The Premise. Lace-up sneakers can take awhile to get on and off. Some people are too lazy to untie their shoes and opt to slip their shoes on and off, but this creates friction at the back of the sneaker. Because of this, their shoes end up wearing out quickly.
The Product. ZIPPED offers custom-made zippers that attach easily onto lace-up sneakers. The product resembles a narrow piece of cloth with eyelets on the side and a zipper in the middle. Instead of having the laces cross as they do normally, they stay on one side and ascend up the eyelets of the ZIPPED. ZIPPED com, ultimately being knotted solo. The product comes in different styles, shapes, patterns and colors.
The Pitch. ZIPPED’s Indiegogo campaign is rather sparse, but shows the different styles that ZIPPED can be ordered in, along with a guide for how to get the proper measurements for a custom ZIPPED that will fit. The video compares take shoes on and off with and without the ZIPPED and shows how much time using ZIPPED saves. ZIPPED has low goal of $2,500 for their 60 day campaign. More information can be found on the company’s Web site.
The Perks. Early-bird backers can enjoy a pair of ZIPPED in their choice of color and style for only $10. At a regular rate, ZIPPED costs $16. Reward tiers go all the way up to $250. Current availability is set at June 2014.
The Potential. Any product that appeals to the most basic of human instincts, laziness, is always welcome on the market. A similar product called Hickies had huge success on Kickstarter a year and a half ago, raising six times its intended goal. Hickies uses stretchy connectors in lieu of shoelaces, making putting shoes on and off that much easier. Lock Laces are another product aimed at battling the evil shoelace and are less expensive than ZIPPED. It’s easy to see how the ZIPPEDs might not look so pretty with age, but , once you’re done threading it, it presents an intuitive and colorful option for the lace-averse.