Risky Business

The global pandemic continues to present businesses with many unique challenges. With social distancing and other safety measures in place, many businesses have moved out of their buildings and into their parking lots for curbside service.

The University of Utah Campus Store is no exception. Throughout the past several months, they learned to reimagine their curbside service program to meet changing customer expectations."

“Initially, in March, we introduced our first round of curbside pickup,” says Alex Khan, sales
manager for the University of Utah Campus Store. “We realized the first implementation was
more of a store-side pickup because customers were still getting out of their cars, coming to the door and knocking, and then we would take their product out to them. But they might have to wait outside. Some customers have a hard time social distancing if no one is paying attention to them.”

So, the Campus Store staff went back to the drawing board. With some creative signage and a
few dedicated curbside pickup parking spots, they were able to revamp their curbside service in a meaningful, impactful and long-lasting fashion.

“We actually implemented that about a week before our Apple sale, and we had a very
successful Apple sale. Over 500 individuals utilized our curbside pickup, and curbside has
become the norm for many consumers,” says Khan. “Because of that success, we were able to
secure three parking stalls outside of our campus store that are going to be permanent going
forward for curbside pickup.”

In addition to their refined curbside service, the University of Utah Campus Store has replaced
their summer orientation store tours with a 60-second video for the University’s orientation
modules. This video will work in tandem with a piece of marketing content that will be mailed to every incoming freshman.

“We have heard really positive feedback from our community about how grateful they are that
we've stayed open and are willing to help them however they are most comfortable,” says Khan.

“I think it's about coming into work every day knowing that things could change. Whatever was
the case at 4 p.m. the day before could be different at 7 a.m. the next day. You've just got to be ready to adapt. I think that's what we've done really well; we just roll with the punches, but
continue to serve our customers.”

Are you doing something unique with your campus store to adapt to the current environment? Then let us know! We’d love to feature more creative ways to thrive in these unique times.