Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA)

Good news about the expected upcoming holiday shopping season! Also embedded in this story is a note about how stores are valued by consumers beyond transactions and should focus on engagement and and the total customer experience. https://lnkd.in/gdaPgBrv

Under the “adapt or else” heading, here’s an interesting article sent to us by Brian Wright at the Tennessee VolShop about Chegg, who was once one of the college store industry’s main competitors in Course Materials. The article cites how AI tools have diminished the value that Chegg offered to customers. Remember that the ICBA Community is full of innovators, so make sure you participate in Networking Calls, review social media posts from other Members, and attend the ICBA Conference (if possible) to evolve your business strategies to stay relevant and ensure you bring value to your institution.? https://lnkd.in/dZs3TRWd #highereducation #nacas #campusstores #independentretail #collegeretail #nacubo #keeptextbooksaffordable #collegebookstore #coursematerials #highered

This fall we were excited to welcome several new independent college stores as ICBA Members! With diverse geographical locations and student enrollments—literally coast to coast and even in Saipan—these new self-operated Member Stores add to the value of our Members’ collective independence and bring our Membership to a new all-time record of 267. We're excited to work with and connect with all of our Members….and foster connections between Members! Bates College Store Lewiston, ME ? Roanoke College Campus Store Salem, VA ? Northern Marianas Book Store Northern Mariana Islands Seminole State College Bookstore Seminole, OK ? Cardinal Bookstore-Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon, WA ? Orcutt Bookstore-Southeastern Community College Whiteville, NC VC Bookstore-Victoria College Victoria, TX ? #collegebookstore #collegeretail #specialtyretail #campusstores #indieretail #auxiliaryservices #keeptextbooksaffordable #textbookaffordability #highered #higheredadministration #nacas #nacubo

Independent college stores are proudly driving results in course materials affordability and accessibility through transformative Inclusive Access (IA) and Equitable Access (EA) programs. Dynamic partners VitalSource and RedShelf help make it possible. https://lnkd.in/ecbG4wMn

At ICBA we are passionate about helping college stores and one exciting new tool is Artificial Intelligence. We are using it as we are trying to learn more, have you used AI in your store? What did you use it for and how did it work out? Drop a comment below, we would love to see all the ways our creative and inspiring members are testing new ideas, finding solutions, and being innovative! Just getting started? Here are two articles with advice on how to utilize AI in small businesses, check them out! https://lnkd.in/d34DprPq https://lnkd.in/dgJk-S6Z

Quick reminder that our Networking series continues today! Here are a few of the upcoming calls you can join: Store2Store Point of Sale -- Today at 11am eastern S2S Sales 10M and up -- Today at 2pm eastern DEI Networking Discussion -- Today at 4pm eastern and more, check your member dashboard or in your email to sign up!

ICBA Members’ Store2Store and Buyer2Buyer Networking Calls commence this week, including tomorrow’s #CommunityColleges call, and calls later in the week for Supplies and Apparel/Gifts Buyers, as well as other Store Leader calls—we’re covering a lot with product category and topical calls spaced out over the next 2-1/2 weeks! ICBA Members often say the networking opportunities are one of the most valuable parts of ICBA Membership and also of our Annual Conference. We believe networking, professional development, & vendor programs all go hand in hand for great #collegeretail. Members, you can see the full networking schedule on the Member Dashboard or look for our reminder sent today! #highered #campusstores #retailbuyers #retailbuying #auxiliaryservices #higheredadministration #NACAS #NACUBO #indieretail

At ICBA we believe strongly in the power of inclusion and belonging, both as social good and as sound business practice. It’s the right thing to do. From time to time we come across interesting, compelling research--this global study literally presents the Business Case for Inclusive Advertising. It’s also titled “Inclusion = Income.” The report was prepared by the #UnstereotypeAlliance, convened by UN Women. Below are key summary data. We encourage you to explore the report’s definitions, methodologies, case studies, & results.?? “Brands with more inclusive advertising practices sell more (3.46% higher shorter-term sales and 16.26% higher longer-term sales), are considered and trialed more (33% higher strong consideration, 62% higher likelihood of being a consumer’s first choice, and 8% higher incidence of being trialed), enjoy higher customer loyalty (23% lower chance of being abandoned after trial and 15% higher loyalty), are valued greater by consumers (54% higher pricing power), and have higher brand equity (8.3% more meaningful, 12.1% more different, and 9.4% higher salience).” “These commercial benefits of more inclusive advertising practices are found regardless of product category or geographic market. This study irrefutably demonstrates that inclusion equals income. Inclusive advertising, in fact, helps brands to grow and commercially prosper.” https://lnkd.in/dFAhsYDU #dei #inclusion #collegebookstore #collegeretail #specialtyretail #campusstores #deiinretail #indieretail #retail #kantar #auxiliaryservices #retailoperations #highered #higheredadministration #nacas

We’ve been enjoying our time at many state & regional college store association meetings, and are loving seeing the networking & passion from independent college stores and the great vendor partners in our channel. Here are a few pics from among our recent trips including the WACS (WI), GLACS (Great Lakes) & MACS Michigan, & SCACS (SC) meetings. We’re always grateful to present at these meetings, meet new people who are steeped in the mission of independent college stores, and catch up with both our awesome ICBA Annual Vendor Partners and outstanding Member Stores. And we’re not done yet—we’ll see you at GACS (GA), CACS (CA), & NCSA (Northeast)! If you haven’t in a while, please always consider attending YOUR state college stores meeting--they are powerful. And as we like to say, We Are Independent Together!!! NORTHEAST CAMPUS STORES ASSOCIATION INC Great Lakes Association of College Stores *NEW! #collegebookstore #collegeretail #specialtyretail #campusstores #indieretail #retail #auxiliaryservices #keeptextbooksaffordable #textbookaffordability #retailoperations #storeoperations #highered #higheredadministration #nacas

Kudos on this initiative to the University Store and Project RePat! Reducing waste and creating a new product from damaged/overstocked clothing is a great example of creative thinking & sustainability. @UDRetailOps