Topics: Higher Ed, college retail, customer experience
The retail layoffs started last year, as business journals projected job losses on a scale not seen since 2010. Then, in January, Macy’s and Sears announced hundreds of stores would be shutting down. Even Wal-Mart has shown it’s not immune. The retail behemoth announced in the same month it would cut roughly 1,000 jobs.
You don’t need to live at 221B Baker Street to love a good mystery. As the semester winds to a close, it is a busy time for everyone on campus. Keep this month’s event simple, engaging and easy to manage with one or all of these ideas for a terrific Mystery May event designed to bring people into your store without taking up a lot of time.
The MBS Systems Training Spring Forums was held at MBS Textbook Exchange in Columbia, Missouri, April 18-20. More than 30 attendees from 19 schools learned from the MBS Systems experts about Arc, inSite, security enhancements, networked with peers and discovered how to make the most of their MBS System. This year’s forums attracted guests from Rhode Island to California, Oregon, and points in between.
Topics: data security, customer experience, centennials
Traditionally in business, cybersecurity is something that happens in the background and with the hope the customer never notices it is there. The steps a company or institution takes to protect those who use their sites have been hidden from plain view. However, the ongoing publicity surrounding high-profile security breaches have made consumers want reassurance that their information will be secure with your business.
Topics: Higher Ed, course materials, student savings
For Lycoming College's bookstore director Tricia Bausinger, the recent decision to partner with MBS Direct is more than an opportunity to inject new life into a business. It’s a chance to offer better service to a rapidly-changing student body.
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.
Topics: college retail, college store stories, adoptions
The Ichabod Shop at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, has found a way to make faculty aware of the deadline for course material adoptions, open the door for more conversations and be the “person” departments want to hear from daily.
Topics: social media, contests, Bookstore marketing
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.
Topics: buyback, cost savings, Bookstore marketing
When Googling “the rising cost of education,” more than 63 million articles are available for our reading pleasure. We don’t have the time to comb through articles and whitepapers trying to determine the socio-economic and political root causes. Regardless, the rising costs of education can be attributed to two factors:
Topics: Higher Ed, retail technology, MBS Systems Forums
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.
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