OUR NEW POP-UP SYSTEM: A HUGE SUCCESS STORY
We have a very cool highlight for you today– about how one campus in particular not only adapted to, but thrived beyond expectations in our new Pop-Up system. Abby Goretsky, our wonderful & always jubilant Program Operations Manager has the microphone today, and I think it’s fair to say she’s pretty jazzed about this one.
Take it away, Abby!
Hi Friends!
If you are a student or a faculty member on campus, you are probably aware that a big part of our program is providing our Creators with frequent pop-up shop opportunities. These are where Creators get to sell their products in-person, connect with each other, and build relationships with customers face-to-face.
These pop-ups have recently had an exciting makeover! We have officially said goodbye to Venmo payments, and introduced…
SQUARE card readers!
From now on, the checkout team who is trained on the Square can pull a product up on their phone, the customer just simply taps their credit card, and inventory is adjusted immediately on the website. This improvement is giving Creators a more professional platform, and a stronger link between pop-ups & website.
I asked Sara Massey, our head of finance to help me break down these benefits …
“We are really excited about the implementation of the using the Contactless Square device to collect payment from buyers. This process allows for a much faster checkout process for the buyer, collects sales tax information for easier calculation and payment to the state, and provides segregated data for each Creator between their sales on the two sales channels... online and in-person. And, Website Managers are thrilled, because it updates the Student-Made Store inventory in real time.”
Takeaways:
1) Simpler Checkout for customers
2) Easier Sales Tax Collection + Remittence
3) Enables Us to Better Analyze + Report on Sales
Now, it’s finally time to share some amazing…
Pop-Up Performance Highlights
Manager Takeaways
My Role: “Being the campus manager for Student-Made Clemson entails the organization of all of our dedicated and talented managers as one unit. My sole purpose is to ensure that everyone is aware of the individual projects being completed behind the scenes by each specialized manager, by leading weekly meetings and checking in on each member of our team.”
Thoughts on Clemson’s Pop-Up: “Student-Made pop-ups are essential for each of our creators. It's a fun way for them to get involved on campus, and for customers to put a name and face to each unique, hand-made item they are purchasing. Our pop-up on January 27th was a huge success, especially considering it was our first time trying a checkout system that was completely new to all creators and managers. The turnout left both myself and all the creators in attendance very hopeful for the future of this new system.”
My Role: “My position in Student-Made Clemson is to act as the Events and Partnerships Manager. This role requires the planning and execution of both on and off-campus events for creators in Student-Made. This includes reaching out to small businesses downtown, submitting requests for on-campus events, and reaching out to other organizations at Clemson in hopes of collaborating in the future. I also make sure we have a checkout team present at each pop-up and constantly communicate with creators to keep everyone on the same page.”
Thoughts on Clemson’s Pop-Up: “I may be biased, but I absolutely love pop-ups at Clemson. They provide creators with an amazing opportunity to interact with their customers in-person, and are able to share their creativity with the community. I know all of the creators were super excited with the turnout of the popup. I think both the location and the creators’ charisma helped the great success of the event.”
Creator Takeaways
“My name is Nick, I am a Senior at Clemson from Baltimore, MD , and I have been curating and selling vintage clothes on Instagram through my page nmdthrifts since 2017. I love chatting and connecting with people through on campus pop- up events. There’s nothing better than having people in your community support you.”
“Hey there! Grace Brackett with Wonder Prints here. Wonder Prints is my company that I have been running for almost a year now. I design and sell completely eco-friendly gifts and goodies like tote bags, greeting cards, claw clips and more! At my last pop up on Clemson’s campus it was so exciting to meet up with students and be able to share my designs with others. It was a huge success, and I can’t wait to get out there again!”
If you didn’t know, I am a little bit of a shopping fiend. I love anything and everything. Because Clemson had such a wonderful pop-up, I want to show you all 3 Clemson products I am currently obsessed with.
“Angel Pink Eco-Friendly Claw Clip” by Grace Brackett
For those who have met me, you know I am obsessed with hair accessories. As soon as I saw that a creator was selling this, I was sold. This claw clip is absolutely gorgeous. It has this iridescent, marble effect. And not only does it look good, but it is eco-friendly. Look good AND do good for the environment? Yes please.
“Tufted Pillow” by Norah Strickland
Who doesn’t love a good pillow? Not only is this pillow soft and student-made, but you can customize it. I don’t know about you, but I always see pillows that I think are so cute but would be perfect with one little change. Now, you can get that perfect pillow.
“Rainbow Disco Ball Painting” by Maggie Makosiej
Okay, I may be a little biased, but this is truly the perfect decor. I have loved this painting since I saw it in August. Not only do you get the disco vibes, which are immaculate, but you also get the rainbow effect. Your room is pink? This disco ball matches. Your room is blue? This disco ball matches. Your room is white? Guess what? This disco ball matches. It’s like the little black dress of room decor but even better.
