Loyalty programs are common practice in retail. All shoppers, including students, are familiar with the basics of how loyalty programs operate. This knowledge also means that shoppers might have become pickier about the loyalty programs they are willing to sign up for. It is no longer enough to just offer a loyalty program. You have to ensure customers can see the benefit of being a loyal shopper in your college store.
In 2020, Erin McGonigle took over as Director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Bookstore. Even after many years working in the campus store, there was still more to learn in her new position. One of her discoveries was the benefits of using Dashboard, an MBS system’s business intelligence tool.
Unprecedented challenges often require creative solutions. For the Western Carolina University Bookstore, the uncertainty with COVID and students returning home before the end of the fall term meant that buyback would also need to be adjusted to fit current challenges. The solution the store found was to hold a longer, cashless buyback for students.
The Clatsop Community College Bookstore is in an unusual position: it never closed down during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the rest of campus moved online and closed to foot traffic, the college store remained open, becoming a single point of contact for all student needs. We sat down with Denise Russell, Bookstore/Copy Center Manager and Adjunct Professor, to discuss how the bookstore expanded its service during this time.
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.
Since the end of March, college stores have had to make quick adjustments to meet the unprecedented demands created by COVID-19. As the San Joaquin Delta College campus responded to the pandemic, the Delta College Bookstore stepped up with a plan to safely offer students a centralized location to return and pick up materials.
Every year the University of Utah Campus Store holds a large Apple® sale in their store. This year, unable to open the store to customers, they decided to do the next best thing: take the event online. The official order pickup event was held from May 4-8. However, the store began taking preorders three weeks before the official event. The end result: more than $1 million in sales.
Organizing buyback and rental returns is top of mind for many college stores as they work to develop strategies that will best support their store, students and school. We invited stores to join us for a Campus Store Conversations roundtable discussion to share what their stores have planned for the end of term.
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