The new Tiger Express store at Towson University offers round-the-clock, frictionless shopping for essentials like snacks, drinks, packaged meals, and personal care products. The tech-enabled store utilizes solutions from Atrium and Zippin to enable students to walk-in, shop, and walk out without interacting with a staff person or self-checkout.

The store uses an array of cameras and sensors to track items, eliminating the need for a traditional checkout. Shoppers simply enter the store by presenting a valid form of payment, grab the items they want from the shelves, and make their exit. There’s no need to scan items or checkout at a POS or self-checkout kiosk.

Early results show the value of supporting campus cards. To date, 80% of Tiger Express sales have been with OneCards.

After shopping, receipts are available on the Towson OneCard portal or the Zippin microsite, depending on payment type.

Convenience and the always-open aspect of the Tiger Express is proving to be the driving factor for students.

The store has been operational for several years but just became tech-enabled this year. In the past, it was open just 28 hours per week. The new 24/7 availability gives students access to convenience items when traditional locations are not open.

“I really like the new store and it being open 24 hours is really helpful. I ran out of cereal once and was able to quickly get some more, even past the building hours,” says student Briana Francis ‘24. “It’s a really good addition to the campus and it’s super accessible.”

Tiger Express marks the first checkout-free college store to combine Zippin’s checkout-free technology with Atrium’s campus card management solution. OneCard holders can pay with either of Towson’s declining balance options, Dining Dollars or Doc Dollars. The store also accepts traditional payment cards.

“What makes our approach unique is our ability to give students complete choice in how they pay,” says Krishna Motukuri, CEO and co-founder of Zippin. “Through our partnership with Atrium Campus, Towson students, faculty and staff can shop with their campus cards (for) a better checkout-free experience.”

Early results show the value of supporting campus cards. To date, 80% of Tiger Express sales have been with OneCards.

“Enabling campus payments at check-out free stores is another example of how Atrium Campus is reimagining
the campus card experience for the mobile generation,” said Tammy Johnson, Atrium Campus President
and CEO.

To see Tiger Express in action, check out this video from Baltimore’s WMAR News.