At first glance, the new MeMo Tablet may look like any other tablet out on the market today. But as the old adage goes, you should never judge a book by its cover!

The MeMo Tablet is full of the stuff college students and professors alike, dream of.

• Android™ 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 7 ’’ display with 10-finger mult-touch (1024×600, 169 PPI)
• 7 hours of battery life for all-day computing
• 358g light and 11.2mm thin with colorful design
• Front HD camera to stay connected with online chatting
• Micro-SD slot with support for up to 32GB extra storage
• ASUS WebStorage to view, edit and save Microsoft Office files online

But the goodies don’t stop there!

I bet you didn’t know that this tablet was actually designed to fit your hand. The diamond pattern does double duty because not only is it stylish, the many ridges of the act as a non-slip agent.

Since this is an Android based tablet, there is a world of Apps that can be downloaded to make managing your busy life!

Every student needs them and will always need to replenish their supplies, therefore, you not only need to sale them in your store, but you need to know where to place them for optimal impulse buying power. So, what are consumables and what is an impulse buy?

Consumables are products that consumers buy recurrently, items that ”get used up” or discarded often (USB flash drives, batteries, blank CD-R, SD cards, Micro-SD cards, etc.). Impulse buys are the unplanned, spur of the moment purchases. The decision to buy the product is made within seconds of the actual purchase and the decision is usually triggered by an emotional response to seeing the product or by a well crafted promotional message. Proper placement of consumables is crucial to triggering a response and making small purchases much bigger.

Small consumables are the most popular and close attention must be paid to them. This category include such products as batteries, memory (USB, SD, & Micro-SD), and blank CD-Rs, should be placed near the register and at eye level. When a student is standing in a long line, their eyes will shift and will fixate on the products they need, but do not have.

Larger, more expensive consumables such as External Hard Drives, Cables, Surge Protectors, Wireless Pointers, and the like should be placed near complimentary products. It would be a great idea to place this category of consumables near laptops and other large electronics. Important note: To enhance the sale of more expensive consumables, make sure your sales team knows the product inside and out, so that students can have any question they have answered at the drop of a hat, thereby furthering the emotional connection with the product.

If when you read this, apply the technique, and still find that you are not seeing the results that you like, you can give me a call at 800-235-1002 ext. 232 or email me at tbankston@hpi.com and we can discuss a plan that will work for your store.

We all know that Microsoft is making the shift to “Cloud” computing, but did you know that they also took a giant leap by acquiring the enterprise social network, Yammer?

For those who didn’t know, like myself, Yammer is a social network, similar to Facebook, that focuses entirely on business, but not everyone can gain access to this social network because all applicants must have a working business email address from a company domain.  Companies can even create external networks that allow non-employees, such as suppliers and customers, to communicate with internal employees.

Great news for businesses, right?! But it’s also great for Higher Education institutions as well! Yammer can be used as a way for professors, or even bookstore staff to connect with students outside of the classroom. Yammer can be used to schedule events, virtual office hours, notes can be shared, and examples can be posted for everyone to see and share.

The process of integrating Yammer into the Microsoft platform will happen in three stages:

“1. At the basic level, starting this summer, organizations will have the ability to replace the SharePoint newsfeed in Office 365 with the Yammer newsfeed  In addition, the Yammer group app will be available in the SharePoint store, enabling users to embed a group feed into a SharePoint site.

2. In the fall, Microsoft will release an update to Office 365 that gives users the ability to get to Yammer directly from the Office 365 navigation bar. In addition, said Spataro, the user experiences of Yammer and Office 365 will “begin to converge,” giving users the ability to collaborate on and share documents in a social framework.

3. The integration between Yammer and Office 365, and among Yammer and Office 365 and other Microsoft products, will increase in 2014, with updates coming every three months or so, said Spataro. “We’ll start by simply deepening the connections between Yammer and Office 365 services, but over time these incremental enhancements will combine social, collaboration, email, instant messaging, voice, video and line of business applications in innovative new ways.”" – Information Week

This is big news as our Camex specials come to a close. Windows 365 University is on sale until this Friday. Make sure you stay ahead of the game to keep your students up-to-date on the technology that will help them succeed in school.

Click on the image below to make sure you don’t miss out on this deal!

The National Association of College Stores has published a list of the top ten product categories that every bookstore should carry. The list is pretty straightforward, but I will be doing a little more digging to bring you the golden nuggets of information that will bring much success to your store.

Every Thursday for the next few weeks, I will be featuring products from the list and letting you know why and how you should sell them in your store. This week, I will start with the fastest growing category among college students: Headphones.

