SUA Bookstore Relaunches Website With an Online Marketplace

Soka University of America’s bookstore relaunched its website this month, enabling visitors to purchase SUA merchandise online for the first time. Because of the pandemic the physical bookstore is currently closed.

“When we realized the pandemic was not going to be over quickly,” bookstore Manager Lorraine Oda said, “we wanted to create an option for students and friends to have access to SUA merchandise and knew we needed an online store.”

The site offers everything from sweatshirts and keychains to license plate frames, and new merchandise is added regularly. Unlike some merchants that up-charge for online goods, prices on the website are the same.

Customers can also have purchases shipped to a different address. If you add a note to your order stating that it’s a gift, the packing slip with pricing will be omitted. There’s also a gift-wrapping option with a note for the recipient.

The website also features a “Campus Marketplace” that helps students get course materials during remote learning. Students can buy and sell used textbooks, and search for textbooks they need based on their courses.

To celebrate its relaunch, the online bookstore is offering two promotions—10% off the highest priced item and free shipping (within the contiguous US) for orders over $75.

—Nagisa Smalheiser ’21