Nelnet Storefront: What’s New in 2022

Last year brought a mix of expected and unexpected challenges to higher education institutions across the country. Many institutions turned towards the idea of becoming a cashless campus since many students are carrying less cash and are more motivated to use digital alternatives for their payments. So, when it came to re-thinking how we conduct business, 2021 was a year for the ages.

Nelnet Campus Commerce Storefront worked hard to help schools adjust to a new landscape, and reposition their operations for what’s to come. That’s why the total economic activity from Storefront clients continued to climb quickly:

• Storefront clients witnessed $10.2 million dollars in total sales across almost 36,000 transactions in 2021. That’s more than double the total sales amount processed in 2020 ($4.8 million) and 12,000+ more overall transactions.
• As a successful “power user”, Southern Methodist University (SMU) had over 10,400 transactions with $3.7 million dollars in transactions processed.
• Storefront added 27 new stores in 2021, spanning eleven different clients. This includes the addition of three new Storefront clients – the City University of New York (CUNY), North Dakota University System (NDUS), and Binghamton.
• Implementation for North Dakota State University (NDSU) kicked off in July 2021. Three new stores have already been launched, with six more in progress. (NDUS plans to have 18 new stores up and running by late Spring 2022.)
• One of the first NDUS stores implemented – the GRHC Library— is now the largest Storefront with over 750 products for sale.

While 2021 was a resounding success for Storefront and its clients, 2022 is bringing new product developments that will offer tomorrow’s client’s even more to be excited about.

We asked Shelly Currin about the areas where Storefront expects to see the most exciting growth in the year to come.

“We are reimagining the entire payment experience in Storefront from offering more payment options to adopting the newest security features, as well as making the experience more customizable and branded for each store. As the online payment experience changes rapidly and fraudsters get more creative, we are growing and evolving so that we continue to offer the best payment technology for a smarter campus.”

-Shelly Currin, Product Manager, Nelnet Campus Commerce

Shelly identified a few key product upgrades that will make a big financial and operational impact on Storefront clients moving forward:

• Mobile Register: Campuses can continue to adjust to a new generation of consumers who approach the world in a mobile-focused way. With mobile register, campus groups can scan barcodes and accept cash, check and credit cards – all from their phone.
• The Storefront Tax Tool: As a new tool that supports USPS address verification, this tool eliminates the need for schools to work with third-party companies to calculate and assess sales tax in Storefront.

While there are a lot of exciting things on the horizon for Storefront, we’re always looking for ways to make our software better. If you have an idea for a feature you’d like to see based on your Storefront experience, let your account manager know. They will pass it along to our product team, and it just might become a key part of our product roadmap.

Over the last year, we’ve worked together to make Storefront a success for campuses nationwide. With your help, we’re confident our success will just keep growing.