Sears and Kmart Make Shopping Easier for College-Bound Students With an Interactive Digital Program

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Getting ready for college is an exciting time, but it can also be an overwhelming affair for students and parents with so many important decisions to make. To help, Sears and Kmart have launched the "Campus 2010" digital program to make the transition a little bit easier and help ensure your first year of college is memorable. This new digital platform is part of Sears' and Kmart's commitment to providing a multi-channel shopping experience to their customers.

Campus 2010 is centered around a Facebook page called "Sears Campus Connection," which provides several features that serve as a resource for teens in preparing for campus life. For instance, participants can take advantage of the wish list, which works similar to a wedding registry, to share graduation gift ideas with friends and family. Teens can even find their soon-to-be dorm roommates online at www.facebook.com/campusconnection and learn more about each other through a profile feature within the application before they meet in person. Plus, they can each create a coordinating dorm room by pulling items into a dream board where they can discuss decorating ideas and shop together online, all via the application.

The Campus Connection page also provides students with a forum to chat with their future classmates and friends online about campus-related topics, such as class schedules, dorm essentials and what to expect. Discussions are led and moderated by college students currently enrolled at Indiana University, for a true-to-life account of experiences and advice.  Students can also use the Campus Connector application to tag high school friends, their future roommate, and new college friends, which can serve as a great tool for making introductions and remaining connected through a broader social network.

"Campus 2010 is designed to empower teens and parents to build their home away from home with quality items that will bring them confidence," said John Goodman, executive vice president, SHC Apparel and Home Fashions. "It is our mission to give moms and teens the help they need while preparing for college, providing them with stylish options that are all within their budgets."

This year, Coexist by Cannon, a new collection of urban-inspired dorm fashions for teens, will be available exclusively at Sears and Kmart stores. The Coexist by Cannon collection consists of bedding and decorative elements that help teens reflect their personal self-image through their dorm essentials. Some of the popular Coexist by Cannon bedding designs include:

• Love Generation
• Sound Wave
• Houndstooth Hearts
• Typography

"We created Coexist by Cannon with a unique insight into the urban lifestyle, keeping in mind the popular symbols and fashions that are relevant to teens today," said Theresa Strickland, chief home design officer for Sears and Kmart. "It is important for us as designers to provide an assortment of dorm decor that is multi-functional, yet trendy and affordable too."

As part of introducing the Coexist by Cannon collection, the Kmart Home Design team conducted a series of four dorm room makeovers and how-to videos hosted on www.kmartdesign.com that showcase the new line. The videos feature the real life adventures of two students who are headed off to college and offer simple tips on turning a typical dorm room into a comfortable home away from home and six must-have items for organizing and decorating a college dorm room.

In addition, Coexist brand ambassadors will be visiting select university campuses across the nation to hand out Coexist backpacks with a catalog of the latest products available. For more information and to shop online, visit www.Sears.com/campus or www.Kmart.com/campus.

To make shopping even easier when you're on the go, students and parents can use the Sears2go and Kmart2go smartphone applications to shop online for millions of back-to-campus products. New enhanced features allow customers to share and tweet their purchases or wish lists with family and friends. For grocery and household items, customers can skip the packing and shop mygofer by visiting www.mygofer.com, and take advantage of campus-ready grocery lists, dorm room essentials and a selection of care packages to cure any homesick students.

About Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at http://www.searsholdings.com.

*Sears.com is recognized as a leader in online and mobile commerce: Sears placed third in Mobile Commerce Daily's ranking of the 2009 Mobile Retailer of the Year and was honored as the number-one rated site by e-Tailing Group's Annual e-Commerce Gauge Top Customer Experience.

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation