Anyone entering the "Alte Försterei" stadium and engaging in conversation with the fans or staff of 1. FC Union Berlin immediately senses the deep local roots of this traditional club. The club highly values partnerships with nearby businesses. Unzer’s headquarters is only 18 kilometers away from the stadium, affectionately called the "football living room." In early 2024, Unzer and Union Berlin formed a partnership to make payment processes in and around the stadium more customer-friendly and efficient.

Traditional Club on a Path of Innovation

In 2019, 1. FC Union Berlin was promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time and has since qualified for both of Europe's top competitions, the Europa League and the Champions League. This successful sporting development has been accompanied by growing membership and revenue figures.

As a Bundesliga club with a sold-out stadium for both national and international matches, Union Berlin is working to upgrade its infrastructure across all areas to accommodate the growing number of visitors. A key objective in optimizing stadium operations is to implement more efficient payment processes. To achieve this, the club has partnered with Unzer, a payment expert that has already equipped numerous large sports venues and event locations with innovative payment solutions.

Union is deeply rooted in Berlin and has a diverse and recently expanded fan and membership base. We are very excited about our partnership. Our goal is to simplify the payment process so that fans can focus entirely on the game.

Pascal Beij, Chief Commercial Officer, Unzer 

POS Go: Impressive Performance During Test Run

The preparation phase for the 2024/25 Bundesliga season provided the perfect opportunity to test a new payment solution at the Alte Försterei. For the friendly match against Glasgow Rangers, mobile POS Go systems were used at the catering and merchandise stands within and around the stadium. These all-in-one devices integrate the contactless terminal directly, taking up significantly less space than other solutions and making them ideal for small cashier counters and sales stands.

The efficiency of payment processing with POS Go was clearly demonstrated by the evaluation of the test involving over 21,000 stadium visitors: During halftime, an average of one beer could be ordered, poured, and paid for, every 18 seconds. This significantly minimized waiting times, ensuring that fans missed no part of the thrilling match.

Our focus is on providing people with a shared experience. When innovations help streamline stadium operations and enhance the fan experience, traditional football enjoyment and modern technology complement each other perfectly.

Jan Boysen, Head of Marketing and Sales, 1. FC Union Berlin

The All-in-One Register: Easy Payments, Easy Accounting

The most popular payment methods during the POS Go test run were Visa, Mastercard, and EC cards. With Unzer, Union Berlin can also offer many additional payment options. These include popular mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as other globally accepted credit cards. Both national and international visitors, young and old, can enjoy a hassle-free, cashless payment experience.

As a retailer, Union Berlin benefits from POS Go's 100% tax-compliant TSE cash register solution, which logs every transaction. All sales are automatically recorded in the cash register journal and can be exported in DATEV-compatible format for tax purposes with the push of a button. In addition to digital accounting, the cash register software offers many other features for retailers, including tools for customer retention and sales promotion.

The successful test run provided Union Berlin with valuable insights into how fan experience and operational processes can be optimized in the future with an innovative cash register solution like POS Go.

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