Shop 'til they drop: NACS foundation releases study on student buying. (Update).

College students love to shop, and the good news is that they view college stores positively, according to Student Watch, a recent study funded by the National Association of College Stores (www.nacs.org). More than 2,000 students participated in the study, which was conducted on 19 campuses. Some key findings include:

* Students visit college stores five times a month, or as many times as they visit large discount stores like Wal-Mart and Target.

* Students consider the college store as the go-to place for textbooks and insignia items and, on average, purchase items 57% of the time they shop.

* Only 40% of students buy school supplies on campus.

* Only 20% of students think of the college store when buying thing's like greeting cards, novels, snacks, and drinks. Students plan to spend more money on concert tickets, CDs, DVDs, and gifts and clothing without college logos.

Julie Traylor, NACS director of Research and Planning, suggests that stores should work to gain a niche advantage in these areas, to capture a larger percentage of the student market. "Targeted marketing that creates more top-of-mind awareness about the college store among student consumers might help raise sales percentages for these items, and generate additional revenue," Traylor said.