Help choose the best of the year, and win a selection of free products

Retailers, it is time to name your favorite products of the year, in Christian Retailing’s 2009 Retailers Choice Awards. This is your opportunity to vote for the materials that you believe have made the greatest impact on your life and the lives of your staff and customers.

In this year’s new awards, you will also get to tell us which was your favorite Christian education book and which was the best marketing campaign for a particular product.

Voting puts you in line to win hundreds of dollars’ worth of nominated products, absolutely free—to sell in your store, distribute or keep for yourself.

You could win products such as inspirational mugs from DaySpring, a Pick Jesus T-shirt from Kerusso, an ESV Study Bible from Crossway or novels from authors such as Eric Wilson, Terri Blackstock and Joel C. Rosenberg. Winners will be selected at random from participating stores.

This year, 36 companies—including book publishers, DVD producers and gift suppliers—have nominated more than 250 items in 30 categories. All products entered were released in 2008.

Voting is open to any store owner, manager, staff member or volunteer, who can each vote once. To vote, go to the Retailers Choice Awards Web site, www.retailerschoiceawards.com, and click on the link to the ballot.

In voting, you are asked to judge the nominations based on the impact they have had on your staff and customers, including their ability to speak to people’s hearts and emotions, open people’s minds to new ways of thinking and encourage and affirm Christlike living.

Voting closes May 29, so be sure to let the industry know what products and companies you felt were the most engaging and effective. E-mail any questions to Managing Editor Christine Johnson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

OFFICIAL RULES FOR THE 2009 RETAILERS CHOICE AWARDS

Products nominated for the 2009 Retailers Choice Awards must have been published/released in 2008 and include clear Christian content, message or worldview.

In the gift categories, “inspirational” items not specifically Christian will be considered, although those contrary to orthodox Christianity will not be included.

Retailers are asked to judge nominations on the impact they have had on staff and customers, including their ability to: speak to people’s hearts and evoke emotion; open people’s minds to new ways of thinking; encourage and affirm Christlike living.

Nominating companies shall not canvass for votes; ballots that have been solicited by suppliers will be disqualified.

The deadline for retailers to vote is May 29. The results will be verified by an independent firm of certified accountants and announced at the International Christian Retail Show in Denver in July.

CATEGORIES

BOOKS/BIBLES

Audio

Auto/Biography

Bible Reference/Study

Bibles: Devotional/Study

Bibles: General

Children’s Fiction

Children’s Nonfiction

Christian Education NEW

Christian Living

Church and Culture

Evangelism

Fiction: General

Fiction: Mystery and Suspense

Fiction: Women’s

Health and Fitness

Personal Growth/Prayer

Relationships

Social Issues

Women’s Nonfiction

Youth/Teen

GIFTS

Accessories/Apparel

General Gift Product

Gift Books

Wall Décor

OTHER

Backlist NEW

Children’s Media

DVD/Video

Marketing/Promotion Campaign NEW

Spanish

Vacation Bible School

WINNING RETAILERS

Selected to receive free product from the 2008 Retailers Choice Awards were:

“Thank you so much.” —Sherry Booher, The Connection Bookstore in Grand Junction, Colo.

“God is good! Thank you. It’s truly an honor.” —Jose Burgos, Bread of Life in Bridgeport, Conn.

“Thank you for the tremendous news!” —Curtis Cecil, Family Christian Stores in Des Moines, Iowa

“Thank you for the good news. Awesome!” —Donna Hagedorn, Scholar Shop of St. Meinrad, Ind.

“How exciting!” — Emily Jo Mulholland, Christian Book & Gift Shop in Rochester, Minn.

Booksellers gather for education, enrichment at RBTE 2009

Liturgical retailers will soon embark on what for many is an annual pilgrimage to the Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit (RBTE), a four-day trade show gathering Catholic, Episcopal and other liturgical retailers and suppliers. As for the last 18 years, the Chicago suburb of St. Charles, Ill., will host the show, held this year May 26-29.

Known as much for camaraderie—often in evidence at the sponsored luncheons built into the admission fees—as for its retail training sessions and order writing, RBTE has been called “one of the last civilized conferences because everyone stops and goes and eats lunch together, and in that experience of interaction, you have an exchange between the store owners and each other and store owners and vendors.”

That’s the view of Chris Weickert, president and director of the Catholic Retailers Association, which changed its name last year from the Association of Christian Booksellers to more closely reflect the product mix in member stores.

Cliff Knighten, installed in February as executive director of the Catholic Book Publishers Association (CBPA), also views the show as key in relationship-building.

“It is a significant opportunity for these members to connect with trade bookstores, renew relationships and introduce new products,” he said.

RBTE President Bob Byrns, whose “day job” is in sales and marketing with Paulist Press, has been involved with the show from its beginning.

“Ultimately this is all about vendors getting together to sell and (to) meet retailers,” Byrns said. “It’s a mutual business, it’s a mutual struggle, and let’s do this as best we can in light of each of our own experiences.”

AN ‘AFFORDABLE’ SHOW

This year the economy will be much on the mind of retailers, but Byrns believes RBTE can still be a money-maker for them. He encouraged stores to pay attention to vendor specials, to “do their homework and pay for their trip.”

A relatively small show but one of only two main events designed for the Catholic market, RBTE entrance is offered at minimal cost.

“We bend over backwards to make their journey to St. Charles, Ill., as cost-effective as possible,” said Byrns, noting that either $75 or $100—the higher price including the Friday banquet—“buys all of their meals from the moment that they get there on Tuesday morning till they leave on Friday afternoon.”

The location is central to a significant number of retailers who drive in from neighboring states. “Part of the rationale in terms of making it affordable is that 60% of Catholic and liturgical stores are probably within a day’s drive of the city of Chicago,” Byrns noted, adding that despite the transportation costs, a “good number of California stores” also attend.

Dealer (retailer) prices have remained the same for many years, and exhibitor rates have not changed in the last few years, he said. Convention hotel costs also are the same as last year.

From year to year, about 150 vendors take up 200 booths. At press time, Byrns expected continued exhibitor registrations, but had processed more than 100. He also noted “no fall-off at all” in attendance from international publishers, who tend to register early.

TAILORED TALKS

This year’s show will likely be less controversial than 2008, which included an appearance by author and bishop of New Hampshire Gene Robinson, a polarizing figure for his views on homosexuality. Though well-received by the booksellers of his denomination, a few Catholic stores opted out of attending RBTE this year in protest of Robinson’s appearance at the 2008 show, though he only spoke at an Episcopal Booksellers Association event.

In light of denominational differences at the RBTE event, choosing speakers can be like walking a tightrope.

“We don’t take a theological stance,” Byrns said. “We try to offer programming that meets the needs of our attendees from the educational perspective, from the inspirational perspective, from a liturgical perspective.”

