Promotional items can be a very effective way to get your customers excited about an event or offering. But, in order to have an impact, you need to take a few things into consideration. The key, according to Dave McKenna, director of Holy Cross Bookstore, is finding out what products your audience really wants.
Typically, when one thinks of change, big, significant differences come to mind. But, sometimes, small steps can be just as effective. That was certainly the case at Washington and Lee's University Store, during the winter buyback.
Kevin Ault, manager of Kirkwood Community College Bookstore, may be new to the world of collegiate retail, but this buyback season, he brought some of his previous retail experience to the store with the goal of creating a buzz on campus.
We all know textbook rush and buyback get a bad rap with students. With this understanding, Bloomsburg University Store is continually looking for new and creative ways to change perception during these events. For example, after attending a CAMEX five years ago, the store decided to implement one of the ideas that had been suggested by a colleague; they installed a camera to broadcast a live feed of the line during rush.
Between the holidays, a once-in-a-century kind of date, buyback, and even the end of the world predictions, December 2012 offered lots of opportunities for creative events in college stores! Take a look as a few discuss how they promoted these exciting occurrences and the engagement they were able to create with students as a result!
Buyback is a bi-annual occurrence for nearly every college store; however, one thing that’s often missing from the event is the element of fun. Recognizing that trend, Iowa State University Book Store decided to take a different approach this semester.
Between rogue buyers and online retailers, students now have plenty of options when it comes to where to sell their books. That’s why it’s so important that college stores continually evolve their buyback strategy.
It has been prophesized for decades that the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar, which occurs on December 21, 2012, will bring about the end of the world as we know it. Popular culture encourages the belief that this may be the time when zombies or aliens try to overtake civilization. Even though experts have refuted all of these apocalyptic claims, this once-in-a-lifetime experience serves as a very marketable event for your store’s winter buyback!
After attending a CAMEX session devoted to helping stores better their buyback, Mines Bookstore decided it was time to try something different. Rather than implement the standard posters they had used in the past, they opted for a more personal approach.
Two years ago, the Duck Store at University of Oregon received an unwelcome surprise; they realized a competitor had rented table space directly across the street from their store in an attempt to buy students’ books.
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