1. Purge your financial aid data prior to the new semester. We recommend doing this first thing in the morning. This ensures that all data is backed up from the previous night. Follow these instructions to complete the process.

2. Make sure all of your system users can successfully log in and perform necessary tasks.
3. Check that rental period dates are set properly and test them at the register.

4. Set up additional registers in advance. Give yourself plenty of time to set up test all printers, scanners and pin pads to make sure they are working properly.
5. Test a digital title at the register.

6. PrismPOS users – create quick menus specifically for rush to streamline checkout. This allows you to add items to your register that make transactions faster and more efficient. You can set up things like gift cards, non-merchandise, made-to-order items and more.
7. MobilePOS users – register all MobilePOS units and run test transactions.

8. PrismPOS administrators – check the cloud. Make sure any changes made in WPAdmin flow to the cloud, including your cashiers.

Other common issues and fixes:

• How to unlock users and reset passwords in the cloud and in WPAdmin
• How to program your scanners using scanner sheets

Prepare now. Order products as soon as possible for your store, as availability is sometimes limited and lead times are longer than usual due to the pandemic.

Create a gift table. Start with your in-store display. Once that has been set up, you can work on virtual gift tables. Create a page to group items just as you did in store.

Theme ideas:

• gifts for $25 or less
• stocking stuffers
• gifts for family members
• spirit gear for fans

Focus on your web presence. Ensure the online shopping process is easy and intuitive. Go through the process, from searching and adding items to the cart to your checkout process and ensure it flows smoothly.

Continue to connect with your customers virtually. Continue utilizing social media and email campaigns to highlight gift ideas and drive traffic to your website.

Create a cause component. Shoppers are drawn to spend money when it also supports a cause. Consider supporting a specific group or department with a percentage of overall sales, or a percentage when the customer mentions the cause at checkout.

Monitor sales data. Check in regularly to detect fast and slow sellers. If there’s time, reorder merchandise selling quickly and ensure all stock is online or on the sales floor.

Lincoln, Neb. (December 02, 2020) – PrismRBS, a leading provider of higher education retail technology, announces its new partnership with FreedomPay, a leading consumer-centric commerce platform. FreedomPay’s Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) offers world-class security by tokenizing credit card data, eliminating the storage of credit card numbers within the PrismSuite system.

“We are pleased to be able to offer our customers a world-class, secure commerce platform option through our FreedomPay certification,” says PrismRBS President Jeremy White. “This partnership benefits users of our Prism suite of products by offering a new choice in who they partner with to provide secure, reliable and innovative payment solutions.”

“FreedomPay is delighted to partner with PrismRBS to provide best-in-class, safer, and swifter payment solutions across the education sector,” said Chris Kronenthal, President and CTO at FreedomPay. “With our highly advanced platform, together FreedomPay and PrismRBS will help to take clients and consumers from legacy to leading-edge technology.”

About PrismRBS
PrismRBS has more than 40 years of higher education retail technology experience and is committed to serving the independent campus store. As a system provider for more than 400 stores in the United States and Canada, PrismRBS provides campus-wide solutions that empower retail stores with state-of-the-art eCommerce tools, real-time analytics and intuitive back-office software. Learn more at prismrbs.com.

About FreedomPay
FreedomPay’s Next Level Commerce platform transforms existing payment systems and processes from legacy to leading edge. As the premier choice for many of the largest companies across the globe in retail, hospitality, lodging, gaming, sports and entertainment, food service, education, healthcare and financial services, FreedomPay’s technology has been purposely built to deliver rock-solid performance in the highly complex environment of global commerce.

The company maintains a world-class security environment and was first to earn the coveted validation by the PCI Security Standards Council against Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE/EMV) standard in North America. FreedomPay’s robust solutions across payments, security, identity, and data analytics are available in-store, online and on-mobile and are supported by rapid API adoption. The award-winning FreedomPay Commerce Platform operates on a single, unified technology stack across multiple continents allowing enterprises to deliver an innovative Next Level experience on a global scale. www.freedompay.com

Follow this advice to reduce the number of touchpoints with our team and get your ticket resolved quickly:

Submitting a ticket

To best support all customers, we handle all tickets and calls in the order submitted and based on priority. If your ticket is not an emergency or a high-priority issue, submit your ticket through our online ticketing portal or email your ticket to support@prismrbs.com.

