THE

STUDENT
BOOK STORE
Erin Boyd and Megan
Alvarez
GOAL
Increase textbook sales (rentals, used, and new
books) by 5%
Problem the textbook industry is declining 10%
annually

MARKET RESEARCH
Conduct market research regarding student textbook
buying habits
Questions to our online survey:
1. Where do you typically buy/rent your textbooks? (Check all that apply)
2. What are your top deciding factors to where you get your textbooks?
(Check all that apply)
3. What year are you?
4. Do you compare textbook prices?
5. When do you typically buy/rent your textbooks?
Our written survey only had the first three of five
questions
Also distributed a written survey to just freshman
Where do you typically buy/rent your
textbooks?
(Check all that apply)

Results online survey
57.5% buy from SBS
46% buy from online
Results written survey
36% buy from online
31% buy from SBS
Results from freshman survey
44% buy from SBS
37% buy from PSU Bookstore

What are your top deciding factors to where you
get your textbooks? (Check all that apply)

Results online survey
82% cheapest price
46.6% location
Results written survey
67% cheapest price
Results from freshman survey
65% cheapest price
21% one stop shopping


What year are you?

Results online survey
68.5% juniors
Results written survey
53% juniors
Results from freshman survey
90% freshman

Do you compare textbook prices?
Results online survey
79.5% do compare

When do you typically buy/rent your
textbooks?
Results online survey
54.8% of students wait to see if they will actually need the
book before they buy it
31.5% buy their books during syllabus week
CONCLUSION FROM MARKET
RESEARCH
Over 200 responses in total from written, online, and
Findlay Commons surveys
Overall our results showed that students care most
about price above all other factors


FIRST PROMOTION
Two weeks before finals week
250 flyers were distributed across campus
Emailed on two listservs
Placed on all PSMA social media
SECOND PROMOTION
During the first day of syllabus week
250 flyers were distributed across campus
Emailed on two listservs
Placed on all PSMA social media
RESULTS
Overall textbooks sales increased 3% most likely a result of
increased brand awareness rather than the coupon itself
The industry average is a 10% annual decline

WORKING WITH OUR TEAM
Our team was very involved in the beginning and contributed a lot
of strong ideas, but sometimes failed to show up when they were
supposed to
During the execution, everything was very time constricted,
therefore we had to do most of the work ourselves
Overall the majority of our team was invested in the project
RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend
Targeting freshman the minute they step on campus in the fall
Place promotional signs in and around the store to make the
customers more aware of current promotions
Sending out the promotion to more Penn State listservs