The hard work of the Spartan Spirit Shop (SSS), shop.msu.edu and Digital Strategies and Services (DSS) teams over the summer culminated with the successful merger of the SSS website and shop.msu.edu.
After three months of work merging the retail platforms, they are now combined into one new and improved website.
Highlighting the Teams and Contributors
Communications Manager for Spartan Spirit Shops Erin Bensinger was instrumental in the project because of her historical knowledge of shop.msu.edu. Bensinger noted the phenomenal collective effort each team provided to the project.
“Everybody on both sides of the operation just did a really good job of rolling with the punches and managing expectations,” Bensinger says.
Members of the Spartan Spirit shop team, including Paige VanWyck, Andrea Richard and Jessica Carnacchi contributed greatly to the merger.
The shop.msu.edu team also contributed immensely to the success of the project, with a special thanks to Kristen Baer, Emily Khan, Gage Dansby and Mike Harding.
“The new members of our team that we gained from shop.msu.edu have been a great help to our team,” says VanWyck. “We are happy to be a shop that can help the university out in many different ways from incoming students to graduation and to our alumni.”
The merger also wouldn’t have been possible without the effort of the DSS team, including Tania Molina, Stephene Benkert and Justin Rappaport.
An additional thanks goes out to anyone not mentioned who contributed in any way to the project.
“We had to enter a lot of inventory manually, so folks worked really hard to get this put together and we figured it out,” Bensinger says.
Merger Benefits
The primary benefit of merging the two sites is a more cohesive shopping experience for any MSU fan, student, alum or staff member. Previously, the separate sites had their own audiences. Now, the separate audiences have been combined. Bensinger highlighted how everyone is still getting the same shopping experience they’ve always had, now in one place. “The new Spartan Spirit Shop brings the best of both brands to the same shopping experience.”
Holiday Traditions
Another perk of the merger is the shopping traditions Spartans have known and loved for years can now be found in the same place.
The beloved annual collectible ornament and plushie gift available with $150 purchase during the holiday season can now be found in the same place.
“We were able to bring traditions from both sides together to create a really cohesive shopping experience,” Bensinger says.
The 20th annual collectible features a MSU “window through time” design, including Beaumont Tower, the Spartan Statue, MSU Union and the Rock, celebrating 20 years of treasured memories of the Spartan community.
This year’s plushie is Tom the Goat. This adorable plushie ($35 value) is free with the purchase of $150 or more of merchandise on the new Spartan Sprit Shop website.
Other new items include the “Spartan Family Cookbook,” highlighting retired dining hall recipes as well as more recent dishes, including several from Thrive, MSU’s much loved allergen-friendly dining hall. The shop also showcases Tartan items — scarfs, a wallet, tie and more — celebrating the MSU Union Centennial.
“Going into the holiday season, it’s created a cohesive Spartan holiday shopping experience for the folks who are huge fans of the college or alumni,” Bensinger says, adding, “Or folks that love to bring that MSU spirit into their holiday celebrations.”
To check out the holiday items and an assortment of Spartan gear, visit the new Spartan Spirit Shop website.