When submitting your ticket by phone, email or the ticketing portal, please be prepared with the following information and include it in your ticket:
Name
Contact information
Detailed description of your issue with examples, if applicable
Any screen captures or data that may help us research the issue

Need an update on your ticket?

Access your ticket information through our online ticketing portal here.

If you haven’t signed up for the ticket portal yet, sign up here.

For more information about submitting a ticket and the ticketing portal, watch this following training video.

Not registered for the training portal? Sign up now!

The 49er Shops have a long history serving the California State University, Long Beach campus – since 1953 to be exact – and a long history fulfilling, packing and shipping orders. While their foray into eCommerce and online fulfillment didn’t start until 2008, their mail order fulfillment started in the early ‘00s. Director of Bookstore Services Cyndi Farrington, who has overseen many of the shop’s operations in her 30-year tenure, has shared her online-fulfillment best practices with us, plus advice for stores starting out in the space.

A start in mail-order fulfillment

The 49ers Shops implemented PrismWeb in 2008, but in the early ‘00s, the store was offering mail-order fulfillment for CSU’s nursing program and the online teacher credential program across the entire state of California.

“As a result, we were very familiar with order fulfillment and shipping out,” explains Farrington. “Before eCommerce, we had a lot of strength, history and experience in how to ship orders, especially large amounts of orders. All the things you deal with in eCommerce, we were already dealing with in our mail order model.”

Transitioning into eCommerce

As soon as the store implemented PrismWeb, they began building their eCommerce platform and offering shipping, as well as reevaluating other offerings.

“We had done textbook reservations before eComm,” says Farrington, “And, we continued that offering for a couple semesters, but it was too confusing. We were doing in-store reservations, textbook pickup and ship-to-home. It got to be too much.”

That reevaluation allowed the 49ers Shops to focus on the web and fine-tune online ordering, shipping and in-store pickup.

“Since the very beginning, we’ve seen nothing but an upward trend in eCommerce fulfillment. We’ve done 234,741 web orders in our history, which includes a combo of shipping and in-store pickup for general merchandise and course materials,” she adds.

Order fulfillment best practices

Farrington has years of experience navigating the challenges of online order fulfillment and has developed tried and true best practices for a successful program.

• If you see it in store, you should put it online. “There’s a lot we didn’t get online before the pandemic, and now it’s in our markdown schedule, because no one had the opportunity to buy it. Had it been online, we could have sold it,” Farrington explains.
• Integrate with UPS. “With our UPS integration, we can type in web order numbers and it auto-populates the shipping address. Then customers automatically receive an email saying their order has shipped. It’s something customers expect now,” she says.
• Stay on top of customer communication. “Ensure a team member is dedicated to answering phones and email, because customers expect immediate communication. Shoppers have the same expectations of a campus bookstore as they do with other online retailers. Their expectation doesn’t change because of who we are,” urges Farrington.
• Staff appropriately to turn around orders. “Currently, pretty much my entire staff is dedicated to getting web orders done first thing in the morning, and we go on from there,” she explains. For reference, the 49ers Shop has seen a high of 1,500 textbook orders in one day during the pandemic, and they process those orders within a day. Farrington also notes that for spring graduation, the shop saw a surge in general merchandise sales online. A previous normal may have been around 75 general merchandise orders in one day, and this past spring, the store saw 800 in one day. In our current climate, it’s imperative to be ready for these types of changes, she says.
• Have a defined process, and stick to it. “No matter what your process is, make sure it’s followed. Then, if something isn’t right, you know why it happened, because you can trace the problem to its source,” Farrington says.
• Find what works for you. “When we first started our online fulfillment process, we were filing orders by last name, and we soon discovered that didn’t work. Then we tried it by the entire web order number, and that got complicated. We eventually settled on a system using the last three numbers of the web order number,” she explains. “You learn as you go along what works and doesn’t work and what might be better for you than not.”
• Be flexible and adaptable to change. These words of advice are even more important right now as campus stores navigate the pandemic landscape and adjust for limited or virtual classes. When trying to navigate change or find a solution to a problem, Farrington suggests pulling the entire team together and talking through the issue. “Make sure everyone has a piece in it and can talk about how it will affect their part of the operation. Then deal with concerns and move forward.”

