Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

Gen Z is filling your campus bookstores and will account for 40 percent of all your customers by the year 2020. Although millennials and Gen Z have many similarities, they respond differently to marketing tactics. We put together a comprehensive guide for college stores on how to market to Gen Z students to help your campus bookstore reach them.

When was the last time your campus store reviewed its budgetary model? Does it match the model your campus uses? These may not be the most exciting questions to ask, but the budgetary model a college chooses can give the campus store valuable insight into administrative expectations and help ensure the store serves the school’s mission. Download the “Successful Budgeting for the Campus Store” white paper to get a breakdown of college budgetary models and a comprehensive guide on actionable ways to increase top-line revenue, minimize operating costs and keep the cost-to-students low.

An eye-catching tech department attracts customers. Retail data shows that more shoppers look for brick-and-mortar stores to offer an enhanced experience with carefully selected merchandise they can see, feel and touch. One way to capitalize on these trends: Add a curated set of budget-friendly gadgets to your tech department that students can admire and sample.

“You’re a wizard, Tim,” are the words I wish I heard when I was an eleven-year-old boy, hoping to leave the monotony of muggle life, by being whisked away to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen, instead a studious Ravenclaw like me ended up writing about it for Foreword Online. Our fellow wizards at BYU-Idaho reinvigorate the spirit of Harry Potter each year by throwing a Golden Snitch Scavenger Hunt. Witches and wizards across campus flock to get their hands on the golden snitch and join in the fun.

You don’t need an advanced degree in psychology to find ways your campus store can boost college student wellness during finals. Even a short time in a calming environment can help many students navigate academic challenges at the end of the term. Here’s how you can transform a portion of your campus store into a hub that invites students to take a much-needed break.

Your website is your online business card; If you want customers to choose you as their textbook provider, it must draw them every semester. Websites are an interactive point of entry for customers to your business, so yours should be intuitive and relatable.

Adjunct and part-time faculty make great evangelists for a campus store, because they are responsible for much of the undergraduate teaching on U.S. campuses. A temp-friendly faculty sale event is a fun way to win loyal customers and increase your campus profile.

Campus stores look beyond the traditional retail model to find ways to continuously drive customer traffic. As education, course materials and collegiate retail evolve, many stores seek new opportunities to bring in additional top line revenue and strengthen campus relationships. The UCLA Store maximizes its eCommerce and social media efforts, hosts a variety of events throughout the year, and creates new opportunities to better serve the campus community.

Twenty years ago, if you called video gaming a sport, people would think… why? It would sound outlandish that video games would become so prominent in society that they’re considered a professional sport. Times have changed as esports are here and they aren’t going away anytime soon. Worldwide viewer counts exceed nearly all traditional sports. The purview of gaming used to be a group of nerdy kids hanging out together in their parent’s basement with snacks and sodas, playing the latest game in a LAN party. Now gaming tournaments take place on massive stages before a cheering audience.

Course materials are a vital part of education. Without the necessary materials for class, student performance suffers, and students can easily fall behind. This is one of the reasons why college affordability and textbook affordability are such important issues in higher education. The “Navigating Complex Course Material Trends” white paper gives your campus store a complete guide to today’s most effective cost-saving solutions.