UD Bookstore sets software sales pace

2:55 p.m., April 14, 2004--The University Bookstore sold more software online than any Barnes & Noble store in the country in the last 10 months—thanks to a unique program fashioned at UD to allow students to buy Microsoft products at less than half the regular academic price.

UD’s store sold $135,889 worth of software—compared with $45,160 for the number two store at the University of South Florida at Tampa.

The program started when Leila C. Lyons, director of IT-User Services, wanted the bookstore to be able to make popular Microsoft products like Microsoft Office more affordable for students.

The bookstore doesn’t sell software directly because versions change several times a year and the store was left with obsolete versions, but Cosmo A. Olivieri, the store’s general manager, went to work brokering a deal with Microsoft, the University and its online software seller Journey Ed.

As a result of Lyons’ and Olivieri’s efforts, Journey Ed became a licensed and authorized Microsoft dealer, and the University Bookstore added a link to Microsoft’s Student Select program. That enabled students to click on and order four products at much less than the normal academic discount—Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Office Standards for PC, Microsoft Office Professional for PC and Microsoft Office for Macs.

Now several other schools, including the University of Maryland, have adopted the sales program.

Olivieri said the students are ecstatic that they can buy the software at less than one-fifth of the sticker price.

“It’s funny. We’ve had some faculty members call and say, ‘Why can’t I get it?’” Olivieri said. “And we have to say, ‘I’m sorry, sir. It’s called Microsoft Student Select. It’s only for students.’ The pricing is fabulous.”

Olivieri won a first-place award for online software sales at Barnes & Noble’s recent annual meeting.

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