Now more than ever is the time to fine-tune your store’s eCommerce experience and order fulfillment process. With flexibility, adaptability and an effective eCommerce platform like PrismWeb, you’ll be well on your way to scaling your order fulfillment model and eCommerce business.

One thing he knows well is how resource-strapped college bookstores are. But, that doesn’t mean an eCommerce strategy has to feel overwhelming. He has outlined his four top eCommerce best practices that are truly easy-to-implement and produce almost immediate results.

1. Master the basics

Jelvik notes that many stores haven’t had the time or resources to put much effort into their eComm strategy. Since that’s the case, he says the first step is to “nail the basics.”

“Get the product imagery looking presentable and write effective product descriptions. Make sure customers can get from the homepage to checkout with relative ease. That is the biggest difference-maker for conversions,” Jelvik says.

Another important and simple step to take is reviewing customer support calls. If customers routinely call in with web issues, you know where the pain points are. Use support calls as a litmus test to determine how easy your website is to use.

2. Pay attention to Google

“Google has so many tools – business, search, analytics – and is also much more popular than your website,” explains Jelvik.

Master the search results around your store by making sure you’ve claimed your business online and updated store hours and map directions. Jelvik has noticed several stores haven’t claimed their business, and advises not underselling the massive impact Google can have.

3. Work with your vendors

“Many vendors do not have a college presence of their own, so they rely on users’ observations and customer feedback,” says Jelvik.

His advice to seeing product or service improvements or optimizations from vendors is to pass along constructive customer feedback. If vendors don’t know what you’re struggling with, they can’t fix it, he explains. Stores are a vendor’s eyes and ears.

“That’s worked out really well for us, and we have a great relationship with PrismRBS and Ratex,” he adds.

4. Stay in front of customers

Customers don’t know what they don’t know, so stay in front of them, Jelvik says.

“Email marketing, social media and Google business posts are good ways to connect with customers about what’s new and what’s on sale,” he says.

The Wildcat Shop has seen great success with their email campaigns. Their list includes close to 30,000 contacts, and they send weekly email blasts featuring new sale items. Recently, 10 minutes after sending an email, Jelvik noticed they already had four sales for a t-shirt including multiple shirts per order. According to Jelvik, Email is a “massively valuable channel” not to overlook.

Jelvik’s other tips

Make sure your site is well designed. “I look at good design as a way to get customers from A-to-B, but also to stave off payroll expenses from having to handle customer service calls. Good design greases the wheels of everything,” he says. If your website is difficult to navigate, it’s to easy for customers to abandon their cart.

Get as much product online as possible. “More product online means more opportunity for search hits,” he explains.

Take advantage of your differences from other major retailers. “We have a better opportunity than a normal store in that we don’t have to compete with each other,” he says. One of Jelvik’s favorite aspects of the collegiate bookstore industry is that he can learn from other stores through user groups and conferences. “We can all use our collective information to prop each other up, which is super refreshing. I can call someone from another store, and they’ll happily share.”

Seek feedback from student employees. “Basically you have a bunch of customers working for you. Students are eyes and ears from across the university,” explains Jelvik. Re-frame high student turnover. Instead seek students’ fresh perspectives and think of them as a marketing channel. Students can both relay information to the campus community and bring feedback back to the store.

Immerse yourself in the world of eCommerce. Jelvik recommends learning as much as possible about what you’re trying to do. Seek out resources for eComm and web design. He likes YouTube, the Shopify blog, Twitter and Reddit.

Put some responsibility on your buyers. Jelvik has tasked his buyers for getting products online and writing better product descriptions. “If they are writing descriptions on the website, they need to have an understanding of search best practices,” he says. “Instead of writing ‘black t-shirt’ it needs to be ‘black CWU t-shirt.”

Use your website for current important messages. The Wildcat Shop has been diligent about messaging on their site, especially during COVID-19, to set expectations about timing and how processes may be handled differently.

Pre-Coronavirus, Jelvik’s job was already integral to the Wildcat Shop’s success, but with the arrival of COVID-19 and rapid changes to the way society studies, works and remains socially connected, his responsibilities have become key business priorities.

Making all products available online

Before the pandemic, the bookstore didn’t make it a practice to put every product online. Now, that’s all changed.