According to Time Magazine, Monster Beats revolutionized the headphone category and ever since, headphones has become the fastest growing category in the consumer electronics industry. “According to retail analyst firm NPD Group, U.S. sales of headphones that cost $100 or more increased 73% year-over-year in 2012, far outpacing sales in the headphone market overall. Premium headphones now make up 43% of all headphone sales, and consumers who make the leap to high-end headphones don’t seem to be regretting the decision: Those who own premium headphones have an average of 2.3 pairs, according to NPD.” - Time Magazine

So, you can see why it is more important than ever to carry headphones in your store, but just in case you missed the reason why…students want headphones and the more expensive, the better!

When you decide to sale headphones in your store, they should be displayed on a counter, preferably next to a listening station, and a small mirror. Since students will be investing a hefty chunk of their budget, they should be afforded the chance to “test drive” before they buy. Students will want to feel the cushions on their ears, they want to hear how the bass sounds in their favorite songs, and see how the headphones look on their head.

But my advice doesn’t stop there. I’ve sifted through the top brands to find the best headphones that have a MSRP under $100.00, because even though they want expensive, it’s always nice to save a little money now and again!

ASUS takes its name from Pegasus, the winged horse in Greek mythology that  symbolizes wisdom and knowledge with a splash of design and innovation!

ASUS embodies the strength, purity, and adventurous spirit of this fantastic creature, and soars to new heights with each new product it creates. Having started with humble beginnings and a slow start, ASUS is now quickly climbing their way to the top and is giving Apple fierce market share competition.

Early this year, fifteen of ASUS products received 2013 CES Innovation Awards, including the brand new and highly innovative Taichi, convertible laptop. These prestigious awards encompass a variety of innovative designs and technologies across six categories.

Full of the features that keep us drooling! The ASUS TAICHI™ is an incredible combination of notebook and tablet whose double-sided Full HD display switches seamlessly between modes at the touch of a button. When the lid open, the TAICHI™ is a notebook with a full-size back-lit keyboard. When the lid is closed, the TAICHI™ instantly transforms into a multi-touch tablet.

Both of the TAICHI™ screens work independently and simultaneously too, so anyone can share its powerful Intel_® Core™ i7 processor, astonishing SonicMaster audio, dual HD cameras and an array microphones.

Here are a few reasons why you need to have TAICHI in your store:

Select ASUS products also come with a one year accidental damage warranty. Protection is key when it comes to making such a large purchase. Your students will know that all the money spent was not in vain if something accidentally happens to their TAICHI. Click here to learn more.

Did you know that ASUS products, especially the TAICHI,  are the perfect accompaniment to any Apple store? Being the #2 Android brand product, selling ASUS next to Apple peeks creates greater sells. The reason for this: students want options; they want to know they have a choice in the matter. Being able to choose, allows a student to pick the option that is best for them and not the only option available.

In addition to the TAICHI, we recently added the ASUS VivoBook touchscreen Windows 8 notebook:

Here at HPI, we offer our customers a unique, boutique style shopping experience. We are a company that is small in size, but are big on giving our customers the best experience with the most knowledgeable people in the industry. We have the ability to stay focused on the things you need to be successful.

We’ve partnered with ASUS in order to bring you the products and special programs that make sense for your bookstore. We want your students to come to you, and you only, when they are looking to buy technology products. When you choose HPI, you choose success.

Visit our website to find out more about ASUS and to learn more about how you can partner with us on an exclusive program that will create revenue for your store.

Watch this video and be intrigued.

Here at HPI, we want to bring your students the products that will make learning a fun and enjoyable experience.  Livescribe is one of those products and we are proud to present it to you.

SmartPen
Livescribe’s SmartPens give students the ability to convert their handwritten notes into editable, digital text, record lectures, and transfer all of this recorded information onto their tablets, computers, and even on their mobile devices! The various smartpen models hold 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB hours stored information.

*Once the limit has been reached, students only need to archive their notes and audio recordings on their computers. Students will have permanent back up for all their files and can wipe their smartpens and start over.

Dot Paper
This special paper allows students to record notes using a patented dot-positioning system. Notes and audio can be sent to other users through Livescribe’s Desktop software.

*Students can also print out Livescribe paper for free through the Livescribe Desktop software.

Echo 3-D Recording Earbuds
These earbuds have an embedded  microphone to enable 360 (degree) binaural recording so students can precisely capture everything they hear around them. The high quality, anodized aluminum design helps isolate external noises so records are crisp and clear.

*Great for use in large lecture halls or conference rooms.

Pencast
With Livescribe, students will be able to experience a whole new level of freedom with Pencast Player, which syncs to any computer or mobile device. So, when students are on the go, they can replay their Pencasts with the tap of a finger.

*Students can also download public Pencasts from the community to view on their device.