Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

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.

The final day of the MBS 2019 Forums sessions started with a discussion about digital flexibility. Digital flexibility requires stores to look ahead and prepare for an ever-evolving textbook industry. Staying knowledgeable of industry changes keeps stores ahead of the game and capable of providing the best experience for customers.

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?

What sets Twitter apart from other social media mediums is that it promotes user engagement with other users through quick messages or tweets. Twitter’s fast-paced stream of posts makes timing and quantity important factors in your profile’s success.

Twitter is most popular with those in their 20s, according to Sprout Social. This makes Twitter an excellent choice to use for promoting your campus bookstore.

“With Twitter, we also have a younger audience. There, things like humor, memes, GIFs and more casual posts do well,” Auxiliary Services Marketing Manager, GVSU Laker Store, Liza Guikema, said.

Towson University’s University Store and the New Mexico Junior College Bookstore (NMJC) are two distinct campus stores with a key feature in common: both take advantage of MBS Store Technology Solutions’ annual training. As a result, both stores find new ways to increase revenue, transcend industry challenges and serve their students every year.

For an audience of young millennials and Gen Z, Snapchat is a great way to advertise. Snapchat gives students a seemingly more private way to stay connected. Built on instant gratification, a greater sense of privacy and whimsical filters, it quickly became a favorite social platform for students. For campus bookstores, it can be a fun way to interact with your audience. To enhance your bookstore social media, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to Snapchat specifically for college stores.

Partnerships with local vendors help campus stores provide a retail customer experience that sets them apart from competitors. Produce from local farmers, coffee from a local hang-out or crafts from regional artisans can transform a visit to your store into a shopping experience that inspires word of mouth, repeat visits and customer loyalty. Here’s how four collegiate retailers maximize local vendor partnerships.

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.

In preparation for the Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA) 2020 conference, MBS sent out a survey to campus store members asking what they’d like to learn at this year’s conference. The result: a fascinating summary of the challenges and goals of collegiate retail professionals nationwide. Here’s a snapshot of the data.

No other medium lets you share ideas, expressions of art, photography and life events like Instagram. It is the premier image-sharing site for over one billion worldwide. It also provides a digital marketing resource for campus stores. Instagram creates a space in which you can share information like upcoming events, sales and merchandise. Instagram’s like and commenting features make it easy to not only share but also engage with students. 

However, effectively using Instagram can be tricky if you’re not sure what you’re doing, so we’ve created this comprehensive guide to enhance your campus bookstore’s 2020 digital marketing.