As COVID-19 is changing retail, campus stores are rearranging and remodeling their space to meet the current demands for health and safety. As college stores reopen, they must consider how students and customers can safely shop in the store and how the current environment has evolved customers’ retail expectations.
SimpleSource is one of MBS’ most talked about new tools. As Textbook Buyer Sylvia Martinez at Chaffey College Campus Store discovered, streamlining wholesale and marketplace orders has never been easier. One shipment, one invoice and one easy tool: SimpleSource works for every campus store.
Topics: surveys, campus stores, college retail system
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.
It is harder than ever to get and keep students’ attention. A fresh inventory selection with pop-up stores and consignment merchandise helps, but savvy stores like the UCLA Store also incorporates marketing and additional services that bring a steady stream of campus and community foot traffic.
Navarro College Bookstore Director, Terri Mitchell, has a saying that reflects her commitment to students: “When you invest in students, you’re investing in the future.”
The University of Arizona BookStores has cracked the code for converting social media engagement into store sales. Social media has tremendous potential to raise campus awareness and interest in store events and services. How can that potential be translated into a revenue generating idea for college stores?
Topics: finals, campus stores, student wellness
You don’t need an advanced degree in psychology to find ways your campus store can boost college student wellness during finals. Even a short time in a calming environment can help many students navigate academic challenges at the end of the term. Here’s how you can transform a portion of your campus store into a hub that invites students to take a much-needed break.
Campus stores look beyond the traditional retail model to find ways to continuously drive customer traffic. As education, course materials and collegiate retail evolve, many stores seek new opportunities to bring in additional top line revenue and strengthen campus relationships. The UCLA Store maximizes its eCommerce and social media efforts, hosts a variety of events throughout the year, and creates new opportunities to better serve the campus community.
Topics: faculty, adoptions, campus stores, cost of education
For campus stores that sell textbooks, the adoption process is fundamental to business health. Several years ago, Salisbury University Bookstore made changes to its adoption process that have brought excellent results for us and made it easier for students to reduce the total cost of college. In the process, we’ve learned some things that other stores may find useful.
Topics: Gen Z, campus stores, who is generation z
Generation Z was birthed in the infinite space of the internet and its interconnected networks of communication. With buying decisions, they have access to every review, rating and criticism of a business at their fingertips. They also have access to a wider breadth of retail choices. Your marketing has about eight seconds to win Gen Z’s attention – don’t waste it.
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