Let’s say you have the nation’s most beautiful omnichannel college store set-up: a bricks-and-mortar offering that draws traffic with a café and lounge chairs, an app with vibrant color photos of your spirit wear and gifts, and a website students can access from any device.
Some call it inclusive access, others all-inclusive. At Towson University, the program that builds textbook charges into course fees is called direct access. Whatever name you choose, there’s no doubt that University Store Director Stacy Elofir’s decision to use the model has been a boon for the retailer, the students and the school.
Winning the heart of today’s student means showing you care about the two things: money and career.
College-style culinary skills are hard won. It takes months of trial and error with a dorm room kitchen set — coffee mug, soup spoon, sugar packets — to create concoctions that satisfy students’ cravings. What’s more, circumstances usually force the average student to work on a micro-budget of a few dollars or less, increasing the challenge. This holiday season inspire a pilgrimage to your store. Host a Frugal Feast — a recipe contest, taste test and sale all in one.
Oklahoma State University Store Assistant Director of Course Content Delivery, Starla Marshall, has worked in the college retail industry over 27 years. We visited the student-union housed Stillwater store — which serves the 26,000-plus students on OK State's main campus — for two days during 2017 fall rush to gain hands-on experience with textbook veterans. Marshall took time early one morning to talk to us about everything from industry changes to recruiting challenges and shelving course materials by author.
Oklahoma State University Store Assistant Director of Course Content Delivery, Starla Marshall, said that in her 27 years as a college store professional the course materials industry has changed radically — and that brings greater complexity to the business.
MBS Direct Executive Director of Client Services, Kelly Jones, has been helping educators find course materials solutions since 2002. We sat down with her to discuss the latest challenges in education, the reason more schools are investing in hybrid solutions and the future of the textbook industry.
October on college campuses brings crisp weather, costumes, candy and, of course, parties. Tap into the celebratory mood with a contest and event you can host any night of the month.
With MBS Systems Training 2017 Fall Forums fast approaching, we sat down with organizer and Customer Education Manager, Wayne Jones, to talk about de-stressing textbooks, fostering collegial connections and other reasons stores are getting registered now for the free training adventure here in Columbia, Missouri.
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