Bert Ghezzi, author and senior acquisitions editor for Our Sunday Visitor’s book division, wrote Everyday Encounters With God with Benedict J. Groeschel (The Word Among Us Press), and is the speaker for Wednesday’s luncheon, sponsored by The Word Among Us Press.

Esther de Waal, a scholar in the Benedictine and Celtic traditions, has written multiple books, including the upcoming Liturgical Press release Seeking Life: The Baptismal Invitation of the Rule of St. Benedict. She will speak at Thursday’s luncheon, sponsored by Liturgical Press and Canterbury Press/SCM Press.

Additionally, Richard J. Foster and Gayle D. Beebe, who together wrote the InterVarsity Press book Longing for God: Seven Paths of Christian Devotion (Formatio/IVP Books). Foster and Beebe will speak Tuesday morning.

LeAnn Thieman, who has contributed to several “Chicken Soup” books, has co-authored Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith (Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing) with Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, and will speak Thursday at the Catholic Booksellers Breakfast.

For Thursday’s banquet, Catholic author and award-winning documentary filmmaker Paul Wilkes will speak of his own experience of faith. His memoir, In Due Season: A Catholic Life, was published in March by Jossey-Bass.

GATHERING THE ‘LIKE-MINDED’

Two retail associations—the Catholic Retailers Association and the Episcopal Booksellers Association—have annual meetings at the show.

“Since most Catholic stores are doing half or more of their total business in books, that extensive access to publishers (found at RBTE) is tremendously valuable,” said Weickert, who owns Vineyard Books & Gifts in Rockford, Ill., as well as three e-retailing sites.

Though outnumbered by Catholics at the show, Episcopalian booksellers—with 81 stores spread out across the country serving not only Episcopalians, but also “Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics (and) the family of Eastern Orthodox churches,” according to the group’s executive director, Henrietta Speaks—find it valuable to get together at RBTE.

In addition to the retail training on offer, “just having that many like-minded colleagues in the same space at the same time is very nourishing for our geographically spread-out membership,” Speaks added, citing the benefit of building relationships, which is “strengthening for all of us.”

Additionally, on the publisher side, CBPA’s board of directors meets at the show, and also conducts a professional skills workshop for its members.

Considering the need for cooperation in the industry, Knighten said that CBPA members have a “keen interest in the overall health and success of Christian retailers.” He sees RBTE as “an important opportunity to learn how we might better support them in their mission and ministry.”

Rbte will be on May 26-29, St. Charles, Ill. For the 2009 show schedule, visit www.ChristianRetailing.com.

From fear to friendship—the need to embrace change and make it work for you

After visiting more than 275 Christian retail channel stores the last two years, I couldn’t agree more. Countless stores I have visited exhibit all the telltale signs of doing the same things and expecting different results. It doesn’t happen. To get different results, you have to deploy a different strategy.

The retail landscape is littered with closed stores that failed to change. The recent liquidations of Linens ‘n Things, Goody’s and Circuit City are just a taste of what 2009 will likely hold.

Many respected retail consultants are saying that up to 14,000 stores will close during the year. The reasons are many: Failure to differentiate from a competitor, poor cash flow, poor merchandise selection or presentation and changing consumer habits top the list. During an economic downturn, execution is even more important because consumers are spending less.

I care deeply about Christian retailing. In 1975, when I created the concept of music demos and listening stations, it began a 34-year history of passionately seeking to help retailers succeed. Now, at the risk of perhaps alienating some of my very own retailer customers, I feel compelled to speak straightforward about Christian stores.

Change is usually not easy. Doing the same things, following the same routines, is what most people prefer. And, let’s be honest, most small businesspeople would prefer not to have to face competition. But doing the same thing over and over again rarely challenges us. Lack of competition leads to complacency and rarely leads to advances.

Meanwhile, innovation and technology have led to a plethora of choices in just about every facet of life, including multiple choices of how and where to purchase many of the products available in Christian retail stores.

Let’s be clear: There’s no point spending one additional minute bemoaning that publishers sell direct, that Wal-Mart carries many of your best-selling books, that Internet retailers undercut your prices and that some people illegally swap music files. None of this is going to change. Debating whether it is right or wrong will not reverse it. The only thing it results in is a negative attitude.

Where is it written that retailers are entitled to have customers shop in their stores? Or that retailers are entitled to sales increases year after year? We are not entitled to anything. We must earn our customers and then continue earning them to keep them coming back. There is no “top of the hill” resting point. We must always be climbing.

Success in anything starts with a positive mental attitude. Years ago I had the privilege of coaching several high school cross country teams to state championships and nation rankings. The key point that I emphasized every day to my athletes was that the real competition wasn’t in the foot race but in the mind. If they didn’t believe they could win, they were already defeated.

So, let me encourage you to begin each day by thinking about how to differentiate yourself to effectively compete in the marketplace. If you’re focusing on your competitor, you’re not focusing on where you should be going. You’ll never be charting your course. You’ll always be reacting to your competitor’s agenda.

How does this play out in the real world of your store? Let’s use the examples of music and technology.

Music sales peaked in 2000 and have declined every year thereafter. The blame has been put upon everything from illegal downloading to a lack of new mega-artists. Certainly piracy has affected sales, but a strong case can be made for the impact of the rise of other entertainment choices, too.

Consider that just nine years ago, video game sales were almost insignificant and movie DVDs were nonexistent. The iPod had not yet been introduced. Broadband Internet service was not widely available and too costly for many consumers.

Fast-forward to today: The video game industry is bigger than the music industry. DVD sales, while having peaked in 2007, are still significant. The iTunes store has sold more than 5 billion songs. Cheap broadband service has allowed e-commerce sites to offer an ever-increasing selection of goods and services.

Technology has certainly made it more challenging for brick-and-mortar retailers of media products to compete. Online retailers of books, music and movies, according to Internet Retailer, now account for more than 15% of all sales of media titles.

Brick-and-mortar retailers can compete, but not if they continue to sell music the same way they’ve always done. This will only result in a continuing sales decline. Forrester Research is forecasting a 9% annual decline in physical music sales and a 14% annual increase of digital music sales through 2013. As a brick-and-mortar retailer, you simply must change your strategy or you will be irrelevant.

One of the benefits of e-commerce is that it can offer a virtual inventory of practically every music CD and movie DVD currently available. No physical store can stock even a fraction of what is available through what is often referred to as “the long tail.” So, how do you, as a brick-and-mortar retailer, compete? By also using technology.

Media-on-demand systems such as Just in Time Digital’s isMOD and my company’s myMEDIA BurnBar kiosk are enabling retailers to “virtually” stock thousands of titles with no associated inventory cost.

Customers using the myMEDIA BurnBar kiosk can choose from more than 18,000 accompaniment track, artist CD, audiobook, video game and software titles. Additionally, they can select more than 60,000 song titles and mix their own custom CDs.

All this can be burned to CD or DVD in just a few minutes. Very soon customers will also be able to purchase songs as MP3s and load them to their portable players.

