Towson University Makes Midnight Munchies Frictionless with Zippin

Towson University 

We're excited to share with you our latest case study on Zippin success in higher education. You can download it here. Towson University launched Tiger Express, a new checkout-free store powered by Zippin, during fall semester of 2023. The goal was to address the need for late-night food options on campus to enhance the student experience with technology.

"I really like the new store and it being open 24 hours. I ran out of cereal once and was able to quickly get some more, even past the building hours. It’s a really good addition to the campus and it’s super accessible," 

-Towson University student, class of 2024

Tiger Express operates round-the-clock, catering to students' diverse schedules and preferences. The previous store was only opened during normal business hours. Tiger Express makes it easy to shop, day or night. Zippin's checkout-free platform lets shoppers enter with a student ID or credit card, grab what they need, and zip out without the hassle of traditional checkouts. No long queues, no risk of being late to class because of being stuck in line. 

The integration of Atrium Campus' card management solution with Zippin's platform allows students to pay using their campus IDs. This simplifies purchases, as students use their IDs virtually everywhere else on campus. This approach proved popular, with over 57% of total sales coming from student accounts. Notably, with the Atrium Campus integration, students don't need to download another app to shop the store. 

The store has been open just six months and the results speak for themselves. Over 21% of sales occur outside normal business hours, demonstrating its popularity among students seeking late-night snacks or essentials. 

Tiger Express opened with 20% higher sales than the previous year. It's important to note last year's sales were artificially inflated by "meal dumps" - where students used up their expiring meals by shopping in-store. The store is now seeing monthly sales 35% higher than during its first month. 

Towson University's partnership with Zippin and Atrium Campus to establish Tiger Express exemplifies the next generation of campus convenience. Checkout-free tech appeals to today's tech-savvy students who prefer using technology to make their daily lives easier. Towson University is just one of the universities partnering with Zippin for checkout-free stores. The appeal of this technology is growing-rapidly across higher education campuses everywhere. 

 Zippin's checkout-free technology platform makes it easy to operate the store 24/7. This wouldn't have been possible with a traditional checkout process, as labor costs would be excessive. With today's tight labor market where retail and hospitality still struggle to hire and retain quality staff, checkout-free helps address labor shortages. Tiger Express does employ staff to restock and clean the store but can operate autonomously 24/7 without extra labor. 

As universities across the globe seek to enhance the student experience, now is the perfect time to plan for the integration of checkout-free stores, setting new standards of excellence in higher education. For more information on how to get started with Zippin for your campus, reach out to our team here. 

And be sure to download our case study with Towson University to learn more about how they installed Zippin and all the benefits they are seeing today.