To improve the experience in your store, it takes more than knowledgeable, helpful employees. You also need a college store management system that will help you avoid retail pitfalls like long, slow-moving lines, websites that aren’t optimized for mobile and not keeping up with student buying trends. So, what should your college store look for in a retail system?
The Georgia Southern University Store takes pride in serving its campus community. Whether it’s through affordability initiatives, campus engagement or an outstanding loyalty program, the store strives to ensure every customer gets the best service. One way they make that possible is by adapting with industry changes.
Your college store retail system is essential to your store. From back-office functions to your eCommerce site and POS efficiency, your system should empower associates and continue to evolve alongside your store. One way to ensure your store is getting the most out of its system is through practical training that is tailored for your store’s specific needs.
Like many college stores, the Thompson Rivers University Bookstore has weathered a lot of industry changes over the last few years. Searching for a way to counteract declining textbook sales and improve student service, Course Materials Purchasing Coordinator Jon Mackintosh signed up for SimpleSource with the hope that he could save time and bring more high-quality used wholesale textbooks into the store.
Diversifying revenue is a must for most college stores in today’s market. Developing unique ways to set themselves apart from competitors solidifies student engagement and campus relevance while securing the future of the campus store.
Switching your retail management system isn’t done on a whim. A lot of research goes into making sure that the new system will continue to be the right fit as your store and the retail industry evolve. However, while there are numerous benefits to upgrading your system, implementation can still seem like a daunting task. That’s why we recently sat down with Senior Systems Consultant Angela Gray to discuss how she helps ensure a streamlined implementation process for our partner stores.
Every industry experiences disruption that changes the way business is done. From education to retail to publishing, businesses and organizations must develop strategies that will help them compete in an increasingly virtual world. College stores experience change from all sides: new course material formats, evolving student and customer expectations, and recent campus and state initiatives. How can your store not only compete but thrive in this new world of retail giants?
Retail store design plays a critical role in how students and the community view your campus store. When the BYU Store Director Mark Clegg joined the store team, he knew he needed to lead the way in modernizing the store. His goal was to provide the campus community a school-branded immersive retail experience that would bring customers to the store time and again.
It is harder than ever to get and keep students’ attention. A fresh inventory selection with pop-up stores and consignment merchandise helps, but savvy stores like the UCLA Store also incorporates marketing and additional services that bring a steady stream of campus and community foot traffic.
Recently, the University of Wisconsin University Book Store in Madison capitalized on a great opportunity and expanded its technology business. When it was announced that the University was closing its tech store, bookstore management stepped up and prevented students from losing an important on-campus service.
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