With these types of kiosks, technology has put physical location retailers back in the game and

given them a competitive advantage. When we analyzed the 2008 sales data of myMEDIA BurnBar, we found that more than 86% of all accompaniment track titles—nearly 9,000—had sold at least once. In January this year, 68% of all the artist CD titles sold only one copy, while an additional 17% sold only two copies.

This tells us that customers want a very wide selection. Retailers using media-on-demand technology are giving customers what they want—and winning their loyalty in return.

Of course, there is much more to fully executing this or any other viable strategy. But it all begins by embracing change and making it an ally. If you don’t, outside forces will change you by hastening the closing of your doors.

As the 17th annual Expolit convenes in Miami, May 12-19, attendees, including booksellers, publishers, suppliers, distributors and consumers, will discover a return to a one-floor exhibit hall along with a new broadcast component.

Two years ago, the exhibit space was divided into two floors. With vendors and suppliers tightening up on their booth space, Marie Tamayo, executive director of Expolit 2009, said this year the floor will return to one “packed” floor, “making the job easier for everybody.” The floor will feature a larger group of ministry booths in addition to those reserved by suppliers.

Also, this year will mark the first official broadcast of the event through DirecTV, after an experimental run during last year’s show. Thursday evening’s concert—featuring Danny Berrios, René and Dámaris González Blest, Lizzie Lizzie and Marco Barrientos—will be broadcast live through the Enlace network telecast.

“We are broadcasting live to Latin America with all the key artists,” Tamayo said. Artists on the program also include 3:16 Media, Planetshakers, Lucía Parker, Danilo Montero, Ana Laura and Marco Barrientos. Speakers include pastor and author Henry Blackaby, Operation Mobilisation founder and former International Director George Verwer and well-known youth pastor and author Dante Gebel.

DOING BUSINESS

Tamayo believes the event is “the place to be to be a part of the Christian picture” in the Spanish retail industry.

“Expolit is a bridge, a showcase opportunity,” she said. “It’s the only event in the industry where you can find media, authors, booksellers, distributors and the general public.”

Facing the economic downturn, Tamayo said early registrations were down in January, but reports revealed a different trend in March, with registrations being up by 10 to 15. To help keep late registrations coming and “support the industry,” the show was keeping the price at $99, Tamayo said.

The usual breakdown for the event is 60% attendance from the U.S., with a large crowd of consumers coming from host city Miami. Functioning also as a buyer’s show, Tamayo said the majority of buyers, around 65%, are from Latin America.

“Some companies really just don’t care about the retail business there,” she said. “They just want to meet with buyers. So it fits everyone’s plans.”

TACKLING THE ISSUES

Tamayo said the Spanish-language music industry has faced a struggle this year, dealing not only with the economy but also with ongoing piracy challenges and digital music sales. The bigger record companies are still coming to Expolit, but the show has seen fewer booth reservations from smaller companies and independent music artists.

“Generally we have a lot of independents come to Expolit, but we’re seeing a real decline there,” said David Ecklebarger, president of Expolit. “We’re having shrinkage in our exhibit space, and the majority is in the music.”

Tamayo agreed, but added that the independents are coming to connect, though they are not reserving booths.

“The music industry has been very affected by what’s going on in the economy,” she said. “That’s why we’re having a workshop about it. This is a time to be creative and a time for alliances. Smaller artists need to team up and maybe get organized together. The song of God is not going to stop.”

In addition to that two-part workshop—“Goals and Realities of the Christian Music Industry,” taught by Mauricio Scott—there are 20 other workshops on subjects such as youth ministry, health, women’s ministry and creativity, in addition to a school for booksellers held early during the show.

The workshops are conceived by partnering publishers, although the Expolit staff reviews proposals to select ones that are “relevant and needed.” Depending on the subject, the workshops can attract crowds from 100 to 500.

Publishers and suppliers from Tyndale Español to Integrity Music and Casa Creación also hold their sales presentations during Expolit, which gives Latin American buyers all the more reason to attend, Tamayo said.

Although some, concerned with the economy or for other reasons, may decide not to attend or exhibit, Tamayo believes Expolit is the “motor” that keeps the Spanish-language industry running.

She cited a recent article highlighting the growth of religious products during the economic downturn and said: “This is the time for Christians to step up to the plate.

“We need to be diligent and frugal, but we need to be here,” she said.

Visit www.christianretailing.com for our printable Expolit 2009.

What it takes to build a successful music department

While some predict that the CD is only five years from extinction, strangely, music is more popular than ever. As such, the category can still be a vital part of a Christian store.

After all, despite the fact that sales are tending downward, about 80% of Christian music is still sold in the physical format. Retailer Randy Ross, among others, also points out that while digital music sales and music theft have cut into the all-time high retail profits seen during the early half of this decade, abandoning music makes no more sense than abandoning children’s books or any other category that makes up a similar percentage of store sales.

“At our (stores), we’re still averaging more (revenue) in music than children’s books; in most of our stores, music and Bibles are neck and neck,” said Ross, a music inventory specialist for Parable, a chain of nearly 200 Christian stores. “With that same logic, we need to stop selling cards, children’s books and take a hard look at our Bibles.”

Though overall music sales have never been higher, thanks to digital, traditional Christian retail music sales declined about 1 million units, from approximately 12.4 million units in 2007 to 11.4 million units in 2008.

Christian album sales overall—physical and digital combined—were also down 9.7%, from 35.9 million in 2007 to 32.4 million in 2008.

While cautioning retailers, music leaders like Word Distribution President Mark Funderburg remain optimistic.

“We finally found the enemy, and it’s us. If we’re not careful we’re going to kill an industry that consumers still want,” he said. “I can’t tell you the number of times I talk to customers and they say, ‘We want to buy this, but we can’t find it.’ ”

Ross of Parable added: “The amount of space you dedicate needs to be in accordance with your sales, but people have had a knee-jerk reaction to music. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You’re not paying attention to music and your sales are declining? Surprise.”

So if music is an important part of a store’s product mix, how should stores go about merchandising, promoting and selling it in a rapidly shifting music landscape?

Inventory

First of all, experts say, look at the albums ordered and their quantities, as best-practice inventory strategies have shifted. Funderburg, along with other experts, advocates stocking a broad selection of albums, but with fewer quantities, especially of backlist.

“You can re-order every other day if you need to,” Funderburg said. “But as for breadth, there are few stores left anymore that carry a good selection of anything, and I think that’s really hurt retailers who have slimmed their inventories to get it down to the top 20. A lot of customers want selection like on Amazon. Offer the breadth and then make sure to let customers know that that’s a strength of yours.”

Jim Ellis, who has overseen the music section at Lighthouse Christian Books in Green Bay, Wis., for nearly two decades, agrees. Lighthouse is renowned for its music selection, which includes rare and used albums. “We buy appropriately,” Ellis said. “Whereas I used to buy a case of 30 CDs of a particular album, it’s now usually down to two, three or six.”

