Press Release
Zippin Brings Frictionless Shopping to the Houston Rockets’ Toyota Center
Two checkout-free stores open in time for the Rockets’ 2022-23 NBA season
SAN MATEO, Calif. October 12, 2022. Zippin, a leading provider of checkout-free technology, today announced that two new Zippin Lanes have opened at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, home of the Rockets. The arena’s frictionless stores, operated by Levy, the Rockets’ hospitality partner at Toyota Center, and Levy’s innovation studio, DBK Studio, are in section 108 on the main concourse and section 415 on the upper concourse.
“Whether it’s to aid our players’ performance on the court or to improve upon fan experience at Toyota Center, the Rockets organization is always looking to innovate,” said Rockets President of Business Operations Gretchen Sheirr. “The Zippin Lanes will provide our fans and event-goers at Toyota Center with a seamless checkout-free experience and get them back to their seats as quickly as possible.”
Checkout-free technology is growing in prominence across multiple industries, and seeing particular traction in quick-serve locations like stadiums and airports where time is of the essence. Shoppers simply tap or insert a credit card to enter, grab what they want, and leave. Eliminating the checkout line gives operators the opportunity to serve more customers who aren’t deterred by long wait times, and delights shoppers who aren’t compromising between making a purchase and seeing the show or game.
“We now work with 30% of the professional sports venues in the U.S. and they tell us the best thing about checkout-free technology is the ongoing ROI,” said Gary Jacobus, SVP of Business Development at Zippin. “Seeing the immediate value with increased throughput and revenue is compelling. We are now in the second and third years of many of our sports venue partnerships and they’re seeing these metrics continue to grow year after year in a way you just don’t get with other retail technology.”
Zippin opened its first store in San Francisco in 2018, and since then has grown to be the leading provider of checkout-free technology in sports venues. A recent report from InfoTech Research Group, “The Impact of Technology on Sports Entertainment Revenue and Fan Engagement” found checkout-less experiences to be a top digital experience with 75 percent saying they would be investing more there in the next 18 months. This rings true as stadiums like Allegiant and Nissan opened multiple frictionless stores this summer ahead of the NFL season.
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About Zippin:
Zippin has developed the next generation of checkout-free technology, enabling retailers to quickly deploy frictionless shopping in their stores. Our patent-pending approach uses AI, machine learning and sensor fusion technology to create the best consumer experience, banishing checkout lines and self-scanners for good, and letting shoppers zip in and out with their purchases. Zippin’s technology is being used by retailers on four continents to power checkout-free experiences in their street-front retail stores, as well as stores, kiosks and concession stands in a wide variety of venues such as stadiums, offices, airports, train stations, hotels, convention centers and residential buildings. For more information, visit https://www.getzippin.com.
