Monday, January 28, 2019

Check out the updated campus stores and website

A message from Print + Retail Solutions.

Wondering why so many campus store signs were covered up last week? Wonder no more.

All that paper is coming down this morning in an official ribbon-cutting launch at 9:30 a.m. in South Campus Hall, revealing brand new signage that showcases updated store names and logos.

Yet the signs are merely a taste of the changes and behind-the-scenes experience improvements that Print + Retail Solutions has been working on for the last two years. In fact, the makeover goes much deeper says Ryan Jacobs, the department’s director.

“It’s not just about a new logo. It’s about a total transformation of how we see ourselves and how we serve customers,” he says.

That transformation includes creating a cohesive brand across all stores: look out for spiffy new store window and merchandise displays, and even some new UWaterloo and Warriors products springing up across campus. And of course, brand new, more intuitive store and service names, all brought to you by the letter “W.”

For instance, the bookstore in South Campus Hall has been renamed W Store | Course Materials + Supplies, while the store across the hall is now W Store | Gifts + Apparel. (No ambiguity there!) SCH is going to serve as the central hub, where customers can access the full range of retail and printing services, including the recently added computers, tech accessories and computer repair service.

Meanwhile, the former Media.Doc satellite locations found in the Science Teaching Complex, Math & Computing and Student Life Centre buildings will all become simply W Store Essentials.

Don’t worry. These smaller retail locations will still stock merchandise pertinent to the courses taught nearby, but will now also sell a consistent range of bestselling items. No more need to dash across campus to South Campus Hall to pick up a new set of pens or a notebook for class!

Each location will still offer printing services, or students can still hit one of 60 W Print (formerly uPrint) kiosks across campus instead. For simplicity, all staff- and faculty-facing printing services will also be rebranded under the W Print umbrella.

This rebranding was much needed says Jaime Philip, business development officer, who points out that their research determined that a whopping 89 per cent of student shoppers didn’t know what the former store names actually stood for.

“When students, faculty and staff see the new prominent W icon, they’ll know all of our stores and printing services are connected,” she says. “No more confusion.”

Chris Read, associate provost, students, agrees that UWaterloo’s revamped stores and new, consistent branding will make shopping and accessing printing services more convenient for students, staff and faculty members.

“I’m really pleased with how the Print + Retail Solutions team has focused on listening to students, and then shifted their direction to better meet their needs,” says Read. “The evolution they’re launching today is going to positively impact all of their customers for years to come.”

But what’s perhaps even more exciting? The new Print + Retail Solutions e-commerce website launches today. (By the time you read this, it should be live. Check it out at wstore.ca.) Gone is the clunky, disjointed, confusing old site where it was possible to order textbooks, but not much else. The new site, which is clean and inviting, makes it easy to order and ship anything from books to hoodies and alumni mugs with just a few clicks.

“We’ve finally caught up with the rest of the retail world,” jokes Madelaine Paterson, custom publishing and marketing coordinator, who was part of the rebranding working groups. And while the new site’s intuitive design will help customers find what they need faster, it will also be more convenient for the Print + Retail Solutions team on the back end too.

“It used to be a challenge, from a technological standpoint, just to add new items. But now we can make sure the site stays up to date with daily sales, events and even product launches,” Paterson says.

The highlight of the brand launch festivities is a contest in which one lucky UWaterloo student will win up to $3,000 towards their next semester’s tuition. All students have to do is go to the new W Store website and follow the instructions. (Contest rules and conditions can be found on the W store site.)

“We knew there was an opportunity to do better for our students. We listened, and then we used what we learned to create this exciting transformation,” says Jacobs. “We’re really thrilled with what we’re launching today, as well as more great things to come.”

Grade 10 Family Night set for February 21

Grade 10 students and parents are invited to the annual Grade 10 Family Night information session to learn about applying to university and finding the right program.

The event will help younger students and their parents learn about actions they can take now to prepare for university.

Current Waterloo students will offer tips about what they wish they knew about university while still in high school. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about finding the right program and university, admissions, and financing their education.

Grade 10 may seem like an early time to be talking to students about their future plans, but they’ll soon be selecting their courses for Grade 11, which will greatly influence their pre-requisites for university. A question and answer period will follow and a live webcast will be available.

Grade 10 Family Night takes place on Thursday, February 21 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Hagey Hall. Registration is available online and open until the day of the event.