Partnership with e-commerce platform Shopify that launched SHOP313 program takes home top prize
DETROIT – July 15, 2022 – The Detroit Pistons won the NBA Team Partnership of the Year Award during this week’s NBA Team Partnership Awards, an honor given annually by the NBA at the Team Presidents Meeting in Las Vegas. These awards recognize teams for setting new standards of excellence in fan engagement, creative partnerships, and innovative programming, with the goal of enhancing the fan experience throughout the season and continuing to grow the game around the globe.
The Pistons won the NBA Team Partnership of the Year Award for their multifaceted program with Shopify, tipping off the e-commerce company’s first sports partnership. The NBA Team Partnership of the Year Award recognizes the best partner marketing campaign and platform, with special attention given to a new idea that achieves the partner’s objectives with measurable results.
“We are thrilled to have our partnership with Shopify and the SHOP313 program recognized as the NBA Team Partnership of the Year,” said Mike Zavodsky, Chief Business Officer for the Detroit Pistons. “The SHOP313 program was built utilizing Pistons organizational assets and Shopify business technologies to amplify and grow small businesses in Detroit. Supporting small business owners is vital to the economic growth of our community, and we appreciate everyone at Shopify who helped launch and support the SHOP313 program.”
The Pistons had over 800 small businesses apply to the SHOP313 program. Over the span of the 2021-22 season, it spotlighted 82 small businesses through a unique cycle of amplification from in-arena exposure, community events, and a strong digital presence. SHOP313’s proved to be a game-changer for many participating companies – Bea’s Squeeze, a lemonade company, is now available at Walmart, and K. Walker Collective, an apparel brand, partnered with the Pistons’ G League team, Motor City Cruise, to design their uniform. In addition to Shopify, Ring Central served as a supporting sponsor for SHOP313.
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About Detroit Pistons: Since their arrival in 1957, the Detroit Pistons have become one of the most storied franchises in the NBA. With over 2,600 regular-season and playoff victories, the club has celebrated three NBA Championships (1989, 1990, 2004), five NBA Finals appearances (1988, 1989, 1990, 2004, 2005) and 11 Eastern Conference Finals appearances. In October 2019, the club opened the new Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center located in the New Center area, a campus that serves as the organization’s practice facility and corporate headquarters. Since its purchase by Michigan native Tom Gores in 2011, the organization has focused on operating as a community asset while promoting a culture of innovation and industry-leading thought.
