Spotlight on Logo and Licensed Merchandise

Trends in Logo and Licensed (From page 74)

To sell more logo and licensed apparel she said instore displays are the most important factor in improving sales. “People come in and they see our displays and that attracts them to an item. We do a little bit of online merchandising and some social media, but the vast majority of our customers walk in and shop here in the store.” She added, “We are fortunate to have display windows that we tend to theme a little bit seasonally or use to display brand new items that come in. The windows face out to a patio where students eat at tables outside. That is a great tool for us,” Huebner said. “Inside the store, we do display some apparel as end cap items, but we kind of mix the merchandise there. For example, we’ll have a shirt, mugs, license plate frames, and hats all together in a display.”

Also in California, at Pasadena College’s Bookstore, Store Manager Paul Blackwell has a stand-out best-seller. “Your basic hoodie is our perennial bestseller. Even here in warm Southern California, people like to wear them. It displays campus spirit, and it’s just comfortable to put on.” He pointed out that overall best-sellers besides the hoodie are “at lower price points. Some of that has to do with being a community college. Value items like T-shirts sell best for us,

Top Customer Service Tips

College store buyers and managers discuss their school store’s top customer service tips – and there’s a strong emphasis on greeting customers and making them feel at home in a store.

At Dakota State University’s Trojan Zone store, Interim Director Donna Fawbush said her top tip is definitely “acknowledging them the moment they walk in the door. We try to offer customer service to everyone. We will ask what they are looking for and try to give them many different options. But first and foremost, we never let them walk in without interacting with them.”

In Monmouth, Ore., at Western Oregon University’s store, Merchandise and Book Buyer Sarah and we also do reasonably well on inexpensive value sweatshirts.”

Looking at the more expensive merchandise that store carries, Blackwell said “High-end light jackets and windbreakers do well for us, but nothing too heavy because of the climate. Higher end hoodies also do well, and so do big roll up blankets in the same material as the hoodies.”

His top tips for selling more logo and licensed apparel? “We do everything from in-store displays to social media posts and email blasts. Because of the pandemic, we focused a lot on online promotion.” Instore, however, he said “We rotate our items so that our newest are by the door, and people will see them as soon as they come in. We’re operated by the Follett Higher Education Group along with 1,200 stores, so our home office does most of the social media for us and makes sure the images on our website look attractive. It does well for us, having nice photographs for hot merchandise items.”

Overall, while standard T-shirts and sweatshirt items are the strongest sellers when it comes to logo and licensed merchandise at college stores, having a variety of items at different price points is also key to having sales that make the honor roll. ❖

Crockett related that greeting store customers is important at W.O.U., too. “A cheerful greeting and just being friendly is the best form of customer service. We try to be accommodating, for example, we encourage people to take items over to the restroom to try on, as we don’t have a dressing room. We also remind them about our exchange policy, which we try to make easy, and that we are happy to work with them if they do need to exchange something.”

Donna Huebner, store manager at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif., explained that “We are always careful to greet everyone as they come in and then to check on them. If they are walking out without a purchase, we will ask if we can help them find something. More often than not, they’ll say they were looking for an item but couldn’t find it, and we can walk them to the item.”

Also in California, at Pasadena College’s Bookstore, Store Manager Paul Blackwell agreed that helping customers find items is an important customer service technique. “It’s also important to greet them when they come into the store, and remember that everyone has different needs, so it all starts by just being friendly, available, and listening. We try to find out what they need, or if they are looking for a gift, then we can make suggestions.” He noted “We try to be flexible, and we have a good return policy. It’s not difficult to exchange something if doesn’t fit. That is very important I think.” ❖