Of course, there are exceptions to that rule—a Casting Crowns or Michael W. Smith album, for instance—and this is where industry and product knowledge are important. Funderburg suggests stores stay in close contact with music sales reps and listen to their advice, while others note the importance of keeping up with print or online publications that cover Christian music.

Mike Hockett, CBA training and consulting manager, recommends turning to CROSS:SCAN, a CBA reporting system that tracks sales of more than 800 Christian stores and works in concert with Above the Treeline, a digital inventory management system for retailers.

“CROSS:SCAN probably has the top 1,000-plus music titles on there, and you can see how they rank when you use it with Above the Treeline,” he said. “You can see how it compares with your store’s inventory. You also get to see what’s selling across the country. There might be stuff selling elsewhere that you don’t know about.”

Chains such as Family Christian Stores and LifeWay and some independent stores—including Pee Dee Christian Book & Supply in Florence, S.C.—are maximizing inventory with digital availability. For example, the Pee Dee store, which makes use of CD-burning capabilities, has more than 11,000 CD titles available, including older selections and some out-of-print albums.

Some stores sell music online as well.LifeWay’s PassAlong is a system that allows customers to save up to 10% each time music is purchased with points. Points are earned when the customer passes on a recommendation and a friend or family member buys the item.

Cross-promotion

Some retailers are combining CDs with closely related products, such as DVDs, into a “family entertainment” section. Taking a cue from stores like Best Buy, the DVDs are helping offset the smaller margins and decreasing sales of music CDs.

“Many parents and families are looking for wholesome entertainment, both audio and video, and many times need help,” noted Curtis Riskey, CBA’s strategic solutions executive. “It would make sense to cross-merchandise music in areas that customers would be prompted to purchase as a gift or to complement a larger gift.”

Citing a 2007 industry-wide report on music buying patterns, Sound Decisions, Riskey noted that more than half of Christian customers—58%—bought music as a gift.

Ellis noted that successful independent music stores sell ancillary products like artist apparel, and his store has started to sell music posters and found some success doing so. Yet some caution that stores can go overboard with DVDs and ancillary music products despite their promise.

“Stores are scaling back on the amount of music in the retail space, but it can’t get to the point where you’re burying it,” Ross of Parable said. “If you’re expanding your video department, look at your sales … the amount of space you dedicate needs to be in accordance with your sales.”

In-store marketing

Once a store has the right music product mix, how does that store promote music both inside—and outside—of the store? Many stores not only give music its own section, but also cross-promote it on endcaps, in the book section where appropriate and at the cash wrap. Ellis, for one, has found success selling some lower-priced CDs at the cash wrap as an add-on or impulse buy, though he noted that grouping lower-priced albums together in a kiosk in the music section rarely seems to work well.

Some experts say that another effective in-store promotion, and a way to emphasize a store’s commitment to music, is to have a digital kiosk that burns CDs—with two major companies providing systems to the Christian retail market: Integra Interactive and Just In Time Digital. Though most people aren’t using the systems to burn new albums, some retailers are doing a brisk business on the kiosks by selling accompaniment tracks to churches and soloists.

Paul LaRue, president of Just In Time Digital, said his company’s Quest isMOD kiosk is seeing “a significant increase in accompaniment track sales. The key is availability. … 50% of what we sell through the Quest isMOD would otherwise be completely ‘out of print.’

“One of the big reasons for the increase is when an individual purchases an accompaniment track, they continue to browse through and inevitably find other titles that they’d like to add to their order.”

Overall, Integra Interactive, which places the myMEDIA BurnBar in stores, has found that the long-held idea that 20% of the titles create 80% of music sales needs to be reconsidered.

“Integra’s sales analysis of the nearly 13,000 full albums and nearly 36,000 a la carte songs sold through myMEDIA BurnBar turns the 80/20 rule on its head,” said David Amster, Integra president. “The top 10% of all the titles sold represents only 37% of the total dollar volume. The bottom 90% represents 67% of the total sales. The vast majority of the album titles in this ‘long tail’ are not stocked by the stores and are sales they would not have made.”

In the case of Lighthouse Christian Books, which has a digital kiosk, Ellis said: “We’re not burning a whole lot of music on it other than accompaniment CDs, though the other thing it’s being used for is for people who are putting together their own greatest hits CDs.”

External marketing

Hockett, who consults with more than a dozen stores per year, said not enough retailers are forming partnerships with Christian radio stations—something he believes can drive traffic and move CDs.

“Over half of our Christian music buyers, 57%, listen to Christian radio every day, and 83% listen every week, so if you can match that audience up with your core customer, it’s going to help you,” Hockett said.

He also added that too infrequently stores fail to alert customers of channel-specific product—something with which Christian radio can help.

“We have channel-specific products that are different than what would be released to the general market,” Hockett said. “A good example of that is the Fireproof DVD. The one that’s for the Christian market has ministry tools with it, a song from Casting Crowns and a free Fireproof (greeting) card offer with it. … I think that we need to do a better job of getting that information to stores and to our customers.”

One way to get information to customers is not only through radio, but also by creating “an e-mail list of people who enjoy Christian music and then regularly sending those people updates on new music,” said Riskey of CBA.

Other marketing ideas he suggests include starting a section in the store for “grass roots”—or local—artists and then hosting occasional concerts for them in the store’s parking lot or in the store itself if there is space. “This would begin to build traffic from groups that may never have considered their local Christian bookstore,” he said.

Another idea is to take all the local worship pastors to lunch. “Find out what they’re doing and what God is doing in their church,” Riskey said. “These relationships would be helpful to foster to help make a stronger connection to the churches in your community. Find out what music those pastors are using for worship and maybe those CDs could be made available at a book table after the services.”

Training

A well-trained staff sells more products, and CBA has a Web-based initiative supported by major music labels and distributors to help retailers do just that. Hockett said the program is still in the testing phases but will eventually make training employees easier for stores. Retailers can currently sign up for the program at www.cbaonline.org.

The new effort, CBA Connect, is “a social learning system,” Hockett said. “We’re loading it with different training information, and for the first time, the training is tracked. We know who took it, we know what they did, so this is something that was produced so it could be used by the industry.

“Even Family Christian Stores or Parable Group can have their own place on there that’s separate from what CBA has, and they can still do proprietary-type training. The whole idea is that you don’t do training unless you can measure it.”

Retail insiders are quick to note that product information, while important, isn’t everything. Half the battle is engaging and listening to the customer, something that too many stores aren’t doing, Ross believes.

“The reason that some retailers are selling lots of music is that they are engaging the customer,” Ross said. “(Too often it seems) you hire someone who’s a good Christian and can’t sell the product, or you hire someone who’s a fan of the product and can’t sell the product. We’ve gotten into this mentality that we’re not going to (bother) our customer. You have to be proactive about that. … We can’t automatically jump to a conclusion about what a person will or won’t buy.”

