School Identity, a Minnesota-based Internet company creates custom online school stores that are simple to use, is an all Mac shop. And they’d like to increase their use of the platform even more.
The company helps educational institutes build online and in-school stores. They help with logo development, graphic guides, trademark management, licensing and royalties. School Identify, which has been in business since 1986, will also help a school build a business management lab and facilitate an online learning forum in which students can interact with real world business leaders. The company also offers a Merchandising Assessment program (MAP), a “blueprint” or map for a store.
As mentioned, their entire operation is Mac based. For example, they use FileMaker on Macs for their databases. And they’re working on building Mac kiosks that can be used to showcase the products they help schools develop during times such as parent-teacher meetings, according to John Michaelson, company founder.
“We’d love to have it where the kiosks were set up and people could order T-shirts with school logos or sweatshirts or whatever on the Macs,” he told MacCentral. “But we are helping schools create dynamic business labs around their school store environments. We will provide schools with curriculum to educate students on e-commerce that utilizes their online store as the training tool.”
According to company management, a well-recognized university known for its vocational training expertise is producing the curriculum. Meanwhile, Michaelson said “there are pieces in place and elements prepared to deliver yet this school year and next fall that are sure to make the School Identity program an even more exciting tool for schools.”
In addition to delivering online school initiatives, School Identity is actively developing a seamless system for producing physical online orders directly after receiving an online order. This development would, in essence, allow production machines to be queued automatically when a School Identity order is received. School Identity is working with both production and equipment manufacturers to develop new technology to accomplish this. Michaelson would love to see such a system revolve around the Mac platform.
“I have a vision of just how the system could be interfaced,” he told MacCentral. “Having it Mac based would be absolutely awesome. What I’m talking about isn’t a production issue, but a question of efficiency that would cut down on problems and help eliminate wrong purchase orders.”
If anyone would like to hear about Michaelson’s technology goals and perhaps offer some insight or suggestions, he invites you to drop him an e-mail. MacCentral will keep you informed as to what develops.