"Come
gather 'round people wherever you roam and admit that the waters around you
have grown and accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you is worth savin' then you
better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone for the times they are a-changin’..."
It is incredible to me it was nearly FIFTY years ago when Bob Dylan penned the lyrics to The Times They Are
a-Changin. I find it hard to believe how true his words remain today.
While change is constant, a noticeable difference today is how
the pace of change has increased dramatically. Two
industries where this is most apparent include collegiate retail and consumer
technology.
Luckily, I have always been a good swimmer and I have also learned to “swim” even faster over the years. In fact, as a former lifeguard and
water safety instructor, I once taught others to swim and survive. Hidden
in this analogy of Bob Dylan’s music to present day, is the ability to stay
afloat with a little determination and the power of ICBA - where we learn to
swim and keep from "sinking like a stone."
As most stores do, BGSU approached the Annual ICBA
Retail Conference, in Ft. Myers this past
February, with the goal of identifying new business
opportunities to offset some declining categories. Borrowing a practice learned from University
of Missouri’s Jeff Zeilenga, we logged the best ideas gleaned from the ICBA
Conference, attaching dollar estimates for new revenue or cost savings where
possible. In addition to providing an
ROI for the meeting expense, it also quickly focused our energy on specific
initiatives to pursue.
One standout new business opportunity, identified by Wendy Schortgen from the BGSU Bookstore, was partnering with Mobile Generation to become a Verizon
Wireless Premium Retailer. We all agreed
this was a critical priority to pursue. Ideally,
we wanted to have this in place (or at least visible) before the new student
orientation programs began on June 6th.
Within a week we had secured the support of the BGSU
administration and a draft agreement for
review with university legal counsel was in hand. After the
typical back-and-forth negotiation over contract language, a final agreement
was signed in late April. Just a few
short weeks later, Mobile Generation arrived to review a location and
choose fixtures. On June 6th – the first day of new student orientation – the fixtures were delivered and
installed.
Although the Verizon kiosk was not yet
operational, new BGSU students and their family members visiting the Bookstore can't
possibly miss the bright red Verizon brand identity and logo. With good brand visibility and knowledge of Verizon phones and services coming soon, our goal was accomplished. Staff training and a “soft” launch is
planned for late June and, while BGSU is still busy with orientation, the Verizon Kiosk will be fully operational in time for back to
school.
It is highly unlikely we would have been aware
of this new opportunity if not for the efforts of the ICBA team who brought
Mobile Generation to the Annual Conference just four months ago. The power of ICBA networking was also a
factor in BGSU implementing this program.
University of Minnesota was a pilot location for a Mobile Generation
Verizon kiosk. Bob Crabb and Jim Kyle
willingly shared their experience as a pilot along with pictures of the Verizon
kiosk they had established.
There are a few lessons learned that connect
with the opening theme and words of Bob Dylan.
Technology is rapidly evolving – changing how students learn and how
faculty members teach. No one can
predict what the future will hold for college stores and how the convergence of
mobile technologies, such as tablets and smart phones, will impact higher education, but it is a given that the
significant growth will continue.
More importantly, it is changing consumer
expectations. These are the consumers that
campus retailers need to be positioned to serve if we are to survive and even thrive. Therefore, it is essential for college stores
to not only meet consumer demand, but to be perceived as an essential resource
– for printed and digital content and the evolving mobile technologies used to
communicate in the future.
To be positioned for a successful future, any
organization must be able to adapt quickly to
change and take advantage of
new opportunities. As the technology
evolves, so must college stores. The
alternative is to risk being left out of that future, falling behind, and
becoming marginalized with their customers - no longer being viewed as an
essential resource. Carpe diem! Seize
the day! Don't just survive - thrive!
Written by Guest Blogger, Jeff Nelson, Director, BGSU Bookstore
