The NBA is back, and Foot Locker and Nike are celebrating with a new type of mobile pop-up shop.
'House of Hoops' by Foot Locker will appear around the country during key basketball moments. The first one showed up yesterday (18 October) in Los Angeles for LeBron James' first game with the Lakers.
"We are excited to partner with Foot Locker on the House of Hoops Courtside experience," said Brian Zappitello, general manager of Nike Basketball North America. "House of Hoops has been integral in how we reshape retail for the young basketball-obsessed athletes across North America and continues to make an impact this weekend in Los Angeles."
The pop-up shop, dubbed 'HOH Courtside,' offers fans exclusive footwear launches and other Nike owned products, such as Jordan and Converse.
Foot Locker has also released an accompanying update to its mobile app that will integrate augmented reality to the buying experience, letting shoppers participate in scavenger hunts to find limited-edition gear.
"Foot Locker has always looked for new ways to elevate the shopping experience for our customers. It was a natural evolution to embrace AR, taking our scavenger hunts to the next level," said Frank Bracken, vice president and general manager of Foot Locker US.
The HOH Courtside model will eventually come to life in physical retail locations as 'House of Hoops 185.'