Getting app-amazing with the leading campus bookseller

About the client

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers is one of the largest operators of college bookstores in the United States with 750+ campus bookstores and school-branded e-commerce sites.

Opportunity

We partnered with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers to transform the business of college bookstores to drive the acquisition of new university partners, deliver digital solutions for students, and improve store operations.

Solution

Barnes & Noble College (BNC) is not a traditional retail store. BNC operates over 800 higher-education bookstores and e-commerce experiences on behalf of institutions. Helping students through higher education is deeply rooted in the organization. BNC genuinely cares about providing the best experience to students by combining best-in-class higher-ed, digital retail, and operational principles.

BNC asked us to lead the company’s digital transformation effort, focusing on creating the most flexible, intuitive mobile experience.

Mobile

Mobile is the connective tissue between BNC, universities, students, and their families. It provides experiences that balance the traditional needs of a retailer (including commerce, marketing, and communications) with more transformative functionality tied to operations (i.e. digital curbside pickup). These initiatives work in harmony with other digital channels to get one step closer to the ever-elusive omni-channel experience.

However, the partnership business model makes the omni-channel challenge complex.

BNC white-labels the store and digital experience to match each university. So all communications are hyper-localized and unique to each institution – a level of configurability that exists only in the dreams of most other retailers. When it comes to digital, BNC’s next-generation, white-labeling system had to power experiences that delivered on compliance and brand integrity.

Customization
Engine

We designed over 28 mobile applications (Android & iOS) — from the smallest atom to the most complex organism. The comprehensive Design System included an extended components system that provided flexibility and a color system that applied AA WCAG level compliance. To guide customization, we also created Guidelines for White Labeled and Branded Applications, including specific use cases and color usage.

Digital
Operations

BNC’s strong and flexible foundation unlocked new digital experiences. The mobile application now retains users and guides them through their higher-education journey. In fact, BNC has the highest app-store ratings in the industry. 

The app includes in-store loyalty solutions integrated to schools’ cafes, to comprehensive integrations with back-end e-commerce systems that manage rental schedules and transactions. It all helps bust in-store lines.

Results

Students have communicated their appreciation for experiences similar to curbside pickup both in their continued usage of the applications, but also in their official reviews of the experiences – universities have started to take notice. Barnes & Noble College’s mobile application was listed as one of the top reasons that the institution was able to win one of the largest universities in the country: Notre Dame university. In a press release, “BNC’s state-of-the-art e-commerce platform and mobile app” was listed as a top 5 reason the university moved from competitor Follett after 20 years of partnership. This win is only the beginning.

New Digital Channels

We worked with Barnes & Noble College for 7+ years and became a close partner in transformative digital solutions. With the success of mobile, BNC asked us to continue expanding its digital presence on partner marketing channels, corporate communications, and even at the parent company level (Barnes & Noble Education). Most recently, the conversion of BNC’s primary homepage ( BNCollege.com ) was an incredible success in helping improve BNC’s B2B sales efficiency, customer support solutions, and communication. The BNCollege website is now used as the primary tool for driving engagement with new university prospects with features like College Insights.

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