Music still viable

While stand-alone music stores are increasingly rare, it’s clear that for now Christian music is still a viable category within a diversified Christian bookstore. However, the glory days of five years ago are gone.

Today, a successful music department requires plenty of promotion, know-how, a well-trained staff and constant attention to maintaining appropriate inventory levels. CBA has created a list of best practices—available at cbablog.typepad.com—which retailers might consider to boost the performance of their music department.

“I don’t think this is a dead category by any shape,” CBA’s Hockett said. “Part of it is the way people are looking at it. How robust it was doesn’t diminish its importance now. The real Christian retail core customer, they buy music a lot, and they shop the store not just for themselves, but also for their friends. … In retail, it’s like anything else: When you focus on something and you really have a strategy with it, it works.”

Other experts talk not only about strategy, but also about attitude. In a down economy and in an already struggling industry, it’s easy to get discouraged, but retailers must remember why they got into Christian retail in the first place.

“My own personal belief is that it’s really important for music executives and retailers to remember why we got into this business; we wanted to honor Christ with a different message,” Funderburg said. “And with the economy and being around negative thinkers, well, it’s a lot easier to become like who you hang out with.”

Ross of Parable said people are still buying CDs, and it’s not just older people.

“Lil Wayne isn’t appealing to my mom, and he’s selling millions of (physical) records,” Ross said. “(Christian rock band) RED’s Innocence & Instinct was our number two-selling album last week, and that’s not going to appeal to my grandma either. … People are still buying CDs. It’s a different world, but it’s full of sound.”

Recently the Internet has been abuzz reacting to a column by influential blogger, Michael Spencer, known as the "Internet Monk," who says that we are within ten years of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. Spencer speaks to the foibles, flaws and failures of evangelicalism as a sympathetic insider but with uncomfortable frankness.

And while I would challenge some of his conclusions, I also realize that we in the Christian retail industry have to be willing to hold a mirror up to ourselves to evaluate how we are doing in building God’s kingdom in the culture in which we live.

GMA Music Week & Dove Awards

Saturday, April 18

7:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Early registration

Sunday, April 19

• 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Registration
• 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m., CMB Sunday worship service, featuring Louie Giglio and Matt Redman
• 11:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Exhibits open
• 11:30 a.m., Lunch break
• 1 p.m.–3 p.m., International meeting and reception (for international attendees)
• 2:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m., Music City Walk of Fame induction ceremony
• 3 p.m.–4:30 p.m., Dave Ramsey’s Wealth Coach Program
• 7 p.m.–9:30 p.m., BMI Presents The Songwriter Showcase (artists to be announced)

Monday, April 20

• 8 a.m.–9:20 a.m., Inspirational keynote with Gabe Lyons, co–author of UnChristian
• 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Exhibits open
• 9:45 a.m.–11:15 a.m., Home entertainment presentation, Bob Elder, vice president of marketing, Propeller Consulting
• 11:30 a.m.–1:15 p.m., Big Hits Lunch (artists to be announced)
• 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m., Artist/DJ reception (for radio and retail), open only to CMB and CMRC participants
• 1:40 p.m.–3:15 p.m., Singing the Right Song: In–Store Strategies for a Digital Download World by Mike Hockett, training and consulting manager, CBA
• 3 p.m –5 p.m., The Financial Hurricane Creates Opportunity by Michael Q. Pink, author, speaker and business consultant
• 3:30 p.m.–5 p.m., Music Moment: Artist Devotional
• 7 p.m.–midnight, Evening Music Showcases (artists to be announced)

Tuesday, April 21

• 7:30 a.m.–9:20 a.m., 8th annual Tuesday morning worship breakfast, featuring David Nasser, speaker and author of Glory Revealed
• 9:45 a.m.–11:15 a.m., “The End of the CD?: The Facts About Tomorrow’s Hybrid Music Consumer” by Russ Crupnick, vice president and senior music and movies analyst, NPD Group
• 11:30 a.m.–1:15 p.m., Big Hits Lunch (artists to be announced)
• 2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m., “The Heart of the Artist” with Demetrus Stewart
• 3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m., Music Moment: Artist Devotional
• 3:30 p.m.–5 p.m., “First Comes Love, Then Comes Money: A Guide to Healthy Financial Communication” with Scott and Bethany Palmer, authors of Cents & Sensibility (David C. Cook) and First Comes Love, Then Comes Money (HarperOne)
• 7 p.m.–midnight, Evening Showcases (artists to be announced )

Wednesday, April 22

• 8:30 a.m.–9 a.m., GMA Community Gathering with GMA’s Special Awards and comments by GMA President John Styll
• 9 a.m.–10:30 a.m., Artist Symposium: “Christian Music Making a Lasting Impact Around the Globe.” Panel of artists to be announced; an address from Luis Palau will follow.
• 10:40 a.m.–11:30 a.m., Closing keynote address (speaker to be announced)

Thursday, April 23

• 4:30 p.m., Dove Awards pre–show
• 7 p.m., 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards from the Grand Ole Opry House (televised). An additional ticket is required.

Without minimizing the enormous challenges resulting from the nation’s plunging economy, let me suggest that the stark financial crisis also presents Christian retailers with a golden opportunity.

How so? Well, our industry has long maintained that Christian retail is different to the regular kind. It’s about more than just the dollars ... and now we have a great chance to demonstrate that.

Falling customer traffic is widely recognized as a problem for Christian retailers, but it’s an area rather like the Bermuda Triangle, the region of the Atlantic Ocean long associated with mysterious disappearances of ships and aircraft.

In our stores, everyone acknowledges that many shoppers do not come back, but no one really seems to know why—or what draws those who do return. However, after more than a decade involved in both Christian retailing and P.O.S. (point-of-sale) software development, I am convinced that we can, and need to, find out.

Do you know how many of your customers stay with you and for how long? Do they have buying habits that can help you serve them better and improve your store operations? Are book customers more loyal than music customers?

Answers to such questions are to be discovered, I believe, in the Customer Retention Triangles that can be explored from good customer data. That means placing a greater emphasis on creating and maintaining a solid database.

Unfortunately, my experience is that while many retailers agree that customer loyalty is a major issue, they often feel they are too busy to commit the small amount of time needed to ensure they have information to work with in helping them do all they can to connect with those shoppers.

It’s all too easy, especially in busy selling times and seasons, to miss capturing customer information at checkout. But it does not need to take a long time to confirm the correct identity of a returning shopper or collect information from a new visitor.

Customer loyalty programs and key tags can encourage shoppers to provide their information, and we have found at our store that a simple, standard script ensures frontliners request and handle customer data requests smoothly and efficiently. Accurate customer information capture rates of at least 85% should not be difficult.

Some retailers seem to think that collecting customer information is simply to be able to add them to a mailing list, but there is so much more that can be done. Having solid data to work with is vital, though.

