Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

Finding ways to improve your store’s customer service is a matter of survival. Customer experience is a trendy buzzword in retail: it is a critical shift in perspective. Young consumers are abandoning brand loyalty, letting their individual experiences direct where they will spend their time and money. That decision comes down to their experience with your store, whether in-person or online.  

We talk a lot about the different social media platforms and the potential benefit of using them because they provide a direct connection with students. As Willie Sutton said, “Go where the money is … and go there often.” However, just being on the networks isn’t enough. The content you post and its effectiveness will directly influence the return on your efforts. What does that mean? Your store needs to understand the relationship social media forges between the store and the student, and what students expect in return.

Only a couple weeks away, MBS Systems’ Spring Forums is almost here. There is still time to register, but space is running out fast. Join MBS Systems for this free event in Columbia, Missouri, April 18-20 for three days of hands-on learning and networking with other college stores.

As the world’s largest social media site, Facebook may be the hub of your online platform. With more than a billion active users on Facebook, it is a natural place to look when setting up online advertisements, but how do you ensure you are reaching your specific market? With the declining organic reach, it is increasingly difficult to reach loyal fans of your page, let alone engage with new ones. Advertising and boosting your posts are the next logical steps, but with such a large base, defining your audience is essential. You can choose to do it through keywords, regions, countries, pixels, etc. However, at the end of the day, if you aren’t using Facebook Pixels, you are ignoring Facebook’s greatest targeted advertising tool.

MBS Systems’ 2017 Spring Forums is weeks away. Join us April 18-20, 2017, to learn the capabilities of the system in your store, network with other college stores to learn what they are doing differently and receive in depth training on your own system’s capabilities. The Spring Forums is free, and you receive a special MBS rate on your hotel during your stay.

Twitter is one of the easiest platforms to fall into complacency. The breakneck pace of a Twitter feed makes it harder for your message to be read by a significant portion of your followers. Therefore, using Twitter often feels like no one sees your posts because tweets don’t get as much attention as statuses do on Facebook or pictures Instagram. Many businesses quickly wear out on trying to be creative and fall into the pattern of posting periodic links back to websites and reply only to direct messages. They stop engaging in the real manner that Twitter users want, which lead to their message becoming white noise. Revitalize your Twitter account with these five ideas that you can start implementing today.

Old inventory is costing your college store money. Every day merchandise sits unseen on shelves, it becomes dated. The longer it stays there, the less likely it will sell. You can either continue to let it take up valuable space, or you can form a plan to move the unwanted stock. Below are four ways you can use your unsold products to generate more sales.

As the millennials are graduating, centennials are moving in, bringing a new set of values with them. They have high expectations, a focus on quality, a strong sense of thrift and the shortest attention span to date. Having never experienced life without technology, this resourceful generation is about to change the rules and it is up to the rest of us to keep up.

The CU Book Store at the University of Colorado Boulder brought home the MVP award at this year’s ICBA conference in Las Vegas. This is the first time they have won the prestigious award in the history of their membership in the organization. Constantly watching the industry and learning from their peers, the CU Book Store brings successful innovation to their campus.

The MBS Systems Spring Forums are back and better than ever!

Meet with industry peers and MBS Systems representatives in Columbia, Missouri, from April 18-20, 2017, for three spectacular days of hands-on learning. Network with other college stores from across the country and MBS Systems staff in daily round table discussions about topics that matter to you most. Bring your laptop or tablet to learn about the many capabilities of your system from the experts and get your questions answered.  Best of all, the event is completely free!