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2. Drop down “Textbooks” and select “Buyback”
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Randy Stejskal, vice president and founder of Campus Store Design, and his colleagues Kim Walters, assistant director and interior designer, and Nicole Nielsen, interior designer, shared their insights about what design themes they’re currently noticing, how retail is changing and more and more stores are right-sizing.   

What design themes are you currently noticing in your work?

Kim: Stores are looking for timeless looks that can evolve. We like to design spaces that won’t be outdated within a few years. We do this in a couple of ways: by specifying streamlined, flexible fixtures, as well as by focusing on a neutral color palette that allows the merchandise and graphic to be the pops of color needed to make a space come alive.

Stores are also looking for sustainable design. CSD can specify different wall and flooring treatments or retail fixtures that are eco-friendly, recycled or made of biodegradable materials.

We’re also seeing stores want to incorporate technology into the design. It could be in lighting, kiosks, a smart mirror or a place to custom design a unique school t-shirt.

Finally, another theme we’re designing for is being more innovative with the use of physical space. We’re helping stores reimagine how the retail space can build connections with students, faculty, staff and the community.

Nicole: I would add that creating a unique retail experience overall is important. Students aren’t shopping brick and mortar stores often, so an experience needs to be made to invite them in.

Kim and Nicole, you both noted how retail is changing. What are some of today’s retail needs and expectations, and how does store design address those?   

Kim: Design is imperative in addressing today’s needs and expectations.

For campus stores, flexibility is really important. Generally, there are only two times per year when a campus store has an abundance of textbooks to sell. Otherwise those shelves are basically empty. We have several design solutions for stores that need to plan around this fluctuating inventory on the retail sales floor. We also design for flexibility with fixture systems.

We know experiences are important to students today, so we help creatively address unique selling environments that help stores provide those opportunities. This might be for an area where students can custom design a t-shirt, a virtual fitting room or space for author readings or book signings.

Stores are also looking to increase community sales and traffic. CSD determines how special community events, like a holiday wonderland, could work into a retail space and how to design the area to draw the community in.

Nicole: College students expect the latest and greatest.

As Kim mentioned, students want experiences. An example that comes to mind is a yoga/pilates space we added to a campus store.

Convenience is absolutely an expectation and need for busy college students. We’ve solved for this by adding self-checkout lanes to small grab-and-go markets, so students can quickly grab what they need and checkout.

We also help stores consider niche needs for their campus. If students are really into Frisbee golf, we can help design a section of the store that caters to those needs.

Randy, how does a store know what’s right for their campus brand and how does CSD help with this?  

Randy: Most times, the campus store stakeholders engage their university’s marketing department in the design process. What happens then is really fun and exciting. We work with the campus’s marketing team and share brand identity opportunities for the items that we’re specifying for the renovation. These opportunities include a plethora of signage vehicles for the wall units, floor units and elsewhere in the store. We also allow them to visualize their artist creations via photorealistic software called AccuRender. This allows clients to see, photo realistically, what the end product will look like prior to any work being performed.

Overall, our clients are very resourceful and know their value to the campus. Their core desire is to serve the campus community and that guides the design process a lot.

Right-sizing is a buzzworthy phrase in the industry right now. Can you talk more about the concept and how it can benefit stores?

Randy: Yes, many of our projects involve right-sizing. We’re seeing stores decrease square footage from 15,000 to 10,000 or even 45,000 to less than 40,000-square-feet. Some stores are really considering and engaging in shedding excess square footage from their retail operation, and it does make sense for many.

Right-sizing helps to decrease square footage that is no longer as necessary as it once was due to changing shopping habits and competition. Changing markets, online shopping and shifts in a store’s operating budget are other factors that contribute to the need to right-size. Additionally, rents can be high and there are many entities vying for valuable space on campus.

What is involved in the right-sizing process?

Randy: Our industry renovates its retail operations at a slower pace than other retail. Some stores feature designs that are decades old, and what was correct at that time doesn’t align with today’s needs and expectations. Changing product assortments, new fixture capabilities and amenities all play into the right-sizing formula and process.

