Before 2020, online sales were not a big part of the University of Manitoba (UM) BookStore’s revenue. The brick-and-mortar store served its campus while few students chose to shop online. However, after 2020, all of that changed. In order to continue to serve the school’s community, a robust online presence was essential.
How can college stores enhance customers’ eCommerce experience? By offering shoppers filter options and recommendations, it is easier for site visitors to choose the best merchandise for them. At the MBS Spring Forums Systems Training event, college stores learned about MBS’ website tools that can help make merchandise stand out.
Did you know that MBS Store Technology Solutions offers customers a complete collegiate retail system? With our solution, stores have the collegiate retail hardware, software and support that they need to keep up with a rapidly evolving industry.
Website expectations are constantly changing. In addition to keeping information updated, college store eCommerce sites must also keep up with their web design and ensure easy customer navigation. When Brian Beahan, Bookstore Supervisor, Century College, started in April of 2019, he knew the website would be the first project he needed to work on. After a complete website redesign, he is still working to ensure the store’s customers get the very best user experience.
For college stores like Ridgewater College Bookstore, updating the website to display all of the available inventory, share up-to-date information and streamline the purchasing process became a top priority in 2020. Joining the Ridgewater College Bookstore staff a month before COVID shutdowns, Bookstore Coordinator Megan Andresen had to quickly get up to speed on the MBS system and create a cohesive online presence for the bookstore.
How do search engines determine whether or not to direct traffic to your site? Physical location, search terms, products, ratings, clicks, etc. all impact where your college store ends up in the search results. However, there are things you can do to help boost where you fall in the search results. It is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
For the Washington and Lee University Store, detailed reporting is a must. They partnered with MBS Store Technology Solutions for their collegiate retail system in 2015 and found that the stronger, more detailed reporting better served their business intelligence needs.
What does your college store website tell shoppers about your store? As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, eCommerce sites became the only connection to customers for many retail stores. More so than ever before, your store website is a vitally important revenue source.
In today’s world, customer convenience is one of the most important services you can offer shoppers. Customers want a smooth shopping experience with options that go beyond product selection. By streamlining the online shopping experience, you can inspire more web sales and ensure customers will come back again.
For many of us, times are unpredictable. As college stores look toward the start of a new term, strengthening online sales, student convenience and in-store safety precautions are three areas that will have the biggest impact no matter what happens this fall. We recently spoke with Lincoln Land Community College’s Director of Campus Services Andrew Blaylock to discuss the college store’s web orders and how they are preparing for fall.
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