, global research by Omnico has found.
Average per capita spending on food and drink in parks and resorts will lift off from the current $20 to hit $52 if robots are on delivery duty, the survey found.
The figures are in the first Omnico Theme Park ROI Barometer which explores the attitudes of over 3,000 visitors to theme parks in the US, UK, China, Japan and Malaysia in order to establish the impact of technology on spending habits at destinations and parks around the globe.
Some 62 per cent of theme park visitors in the survey say they will spend up to four times more on a food and drink order if it is delivered to their exact location by a robot. 36 per cent say their spending will double with robots, while 15 per cent believe they will spend three times as much as they would otherwise.
“As parks embrace technological innovation, it is important to understand how investing in such changes will affect visitor-spending and ultimately deliver a return on investment.”
“Our ground-breaking Theme Park ROI Barometer has uncovered some fascinating findings about the financial impact of technology,” said Mel Taylor, CEO, Omnico. “The research has grown out of our widely-respected Theme Park Barometers, which put visitor experiences under the microscope. But as parks embrace technological innovation, it is important to understand how investing in such changes will affect visitor-spending and ultimately deliver a return on investment.”
The survey also revealed differences between countries, with Chinese visitors the most enthusiastic about the prospect of delivery robots. 74 per cent in China said they would spend more than double the average amount if snacks and beverages were brought to them this way, compared with only 55 per cent of UK consumers.
“We know robot technology is on the march everywhere,” added Taylor, “but this new research shows that its introduction for deliveries could send food and drink expenditure by visitors into the stratosphere. Delivery robots are no longer a Sci-fi novelty and parks should consider trialling them as part of a holistic, technology-centred approach to innovation.”
The full Omnico Theme Park ROI Barometer will be issued in December 2017, including insights on the impact of queues on customer spend, and how investment in technologies such as mobile self-scan apps and self-service Kiosks can increase spent per head.
To read and download Omnico’s previous research, The Theme Park Barometer, click here.