With business so tight for many, it’s scary to consider throwing advertising dollars at a campaign without really knowing the target. As has been said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”

Pulling a list of the most recent top-spending customers is only one way of looking at customer data. With this in mind, I have spent part of the last several years of my time involved in running Revelation Retail, working on developing other customer analysis techniques with Kevin Meade, an information technology professional of 25 years.

Using the store my wife, Louise, and I run—Majesty Bibles and Books in Manchester, Conn.—as a guinea pig, we recently modified a technique used by insurance companies to analyze claims data and determine premium rates.

By posting customer activity on two axes—calendar year down the left side and purchase year (dating from their first transaction) across the top—we created our first customer triangle.

Our base column included the total number of unique customers for the year (1999), while subsequent columns identified the percentage of that figure that bought something in the store in each of the following eight full years.

Among our findings:

58.8% of those who shopped in 1999 also shopped in 2000

55.2% of those who shopped in 2000 also shopped in 2001

55.4% of those who shopped in 2001 also shopped in 2002

55.1% of those who shopped in 2002 also shopped in 2003

54.9% of those who shopped in 2003 also shopped in 2004

51.1% of those who shopped in 2004 also shopped in 2005

50.7% of those who shopped in 2005 also shopped in 2006

50.4% of those who shopped in 2006 also shopped in 2007.

That was helpful, as far as it went. For example, it seemed to confirm our concerns about the closure of a major retail neighbor, in 2004, that led to a noticeable drop in casual traffic. But that high-level information was not enough, it was only a starting point.

Next we divided our customers into “new customers” and “existing customers,” then added triangles for “original purchase department” and “re-visit purchase department.” Now we could determine shopper loyalty by the types of products they purchased.

Among the lessons we learned:

Our “existing customer” base is strong. Those customers return at a high rate from year to year, and our existing customer counts have been steady.

Our Bible buyers are very loyal customers. When someone purchases a Bible in their first year as a customer, they are highly likely to return to our store to make other purchases.

Additionally, they are more likely to be return buyers after five years than any other first-time product category purchaser.

As a result, we recognize that an inquiry about a Bible purchase by a new visitor is not only a one-ticket sale, but also a potential long-term relationship.

More than 65% of customers who made an initial purchase of a greeting card returned the next year to buy something from our store, making that category an important “introduction” area for our store.

Music continues to be significant, despite ongoing concerns about the impact of digital sales. Our first-year return purchase rate for music buyers is 65%, and while that drops off in subsequent years, they are still visiting the store and buying other products.

Perhaps the biggest surprise came in apparel, where we found a 75% first-year return rate for new shoppers. As a result, we have significantly increased the display space given to the category, which adjoins our music department.

We have also developed triangles that help us understand more about the impact of discounts, sales prices and margin.

This kind of information is helping us to be more focused in our marketing and merchandising. It is enabling us to think strategically, rather than just operationally.

Oftentimes when money is tight, it is tempting to cut back on marketing expenditure, but this only makes things worse.

The answer is not to market less, but to market more smartly, to maximize our connections with our most loyal customers. Knowing more about them and their habits helps us to do that.

This year’s GMA Gospel Music Week—the annual celebration of Christian music that runs April 18–22 in Nashville and culminates with the 40th Annual Dove Awards—is touting the theme “engage.” It’s a salient message in an economic recession, organizers believe.

“We feel like with the economic crisis, people are more apt to stay home and run for cover, but that’s even more of a time to not disengage,” said Gabriel Aviles, vice president of marketing, business and development for the Gospel Music Association (GMA). “We need each other, and we’re an ecosystem that’s always worked together well.

“Going home and shutting your door is not the best solution.”

To help ensure a well–intended show, the GMA—the nonprofit advocacy group that organizes the yearly event that includes educational seminars for music professionals and retailers—has lowered prices and extended its “early bird” rate of $299 through April 10. It’s the lowest price for the event in more than a decade.

Additionally, Bill Anderson, president of CBA, has sent a letter to member stores, encouraging them to attend GMA Music Week.

The schedule includes more general talks to up interest. Among the presenters will be Michael Q. Pink, business consultant and author of Rainforest Strategy (Excel Books), and husband–wife team Scott and Bethany Palmer, authors of Cents & Sensibility (David C. Cook) and First Comes Love, Then Comes Money (HarperOne). Both talks are open to all attendees, while Dave Ramsey’s Wealth Coach Program will be offered to independent artists.

“We’re not blind to what’s going on,” Aviles said of the economy.

‘MORE CHALLENGED’

It’s a disheartening time for the music industry to be hit with a recession as things were already gloomy.

While music is more popular than ever, profits at music labels and traditional music retailers continue to tank as soaring digital sales fail to keep pace with decreasing CD sales and rampant music theft. The GMA said that less than 50% of all music acquisitions are now paid.

Nor does it help that a majority of the approximately 900 Christian radio stations in America are noncommercial and pay lower royalties than commercial stations do, or that Christian concert–goers are also less willing to pay high ticket prices. Such factors, said John Styll, GMA president, make Christian music “inherently more challenged than other segments of the music industry,” especially in a recession.

But Styll, like Aviles, noted that present economic difficulties only reinforce the need for industry types and retailers to get together, share ideas and encourage one another.

“If you come (to GMA Music Week), you’re going to get the tools you need to move forward; you can’t not afford to come—and we’re trying to enhance the value–add proposition by adding some classes on coping with the financial times,” Styll said.

“With a convention like this, our goal is to offer an excellent return on investment. Coming to a convention really is the most effective way to get your business done. I heard a quote that said the ‘90s were a period of irrational exuberance and now we’re in a time of irrational pessimism … now more than ever we really need to come together.”

However, future prospects for GMA Music Week are uncertain. Attendance this year will almost certainly be down due to the economy, and next year’s numbers could be hit as the Christian Music Broadcasters (CMB)—the trade group that organizes the radio educational track at GMA Music Week, but whose contract with GMA expires this year—recently announced a conference of its own called “Momentum” that will be held Sept. 10–12, 2009, in Orlando, Fla.

Currently, radio producers and broadcasters make up about 30–40% of GMA Music Week attendees. But Aviles downplayed the new conference, noting that, “as far as having events, (the Christian Music Broadcasters) have done that before.”

‘STILL VITAL’

As for this year’s GMA conference, Randy Ross—a music inventory specialist for Parable stores and chairman of the Christian Music Retail Conference (CMRC), a retail advocacy group that created the retail educational track for GMA Music Week—said music is still a vital part of Christian retail and retailers need to take it seriously.

He also observed that it’s “oftentimes in talking to other people that we’re going to come to a solution.”

“The last several years, retail attendance at GMA has been declining and it’s been declining because music sales are down,” Ross said. “But I will say that even with music sales declining, and (even with music’s) percentage of overall store sales shrinking, it’s still out–performing other categories.

