ABACUS-12 Data-Gathering Begins

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The ABACUS-12 Survey process has begun. On Wednesday, May 15, ABA main store members should have received an e-mail from the National Association of College Stores’ (NACS) OnCampus Research with key instructions, updates, and links to the secure, online ABACUS submission form. This year’s ABACUS survey gathers financial data from 2012 store operations.

The e-mail announcement to ABA members bears the subject line “ABACUS-12 Survey Starts Today,” and the sender is Martha Love, OnCampus Research information analyst. The e-mail includes both the ABA member bookstore’s unique ABACUS-12 I.D. number for logging into the survey and a link to the survey.

In a significant enhancement, this year’s online survey will now add up a store’s sales and expenses, as well as calculate income.

Stores that participate in ABACUS-12 will receive a customized report that analyzes their financial results, including comparisons with other stores based on multiple criteria (such as sales level, store size, and community type) in addition to year-to-year trending information.

As always, store data is submitted to ABACUS via a completely secure and confidential electronic form, and, once submitted, it is only accessible to Love, the OnCampus Research staff person responsible for the survey. The ABACUS 11 Survey deadline is August 15, 2012.

“ABACUS is a unique and important tool that participating booksellers have told us again and again helps them benchmark key economic indicators and create a road map for growth and profitability,” said ABA Content Officer Dan Cullen. “We’re excited about the enhancements to the online survey, and we hope this new utility will encourage more stores to participate in ABACUS, which will make the project even more informative and valuable for all.”

Booksellers with questions about submitting data to the survey can contact Love at OnCampus Research via e-mail to [email protected] or call (800) 622-7498,  ext. 2448. Booksellers who have general questions about ABACUS can contact ABA’s Cullen via e-mail or at (800) 637-0037, ext. 7560.