Imagine one of your associates is helping a customer when a promo question comes up that nobody on the floor can confirm. That scramble for answers — digging through binders, pinging a manager — is where store execution starts to break down.
Now multiply that across every frontline worker, every shift, and every store. You don’t need a calculator to know that these information gaps add up fast.
The good news? Zippy is built to fix those gaps. It’s not just any AI chatbot; it’s a smart, reliable, and friendly frontline assistant that integrates seamlessly with your store’s operations. Designed to provide quick, accurate answers to a wide range of questions, Zippy pulls data directly from your Zipline Resource Library, whether it’s about policies, promotions, products, or procedures. It’s like having a seasoned coworker available at all times.
Retailers across the Zipline community are using Zippy for much more than simple Q&A. We sat down with customers like PacSun and Visionworks to learn how they’re putting it to work. Let’s dive into four real-world examples.
4 Ways Teams Use Zippy, the Frontline AI Assistant
From on-the-floor problem solver to full-blown brand mascot, Zippy fits into the day-to-day of your stores.
1. Provide on-demand answers for policies, promotions, and products
Remember that scenario from earlier, where an associate was stuck on a promo detail mid-conversation with a customer? With Zippy, that just doesn’t happen anymore.
Instead of scouring message threads — or trying to remember the exact name of the document they need — frontline workers can ask Zippy questions in plain language and get an answer back in seconds.
Here’s how it works: Zippy pulls directly from your Zipline Resource Library — your team’s one-stop-shop for policies, promotions, and product details. It surfaces exactly what’s relevant to the person asking, based on their role and store. No more guessing which document to open or scrolling through pages that don’t apply to them.
It sounds simple, but it can have a big impact:
- Time savings: Zippy delivers the right information in seconds, so your workers can get what they need and get right back to the customer.
- Improved store execution: Accurate, context-specific answers on the spot mean more consistent service, no matter who’s working that day.
- Confident decision making: Every answer is rooted in your own policies, so associates aren’t just guessing and hoping they’re right.
The Store Communications team at leading apparel retailer, PacSun, saw the difference the moment they started using Zippy:
“Seeing Zippy in action was mind-blowing! It’s way more than just another search tool. It gets the nuances of what we’re asking and hits back with speedy, spot-on answers, all rooted in our own brand policies and procedures. It’s like having your super-smart coworker in your back pocket. This isn’t just about saving time in finding answers; it’s about giving our teams the confidence they need in every decision.”
— Eric Wardian,
Sr. Manager of Store Communications at PacSun
2. Deliver streamlined employee support (without the ticket backlog)
One of our favorite things is hearing how Zippy’s impact ripples across the business. Give teams easier access to information and good things start happening in places you didn’t expect.
For PacSun, it helped cut down on the volume of helpdesk tickets. Once Zippy was introduced, their frontline workers stopped waiting on the support team and started serving themselves.
Before long, their frontline AI assistant became part of the team — and even got a name: “Chaddy.” Whenever a question came up in stores, associates turned to Chaddy first. (“Well, did you ask Chaddy?”)
Lianne Préstamo, PacSun’s Senior Store Comms Specialist, explained, “This helped reduce repetitive questions to us at HQ. It definitely reduced a lot of noise.”
“I think one of the most important things is that it empowers our store teams to problem solve on their own. Chaddy became the ultimate copilot for our store teams.”
— Lianne Préstamo,
Senior Store Comms Specialist at Pacsun
3. Help the frontline reclaim time for higher-impact initiatives
The worst feeling is watching great talent get stuck on menial tasks. You want your frontline workers on the floor wowing customers, and you want your comms team focused on the bigger picture — the campaigns, training, and initiatives that drive real results.
Sometimes, you don’t realize how much time your team is spending on these tasks until something changes. In the “Before Times,” leading provider of eyecare services, Visionworks, relied on outdated communication methods, like mail, binders, and email, to reach their field teams. It was a setup that ate up significant time and left leadership with no real way to track whether anything landed.
Once Visionworks introduced “Zippy, The Knowledge Monster,” to the team, it didn’t take long to see that this wasn’t just a new tool — it was a smarter way of working:
“This bot is just so damn cool! There are a lot of possibilities that can now be realized. Zipline isn’t just communicating for us, it’s innovating for us too!”
— Eric M. Buff,
Director of Retail Lean and Innovation at Visionworks of America
With Zippy fielding the day-to-day questions that used to land on their comms team’s desk, Visionworks freed up time for the work that actually moves the needle, like their weekly “Zip Tips,” scavenger hunts, and other engagement efforts that keep associates excited about learning. Zippy helps make sure your people have time to do what they do best.
4. Create branded experiences that boost engagement and adoption
Anyone else complete their Spanish lesson on Duolingo because they couldn’t bear to let down Duo, the friendly owl mascot? A face and a personality make people want to engage, even with something as unglamorous as a Resource Library. Retailers using Zippy have figured out the same thing.
Zippy isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s fully customizable, so retailers can brand and name it however fits their culture. By giving Zippy a name, avatar, and backstory, retailers made the AI feel like a trusted team member. For PacSun, that was “Chaddy,” a nod to their store communications team’s love of a good pun. For Visionworks, it was “Zippy, The Knowledge Monster,” who drove engagement through games and scavenger hunts.
How Visionworks made learning fun with Zippy, The Knowledge Monster
At Visionworks, the commitment to employee engagement and a vibrant company culture shines as brightly as the clear vision they provide. Through Zippy, they’ve unlocked the power of knowledge sharing and created an environment where learning is not just a task but an exciting journey.
One of their most creative strategies was the “Find Zippy” program. Zippy, their internal mascot, is known as a knowledge monster always on the lookout for more information (and peanut butter sandwiches, but that’s another story). This scavenger hunt-style program was designed to drive traffic to the Resource Library by encouraging associates to find Zippy hidden within the library’s content.
“We’d give associates a riddle or a clue, and they’d have to find Zippy hidden somewhere in the library. Once they found him, they’d enter a raffle. People love prizes, and this little game really boosted engagement.”
— Eric M. Buff,
Director of Retail Lean and Innovation at Visionworks of America
The impact was significant, with noticeable spikes in library visits during the weeks the “Find Zippy” program was active. These spikes corresponded with peak periods, indicating that associates weren’t just visiting the library, they were actually absorbing the information housed there.
Zippy has been so well-received by team members, they take him everywhere, showing up in team photos, store visits, and celebrations across the business.
Zippy Is Just One Part of Our AI Story
These four examples are just a snapshot of what’s possible, and they point to a bigger problem Zipline was built to solve: bridging the execution gap.
According to our latest report, only 36% of retail leaders say more than three-quarters of store initiatives are executed correctly and on time. We come from retail, so we know what’s really behind that number: stores drowning in communication but starving for clarity, and the slowdowns and missed sales that follow.
Our belief has always been simple: store teams want to do great work, they just need a better way to get things done. Zippy is one of the clearest examples of that belief in action, but it’s not the whole story. Alongside Zippy, Zipline AI helps HQ teams write clearer communications in half the time and turns scattered updates into fast, actionable summaries, so every layer of the org stays aligned, not just the frontline.
Whether you’re looking to cut down on repetitive questions, free up your Comms team, or just give your associates a more human way to get the answers they need, Zippy is a place to start.
See Zippy in action. Request a demo today.
