Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

Graduation is a wonderful, momentous occasion to celebrate with friends and family. It also marks an end for many students as they move away from the campus that has been their home for the years leading up to this moment. As the term winds down, the college store can help send off graduates with mementos they will treasure, technology they will need and a connection with your school that could last a lifetime.

Social media is a very simple, cost-effective way to engage students with the bookstore. In a perfect world, you would post on your store’s social media account and all of your followers would see and remember the content you post. Better yet, they would heart the post and leave a comment, and maybe even share the information with their friends who don’t follow you. However, as we all know, that is not the reality. So, how can stores get customers to follow and interact with them on social media?

An eye-catching tech department attracts customers. Retail data shows that more shoppers look for brick-and-mortar stores to offer an enhanced experience with carefully selected merchandise they can see, feel and touch. One way to capitalize on these trends: Add a curated set of budget-friendly gadgets to your tech department that students can admire and sample.

There comes a time when every campus store will eventually need to create a sign, a social media image or header, or a poster to market an in-store event or promotion to college students. However, some campus stores may not have access to a graphic designer. In those cases, you or someone on your staff, might have to design the piece yourself. A basic understanding of the elements of design helps you produce a better, more professional finished product that entices students into your store