“ ‘We used to do 20% but now we only do 12%.’ Well, what if you approached every category that way? I guess you can write those (categories) off, too. Even if it’s declining, it’s still driving traffic. People don’t say, ‘There’s a new framed piece of art out today.’ Your avid customers are geeked about new (music) coming out, and you can’t write them off.”

According to Aviles, physical album sales at Christian retail were down about 1 million units in 2008, from approximately 12.4 million units sold in 2007 to 11.4 million units sold in 2008. Overall Christian album sales—physical and digital combined—were down 9.7% (from 35.9 million in 2007 to 32.4 million in 2008), while overall sales of digital singles were actually up 5.7%, from 53.6 million to 56.6 million.

That’s one of the ironies of the precipitous decline in music revenues: More music is being sold than ever before, it’s just that the profit margins that once existed are no longer there, theft is rampant, and the physical CD—or traditional music retail as we know it—isn’t dead but is trending downward.

In spite of the uncertainty, Joy Fletcher, vice president of events and programming for GMA, encouraged retailers and music professionals to remember, “God is in control.”

“We are simply instruments of His ultimate plan, so we can work every day believing that what we do will advance His kingdom through music,” she said. “It may look totally different one year from now, but we’re here now to follow His leading.”

While GMA is reducing costs wherever possible—for example, luncheons have been consolidated into one daily event for all attendees—there is still a full slate of workshops and panel discussions at this year’s event.

In addition to the recession–driven talks on money, GMA Music Week is offering retailers talks on how to train music sales staff with Mike Hockett, CBA training and consulting manager; understanding today’s—and tomorrow’s—music consumer with Russ Crupnick of the NPD Group, a consumer and retail research firm; and a panel discussion on how Christian music is impacting people around the globe, among other presentations.

To that point, when he was asked about the bright spots in the industry, Styll, GMA president, immediately noted that “we’re seeing more Christian artists concerned about social justice issues”—he specifically cited the CompassionArt charity that has the backing of Christian music’s biggest names—and added, “I think that’s a great story.”

Mastering opportunities in the foundational category is a must

The recent spate of best-sellers by outspoken atheists, the circulation of The Da Vinci Code’s church-conspiracy theories and a national decline in church attendance haven’t harmed the Bible’s popularity: In an April 2008 Harris Poll, Americans named history’s best-seller their favorite book.

That’s simply because while most ancient books can only be found in museums, the Bible is still relevant and answers life’s most difficult questions, according to American Bible Society President Lamar Vest.

“Its popularity is unparalleled, its appeal eternal,” Vest said. “Most importantly, the words of this Book change lives. Despite growing opposition from various segments of our society, the Holy Scriptures remain a steady force in our world.”

And they remain the cornerstone of Christian retailing—not only serving as the inspiration for all other products, but being presented in an almost dizzying array of options themselves.

Although uninformed shoppers may ask what “the Bible” costs, any Christian retailer can describe hundreds of translations, designs and study options. Retailers contacted listed 800 to 1,000 varieties in stock, while in 2007, Christian stores’ sales covered 7,000-plus SKUs, according to Michael Covington of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

The growing diversity of the Bibles market is illustrated by the venerable Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, which for years came in one version: King James (KJV). Today, publisher Kirkbride Bible Co. lists 112 SKUs, not counting software editions.

Though the Thompson still only comes in four translations—with the New International Version (NIV), New American Standard Bible (NASB) and New King James Version (NKJV) added to the KJV between 1983 and 1997—the many variations within each version have bumped the company’s SKU count past the century mark.

The count even surprises Kirkbride President Michael Gage, whose family founded the Indianapolis-based company in 1908.

“That’s the number one concern with stores, because of the turnover of clerks and (finding) someone to man the Bible section and who’s educated about what’s in the section,” Gage said.

The huge selection means that Christian retailers need to know how to choose, stock, merchandize and sell Bibles well if they are to make the most of what is their core competitive advantage.

In addition to all the handheld versions, the Bible can be downloaded, searched online and comes to life on crisp audio recordings. None of this is surprising, according to research commissioned by Thomas Nelson in 2006.

Consumer taste

Wayne Hastings, senior vice president and group publisher in Nelson’s Bible division, said the company discovered a wealth of customers who are desperately seeking God. To buttress their search, they may grab a new Bible if it fits in their briefcase, the color matches their Sunday suit or it can be played on an iPod during commutes.

“In the U.S., 38% of our customers own three to 10 Bibles,” Hastings said. “What you have is a customer who is looking to fill niches within their library. They’re filling out this library … with the ultimate goal of getting closer to God. They want that relationship.

“They’re willing to spend money on multiple Bibles to do that. That’s why these niches are important … because the consumer says they’re important.”

Not only is demand for variations driving supply, but the Bible also helps attract destination shoppers. When it comes to breadth and depth, no one can touch Christian bookstores.

“I would say it’s our number one product and it continues to sell in spite of the economy,” said Paul Glenn, book department buyer for the Potomac Adventist Book & Health Food Store in Silver Spring, Md.

“It does help the Christian bookstore to be a destination place for Bibles. Christian bookstores are the only place where you’ll find a significant variety. And with secular stores that carry Bibles, there’s not always somebody there to hand-sell them.”

At Guiding Light Christian Store in suburban Huntington, W.Va., Bibles (30%) now outrank books (20%) in generating sales. Where book buyers are quick to grab a title online or from a discount outlet, customers want to check out a Bible’s features, said co-owner Roy Adams. “That’s one thing that is a strong seller for us,” Adams said.

The Bible even tops sales at the place one would expect most people to already own a copy—church. Geni Hulsey, president of the Church Bookstore Network, said the Bible is the first or second most popular item at most church bookstores.

“Just because they are at church, (people) are thinking about the need for spiritual material, including Bibles,” said Hulsey, who managed The Garden Bookstore at Houston’s First Baptist Church for 15 years.

Although the array of choices means retailers must spend more time explaining features, the president of an Arkansas-based chain said that this personal attention offers Christian stores a competitive edge.

“I think that’s what gives us an advantage over Amazon.com, Sam’s or Wal-Mart,” said John O’Dell, head of the Arkansas-based Christian Book Outlet (CBO). “Customers know we have product knowledge.”

Product knowledge

Knowledge spells a critical difference when consumers are increasingly turning to general markets for other Christian resources, said Covington, ECPA’s information and education director.

“Those who do an outstanding job of supporting their local markets with a great selection of Bibles, with the ability to offer competitive special ordering (and) a knowledgeable sales staff … have a better chance at doing well with Bible sales,” Covington said.

A well-informed staff is crucial to Christian stores maintaining their edge in a market where chains such as Books-A-Million are expanding their Bible sections.

Besides this challenge, industry research shows that nearly half the people entering Christian stores in search of a Bible leave without one, typically because they are overwhelmed by the choices in front of them.

Resources offered by CBA and various publishers aim to help rescue some of these lost sales.