“There’s a serious difference between pre-Coronavirus and post. We’ve always put the full textbook catalog online. We also put the full technology catalog online, because it’s limited and easier to manage, and inventory is more predictable and guaranteed,” explains Jelvik.

General merchandise, he says, is a lot different. “For example, with emblematic apparel, our buyer didn’t want to put certain things online, because we would easily sell out in store.” As a result, Jelvik has spent his last month working to get all general merchandise online.

Jelvik believes the number one things bookstores can do now to increase profitability is to get products online. More products online, means more opportunity for search hits and cross-selling and up-selling products.

“Our web traffic has increased 20-30 percent on a given day. There’s a lot more pressure on my position, specifically from our buyers, as they have sales KPIs they need to keep up with. They are worried about how they’re going to sell their stuff if it’s not online,” he adds.

Nail the basics

Jelvik acknowledges it’s a massive effort to maintain a product catalog, but he also stresses there’s no need to be perfect. Campus bookstores are likely all resource constrained, so his advice is to “nail the basics.”

“Have good imagery and [product] descriptions, and tie your school to it somehow. Get the basics down, get up-sells up there and make sure the site is functional and easy-to-use. Everything else is icing,” he says.

Additionally, the environment is still rapidly changing. So far, he has seen some shifts in the way students and other patrons are shopping online, but he’s hesitant to call it a trend just yet.

“We will know better after a couple months. From summer quarter, I’m noticing some textbook orders come in earlier, I think because students are there, online and in front of their computers right now,” he says.

The shop’s online conversion rate is also higher than it has been.

Recognize opportunities to reach new audiences

“We’ve seen a massive uptick in sales of general merchandise and emblematic apparel through the website. We walk in on Mondays to more GM than we have ever seen. Students are looking for a way to feel that connection and alumni have been the same,” says Jelvik.

Notably, they have a larger alumni presence than ever before coming through the website thanks to massively popular alumni emails. “We sold 50 mugs through an email, and we wouldn’t sell that in store that day,” he says. “Those are the people there waiting who may not be on campus, and they’re invested in getting information from you.”

Stay nimble and flexible

Looking ahead to fall, Jelvik notes they’re not evolving their eComm strategy too much, because they’re still in a reactive mode.

“It’s hard to be proactive. We don’t have a whole lot of information to operate on,” he explains. “We’re trying to get all products online, and not much change is coming to course materials, other than we are pushing digital as much as possible.”

He also anticipates a continuation of safety protocols already in place through the fall. “Sterilizing, masks, distancing, working from home – we’re working to adapt our processes to these conditions,” Jelvik says.

Be sure to read next month’s newsletter to learn Jelvik’s eCommerce best practices and how to implement them in your store.

Here are some emerging themes we discovered from our previous sessions, and you can find out how to sign up for the remaining sessions below:

1. Data is being used to make daily decisions, but it’s being consistently managed outside of the systems (i.e., Excel).
2. Customers would prefer to have an integrated reporting solution, rather than having an additional solution to access.
3. Customers would prefer to have all of their data in a single location within the system, not sprinkled throughout.
4. Customers are looking to PrismRBS to take the lead when it comes to industry changes, like Inclusive Access, and bring a more consultative approach to our systems to provide best practice standards.
5. Customers want eBooks to be included as an option for a book online, instead of it being a separate item.

How do I get involved?
We need 10-12 participants per topic to sign up. Find the list of topics below and email Stephanie Fickenscher at sfickenscher@prismrbs.com with your choice and to get registered. To ensure we hear from as many customers as possible, we ask that you only sign up for one topic at this time. If we need additional participants, we will reach out directly.

What is the goal of these sessions?
As we continue developing our modernized platform, we want to capture best practices, innovative ideas and process improvements so we can incorporate them into our development process. Your feedback and ideas are incredibly valuable to the future of our solutions!

Below are the remaining sessions and topics. All sessions will be held at 3 p.m. CDT. We look forward to engaging with you during this series!

• June 23: Inventory management
• July 7: Buyback
• July 21: Promotion management and discounts
• August 4: Memberships and loyalty programs
• August 18: Taxes
• September 1: Price changes, markdowns, stock adjustments
• September 15: Rental

1. Login to PrismWeb Manager
2. Drop down “Textbooks” and select “Buyback”
3. Ensure “Enable on Site” is not checked

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.