Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

At the beginning of April, MBS Store Technology Solutions held its biannual training event for system partners. Forums is always a great week of learning and networking for campus stores. MBS System Sales Consultant Jeremy Hawkins joins us today to share three takeaways he learned through the weeklong event.

Our days are filled with interruptions. Whether it’s someone dropping by your office, a recent social media craze, or the squeaky toy the cat found under the couch (or is that just my office?), there is always things trying to pull our focus away from what we are trying to accomplish.

As a sales consultant with MBS Store Technology Solutions, I do not get to use the system the way a college store does. Undoubtedly, I learn something new or am reminded about a feature of the system with each encounter — whether through formal training, a store visit, or the implementation process with a new system partner. This year’s virtual fall forums training event was no exception. I want to take a moment to share some of the sessions that stuck with me.

Today’s textbook market is more competitive. College stores now competes with thousands of online sellers, from Amazon to individual sellers. This gives the student shopper hundreds — if not thousands — of options for acquiring their course materials, as well as the means to easily compare prices. One way for stores to compete is by augmenting their traditionally-obtained inventory with sourcing through the marketplace. To learn more about how new avenues of sourcing can benefit your store, check out this Q&A from President of MBS Textbook Exchange LLC David Henderson.