We are excited to announce that Wabash College has become our newest partner! The private men’s college in Crawfordsville, Indiana is moving to the Akademos course content platform this July. The nationally ranked college for best classroom experience and most accessible faculty, will continue to focus on affordability, support, and providing students with increasing value at the on-campus store.

We are excited to announce our newest partner school! Saint Xavier University in Chicago has made the forward-thinking decision to transition to an online model for course material and merchandise sales. The move online will increase support to students who are looking for the convenience of an online marketplace.

One thing we can all agree on is that we want students to have every opportunity possible to get what they need to succeed in college. This past year has seen an even greater number of students struggle without many ideas out there on how to help. Students who relied on things such as campus housing, meal plans, technology access, and the library were suddenly without. There is no one solution fits all approach, but we know that the campus store is a vital link to many student needs. We’ve put together a list of 5 innovative ways to help students through the campus store.

Your store, your staff, our software - the complete student experience

Implementing an online bookstore to manage all of the course material logistics doesn’t mean it is necessary to get rid of the on-campus store. Campus stores can be a central location where students frequently gather to shop for spirit wear, grab coffee and snacks, and meet up with peers. Mitchell Technical Institute has partnered with us to manage their course materials while they focus on selling tools, spirit wear and other goods to support their programs, scholarships, and more.

It’s safe to say that changes in student purchasing behavior, in course material options, and in technology have disrupted many college bookstores, a once-stable revenue source for textbook sales. Bookstore earnings are down by as much as 35% at colleges and universities and P&L statements show an increasingly common theme: administrators need to find a solution to the issue of declining revenues.

A number of possible options can help. One solution that allows universities to regain the income lost to online competitors like Amazon while also creating new opportunities for profitability and cost savings is the online bookstore model. By transitioning the college bookstore to a centralized online model for adoptions, purchasing, and access, schools can free up valuable physical space, provide a single platform for physical and digital course materials, and get deeper insights into bookstore and course material utilization. With an online bookstore partner, many operational tasks—from inventory ordering to logistics to customer support and even buyback programs—can be delegated, enabling university staff to focus on higher-level strategic goals.