Last week we rolled out a substantial update to all Verba Compete clients. While users will notice updates throughout the application, we’re most excited about a new page in Compete called Quick View.

Two-Panel Layout

Quick View makes it easier than ever to filter, sort, and jump between books in a given catalog. Just click a book from the left-hand panel and the individual book page spins up on the right-hand side.

We’ve also included infinite scrolling for the left-hand panel, so you’ll never have to click through dozens of catalog pages again.

Vital Stats and Locking

Our new Vital Stats feature helps users make pricing decisions in record time. For each variant (new, used, rental), Quick View shows a graph with the store price, market price, and a range of prices at which the store can still obtain a decent margin. Find the spot where the market price and margin range intersect, and you have a price that’s both competitive and profitable.

Once you’re confident in a specific pricing decision, use Verba Compete’s new “lock” functionality to save the price in Verba. Compete also has specific filters for “locked” and “unlocked” titles, so you have an easy way to tell the books for which you’ve set pricing, and which ones still need work.

Birds-Eye Analytics

Now that it’s even easier to change prices on a title-by-title basis, Compete offers a quick way to step back and look at the big picture. Just click the “analytics” button to see your average margin across the board for both new and used titles.

Updated Online Sourcing

Sometimes it makes sense to source low-cost inventory from the online marketplace. Compete’s updated sourcing interface helps you spot the right copies to pick up.

The new embedded historical snapshot tells you whether or not it’s a good time to buy, while the new Quantity slider allows you to weed out one-off sellers and focus on those who can deliver both quality and quantity.

In conjunction with the updated sourcing interface, we’ve included a universal shopping cart that’s accessible throughout the application. Just click the cart button to see the item, quantity, and price of each offer in your cart, and proceed to checkout.

A Couple Dozen Other Improvements

While the above represent some of the bigger features we’ve been working on, there are a couple dozen other improvements to speed, data quality, and user experience included in this update.

Feel free to drop us a line to let us know what you think of Quick View. Or, if you’re not a Verba client yet, stop by the Verba Compete Sandbox to check it out yourself.

This week we’re rolling out a new feature in Verba Compare: the Retailer Settings panel. The panel gives client stores unprecedented control over the retailers and variants displayed in your Verba Compare implementation. Here’s what it entails.

Flip The Switch on Fully-Managed Retailers

Heading into the new Retailer Settings panel, clients will see a series of “On” and “Off” switches. The first set – called “Fully-Managed Retailers” – can be activated almost instantly.

Just slide the “Off” button to “On” and Verba will create an affiliate account for your store, start displaying offers in your Compare implementation, and collect the resultant affiliate commissions on your behalf. Removing the retailer is simple too: just slide the “On” button “Off” and it’s done.

A Little More Info for Self-Service Retailers

Some retailers require our clients to have direct relationships with them. Activating these retailers in Verba Compare has never been easier.

Each retailer only requires one additional piece of information: a tracking ID (for Amazon and Chegg) or a site URL (for BookRenter or Follett’s rental program). Insert the information, flip the “On” switch, and you’re good to go.

More Granularity Within Retailers

In the past, it’s been difficult or impossible to choose between different variants in Verba Compare. Starting this week, stores can choose to show any combination of available New, Used, Rental, and Digital offers from each retailer.

We expect these updates to give clients unprecedented flexibility when curating a comparison retail experience tailored to the educational communities they serve.