by Tara S. Donahue

With e-retailing fast becoming a preferred way of shopping rather than just a short-lived marketing trend, the Vanderbilt Bookstore is preparing for an increase in cyber-shoppers compared to last year. For the second semester, students can order their textbooks online with a click of a mouse.

Using the infrastructure of Follett Higher Education Group, a national textbook retailer and manager of more than 630 college bookstores including Vanderbilt's, shoppers can purchase textbooks, supplies and sportswear over the Internet.

Students who want to order textbooks online have three options to receive their books, according to Hope Anderson-Horton, the marketing director of the Vanderbilt Bookstore. First, students can pay for their books online, and the Vanderbilt Bookstore will ship the order to the students' permanent address. Second, students can pay for their books and have them stored at the bookstore in Rand Hall, where they will be waiting to be picked up prior to the start of the semester. A third method is for students to reserve their books online and then pay at the bookstore in the fall. If the student chooses this third option, no prepayment is necessary.

Customers who place online textbook orders will earn "e-credits," according to Anderson-Horton. Each customer earns 5 percent of their textbook purchase as dollar points. These e-credits can be applied to any textbook order made through Follett's Web site, either the one which generated the points or a future textbook order.

Generally, book prices are expected to be about the same as those in the bookstore. Shipping charges will apply to orders sent to an address other than the Rand bookstore. However, the online price is not guaranteed if the student chooses to reserve the books and pay for them upon receipt. Like on campus, online shoppers have the option of buying new or used books.

The books are shipped via UPS. Pre-orders for fall textbooks were processed the last week of July, Anderson-Horton said. Usually, the orders can be processed in one or two business days. Due to bookstore renovations this summer, the books will be stored in boxes at their off-campus warehouse.

Methods of paying for online orders include Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. According to Anderson-Horton, any departmental purchase, excluding textbooks, can also be made online through the use of an 1180 form.

Anderson-Horton said that it is too early to tell how many students will choose to purchase their textbooks online, although cyber-traffic was relatively slow through the early part of summer. Bookstore officials expect that to change as students finalize their schedules, and also when freshmen arrive on campus. She does, however, expect pre-semester traffic in the Rand Hall bookstore to be slightly decreased compared to previous semesters, and the wait-time in lines to be shorter than in the past. The return policy, regardless of how a student purchases textbooks, remains the same. Students have until Sept. 5 to return their books to the Rand bookstore for a full refund.

Although the service was offered last semester, this is the first time the Follett-managed bookstore is promoting it and offering incentives to encourage students to order their books online. According to Anderson-Horton, anyone, including faculty and staff, who purchases or reserves books online is entered in a drawing for a chance to win $250 of free textbooks to take place at the end of September.

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