Today’s fixtures enable stores to house more SKU’s on the sales floor, as opposed to the stockroom, thus reducing required square footage in the stockroom. By right-sizing the stockroom first, and not the sales floor, customers don’t realize much of a difference in their shopping experience, with the exception that the sales floor is more abundant with product. And, that product is presented and merchandised more appealingly.

Our team works directly with the world’s two largest fixture fabricators. We train with these groups to write in-house quotes for our collegiate retail projects, and in turn, the fabricators allow us to sell to our industry with zero markup to our clients. The fixtures we specify are manufactured right along with fixtures for Target, Walmart, Macy’s, Hard Rock Hotel, Hollywood Bowl, Harley Davidson and Whole Foods Market, to name a few.

Finally, what do you expect to see from a Campus Store Design perspective this year?

Randy: What our team is seeing is that there’s really no one thing. Collegiate retailers are doing what’s right for their campus brand, whether that’s adding a team store or spirit shop to their stadium location, local mall or downtown, or creating a grab and go market in a high-traffic satellite location. We’re also seeing some reconfigurations of the point-of-sale area for a more on-trend look and feel and improved functionality.

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Campus Store Design helps stores achieve their true traffic and revenue potential through store and planning design services. Learn more and view their portfolio at campusstoredesign.com.   

We all know retail is changing, due in large part to the rise in eCommerce. But, brick-and-mortar stores are not dead or doomed. Shoppers’ expectations of an in-store experience have simply evolved. Customers have higher expectations for customer service, and they’re looking for more experiential retail. They also want the convenience of Amazon, yet with a local feel.

Campus bookstores are uniquely positioned to fulfill all of these expectations.

This month, in part one of our five-part series, we’re delving into how and why your campus store should implement a book concierge service for students.

Proximity vs. Prime

There’s no denying the convenience of Amazon Prime, but Amazon can’t compete with your knowledge of student preferences and course materials. And, a campus store’s location within the last mile (or close) of the fulfillment journey offers a competitive advantage Amazon can’t replicate. This knowledge and proximity to student housing gives your store the ability to create a more streamlined and efficient student shopping experience.

These campus stores showcase examples of successful implementations of concierge services for course material delivery:

• The University of Nebraska – Omaha Bookstore provides students with faster-than-Amazon fulfillment by making same-day course material deliveries. They staff their book distribution center 24-hours a day with part-time student workers.
• Alvin Community College Store in Alvin, Texas, offers convenient curbside pickup for an additional $2 service fee. Students can order online and pickup materials 24-hours later. A store employee will run orders outside to students parked in the designated parking spot.
• Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota, has taken concierge service even further by providing residence-hall delivery. Their students order course materials online, and their books are delivered before they move into their hall. Gustavus collaborated with their campus’s housing and campus security departments to offer the service while still maintaining student safety standards.
• Lethbridge College Bookstore, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, gives students the opportunity to select in-store pickup at online checkout. Customers who choose this option simply need their ID and email confirmation and they can skip any existing in-store lines to pick-up their course materials. This option is especially popular with nursing students who require medical supplies, in addition to their books.

Put it into Action

Ask yourself how your store can improve your customers’ shopping experience by providing extra service and convenience. What are you uniquely positioned for that online retailers aren’t? Identify key campus partners who may need to sign off and put together a plan to bring this service to life.

The latest PrismWeb template was designed to reflect the changing digital shopping landscape, while making it easier for you to make updates.

If you haven’t upgraded, here are the top five reasons you should:

#5: Additional functionality to improve customer experience and increase conversions.

Upgrading your template will give your customers exactly what they want – a clean, simple shopping experience – and you exactly what you want – an easy-to-update template that leads to conversions.

The new template features administrative self-service features for increased productivity and an optimized site search experience.

#4: A comfortable, responsive template for any screen size.

Seventy percent of mobile searches lead to action within an hour. That’s staggering, especially when compared with desktop users who take about a month to reach the same percentage.

