MBS Systems Sales Consultant, Patrick Cervenik sat down with us to discuss the changes happening in the retail industry, and how college stores can stay adaptable to the transitioning environment.
Liz Schulte is an author and business owner with a background in customer service, marketing and higher education development.
MBS Systems Sales Consultant, Patrick Cervenik sat down with us to discuss the changes happening in the retail industry, and how college stores can stay adaptable to the transitioning environment.
June is a great time to invite the surrounding community, alumni and hard-to-reach nontraditional students to your store. This May, plan for a whimsical and fun children’s story hour to remind parents families are welcome in your store.
Buyback is just around the corner, but it isn’t too late to encourage students to sell their textbooks back to your college store. Follow this easy-to-use checklist to make sure you maximize your buyback marketing efforts.
Topics: digital content, print, college stores
When digital publishing became widely available, the major publishers ignored it. Then eBooks started making headlines, and the industry began to grow at incredible rates. Still, traditional publishers were slow to react. The consensus was that publishers had “five years” to get in front of the issue even though they were already five years behind.
Topics: retail management, management, meeting agendas
Why are meeting agendas important? I volunteer on the board of a local nonprofit organization and recently attended their agenda-free meeting. The meeting started at 7 p.m. and lingered on well past 9 p.m. Little was accomplished, a couple people were especially vocal and kept the meeting squarely off topic, and by the end of it, I couldn’t wait until my term on the board was over. Unfortunately, meetings like this aren’t rare in the business or educational world. However, an effective agenda can turn a meeting that feels like a waste of time into a productive collaboration.
Memes, GIFs and emojis are the language of Generation Z. Entire conversations can be had without typing a single word, attitudes can be conveyed and understood in seconds, and emotions can be shared without vulnerability. While your college store wants to speak directly to students, it is easy for your message to go astray. That’s why we have created this helpful guide to increase your store’s image fluency.
Every business will eventually receive a complaint. Despite best intentions, a customer will walk away unhappy at one point or another. The customer might reach out to the business itself for a resolution to the problem, but with increasing odds, they are going to take their complaint to social media. Once the negative words are out on the internet, they are there forever. Managers and business owners have two choices: they can ignore the complaint or demonstrate their great customer service for the world to see.
Topics: Higher Ed, buyback, bookstores
It’s no secret students aren’t thrilled with the amount they receive back on textbooks in comparison to what they spend at the beginning of the semester. More services pop up online that promise better buyback rates every year. With increasing competition, make sure your store doesn’t fall behind on promoting this spring’s buyback with these six ideas on how to increase student traffic.
Topics: cost savings, student success, homeless students
As food insecurity and homelessness among college students grow, the once parodied image of the starving student eating everything in sight ceases to be a laughing matter. Higher education for many is the pursuit of a better life. Along the journey toward that idealized destination, some students will face near-impossible hardships: surviving on one — if that — meal a day, finding a safe place to sleep each night and struggling to make it through each day until graduation. Without assistance, some will be forced to drop out.
Topics: buyback, Marketing to Students, Bookstore marketing
Buyback will be here before you know it. Do you have plan? How will you get the word out to students about where and when they can sell back their books? Do you have an incentive for them to choose your store rather than the competition? If these questions have filled you with anxiety, have no fear. We have gathered some easily-implemented ideas your store can use to ensure your buyback is a success.
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