The latest PrismWeb template is designed to make shopping from a phone or tablet a breeze. When you upgrade, shoppers will experience your site optimally, whether they’re shopping on a tablet or smartphone. The template adapts to any screen size, and buttons and links are now bigger and easier to click.

#3: An easy-to-use content management system.

Raise your hand if making updates to your site or using HTML is intimidating. You’re not alone.

Avoid the stress of navigating through HTML files to make updates to your frequently changing content with the new template’s simple content management system. Manage announcements, store hours and contact information right from PrismWeb Manager. It’s a win, win, win: less stress for you, an updated site and optimized shopping experience for customers.

#2: A less cluttered, cleaner and faster checkout experience

Have you ever loaded up your digital cart online, initiated the checkout process and then abandoned the whole thing, because the process was too cumbersome? It’s okay. We’ve all been there.

Don’t jeopardize your sales with a poor checkout experience. The new PrismWeb template was designed with this in mind. It features a less cluttered and speedier checkout experience for your customers.

The checkout process was optimized with a cleaner design and improved logic to increase a customers’ rate of moving from cart to sale. The improved flow and user experience will guide customers from start-to-finish smoothly.

#1: An updated look and feel designed with customer experience and shopability in mind.

Think about websites you’ve visited recently. What was your experience? You’re probably thinking about some really great digital experiences and some really poor ones. Did the great site increase your time spent there? Did it increase your trust in the information or products being provided? Most likely.

You only have approximately 15 seconds to capture your web visitors’ attention, which is why it’s imperative to upgrade your template and provide an improved shopping experience.

The latest template offers a modern web presence across all devices – mobile, tablet and desktop – that your customers have come to expect. Intuitive design, robust performance and optimized eCommerce functionality ensure an improved user experience for you and your staff and for your digital-savvy customers.

Get started

To learn more about the updated PrismWeb templates, visit our demo site (LINK to demo.thecampushub.com) and email info@prismrbs.com to talk with our team about initiating the process.

• More robust search functionality
• A new and improved user interface
• Integration with the ticketing system, which displays documentation options when entering a support ticket
• Smaller, more consumable documents

We’re continuing to make updates and add documents, so check back frequently.

You can access the portal here. If you haven’t created a login for the ticketing system yet, follow these instructions.

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As part of a comprehensive strategy to increase system security, all non-two-factor or non-multi-factor authentication (non 2FA/MFA) technologies, which include remote VPN access provided by customers, have been disabled. Our support team is now using LogMeIn Central for all remove access.

LogMeIn Central is a remote access software that can be installed on any server or register that allows PrismRBS to access devises.

To make the switch, review and sign the contract addendum as soon as possible and send back to info@prismrbs.com. A PrismRBS customer success representative will follow up with next steps.

Why LogMeIn Central?

• PCI compliant and equally secure as a VPN, with little to no maintenance or upkeep costs
• Built in two-factor authentication
• Allows real-time support while monitoring and maintaining systems

You may be asking, what is an iframe? And, what are the benefits of this process for both me and my customers? To put it simply, an iframe allows an e-commerce website to embed a payment page from a third party payment service provider (PSP), so that the payment information is collected within the PSP’s environment. The benefit of this outsourcing approach is two-fold. First, it maintains a seamless customer experience, as the user is not redirected away from the e-commerce site to complete their purchase. Second, payment information collected within the iFrame cannot be modified or interfered with by application code outside of the frame.

Very soon, we will be rolling out a similar upgrade for non-Shift4 customers. The security of your customers’ personal information is a priority we take very seriously. We appreciate your partnership and are committed to continuing our systematic process of assessment and implementation of enhancements to further secure our systems.

For more information about iframe technology, see section 2.2.2 of the PCI Security Standards Council’s Best Practices for Securing E-commerce. You will find a process flow diagram that will further illustrate the purpose and benefits of iframe technology. When referencing the diagram, PrismRBS = Merchant, Customer Browser = your store’s shopper and PSP = Shift4 i4go.