In addition to a Bible translations and versions poster, CBA maintains ongoing best-sellers lists for translations (both dollar and unit sales), Bible studies, children’s Bibles and study/specialty Bibles. The association also markets frontline Bible e-learning software to equip retail staff.

Although such publishers as Zondervan offer online training and include free-product incentives for completing the course, one veteran retailer prefers the days when more sales reps visited the store in person.

“I know publishers have to streamline their efforts, but it used to be exciting to have them come in,” said Brian Tolliver, formerly a sales associate at the now-closed Berean Christian Stores’ Southport outlet in Indianapolis. “They’d have a morning meeting and bring free product. It got you excited and informed you about the product.”

Merchandising systems

When it comes to merchandising, the time-honored method has been to shelve Bibles by translation, the method preferred by most retailers with whom Christian Retailing spoke, although some chains sort by publisher.

An approach introduced by Thomas Nelson, based on its 2006 research, is a “felt needs” model, where Bibles are grouped by types, such as study Bibles, devotional, daily reading or large print. Approximately 150 independents and several non-Christian retailers had picked up on the offering by late 2008.

This grouping allows customers to see a greater range of products instead of taking them into a particular translation niche, which many don’t understand, Hastings said.

“Looking for type and translation becomes a feature like power steering in a car,” Hastings said. “You’re unlimited because you’re looking at need rather than a specific translation.”

CBO prefers to shelve its Bibles by translation, utilizing pre-printed headers from Zondervan to identify its products. “That gives a customer clarity about seeing if he’s buying the King James Version (KJV), New Living Translation (NLT) or children’s Bible,” O’Dell said. “And, it’s hard for our staff to mis-shelve a Bible.”

The translation system also worked best at The Garden Bookstore in Houston, although Hulsey said that varied among other church operations: “As I correspond with other church bookstores, I have had some tell me the felt-needs system has worked very well for them.”

No matter how their Bibles are grouped, many retailers grapple with the product explosion, but Tolliver doesn’t share their apprehension. There are so many different types and kinds of people in the world, he thinks the industry should do everything it can to reach them with God’s Word.

“You get so many different people coming through the doors with so many needs,” Tolliver said. “Customers come into the Bible department and say, ‘Gosh, where do I start?’ But as long as you’ve got (staff) there with product knowledge, that helps alleviate frustration.”

For O’Dell, the variety of Duo-Tones and other cover choices has been driving sales of late. Different styles and features sell more Bibles, he acknowledged, with new looks appealing to customers who already own several copies.

“Having two or three Bibles isn’t enough if there’s another product out there that brings out a deeper view,” O’Dell said. “You’re not really selling people another Bible as much as a feature to enhance their personal study.”

If there is an old standby in the Bible department, it’s the KJV, which ranks high in sales nationwide.

In West Virginia, the once-traditional favorite accounts for seven of every 10 Bibles sold at Guiding Light. That is why Adams would like to see more options available, such as KJVs for women with a pink cover spotlighting breast cancer awareness or more of the ever-popular white covers.

While he sometimes feels a bit overwhelmed by the constant stream of cover changes each season, on balance he doesn’t think there are too many Bibles. He only carries about 10 translations of the many that exist.

New versions

No matter the version, though, another reality is on the minds of most Bible publishers: the visually oriented tastes that dominate the under-40 demographic. Technology advances are enhancing new Bibles’ more graphic design, with recent developments making it possible to print four-color illustrations on Bible paper.

Brian Vos, director of Bibles and e-commerce for Baker Publishing Group, sees an expanding Bible section in the future. “For a long time it was a sleepy section with the King James,” he said. “It’s very competitive (now), but there are still a lot of opportunities for new Bibles.”

Thomas Nelson shook things up five years ago with the introduction of its “BibleZine” format, presenting the Bible in magazine style. But while the series has proved very popular, there seems to be a limit on the boundaries for what is acceptable in Christian stores.

Despite the economic downturn that accelerated last October and cut into the year’s book sales, many retailers and publishers were looking for the multi-hued Bible field to end 2008 on a positive note, thanks to a healthy crop of fall releases.

Among the popular items were Crossway Books & Bibles’ ESV Study Bible; Thomas Nelson’s new translation, The Voice, its Chronological Study Bible and three new versions of the Word of Promise audio Bible; and Tyndale House Publishers’ NLT Study Bible>.

In the fall, Zondervan rolled out an MP3 version of its popular audio Bible, Inspired By… The Bible Experience, including text to allow users to read while they listen. However, its major ’08 releases were the 30th anniversary editions of the NIV, including an updated NIV Study Bible, updated Teen NIV Study Bibleand the NIV Adventure Bible for kids.

Crossway’s experience with the ESV Study Bible—released seven years after the translation’s 2001 debut—demonstrated the market’s receptivity to new editions. Crossway has sold more than 185,000 copies of the study Bible, with the first two printings selling out less than a month after its Oct. 15 debut.

In addition to the study Bible, Crossway promotes the ESV itself, an update of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version (RSV), and offers an audio version of the translation, the ESV Hear the Word Audio Bible, on CD and MP3.

Digital emphasis

The fact that Crossway’s ESV is even offered in audio demonstrates how multiple options are becoming standard Bible fare.

Although Tyndale didn’t include Internet hyperlinks in its new study Bible, purchasers gained limited access to an online version that went into beta testing last fall.

The digital version is just one of Tyndale’s high-tech Bible products—which include iLumina, with more than 500,000 in circulation—and a pocket Bible for Windows.

“It’s almost at the point where it’s become an expected part of what’s going on,” said Kevin O’Brien, Tyndale’s director of Bibles and reference. “We’re seeing as many people use Bible software or PDAs. The ability to have access to the information is highly regarded.”

Nor is the bleak economy harming high-end products. Several publishers said demand has remained steady for premium versions retailing at $100 and up.

Vos acknowledged some impact from the worsening economy last fall. However, he said Bible aficionados still like the goatskin leather covers and quality bindings of the Cambridge Bibles that Baker Publishing Group distributes in the U.S. and Canada.

While most publishers see a continuing demand for print Bibles, it remains to be seen how Inspired By …The Bible Experience and The Word of Promise will affect the field for audio and video products.

Both productions had a dramatic effect, said Brian Scharp, vice president of Bible marketing for Zondervan. “They demonstrated it’s possible to (improve) a product that was considered a niche product,” said Scharp, noting that entering the Christmas season Inspired By … The Bible Experience had sold 750,000 copies.

Of course, no matter how many options are available for readers, publishers have an underlying concern: Research shows that despite a huge circulation, too many owners seldom read their Bibles.

Thus, one of Zondervan’s goals is to persuade readers to engage the Word on a more regular basis, Scharp said.

“We hope to inspire them into a deeper dive into God’s Word,” he said. “Our goal is to create Bibles that are as accessible to as many people as possible.”

Best-selling 
Bibles for 2008

Drawn from its PubTrack Christian sales data from Christian retail stores across the country, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s Top Twenty Bibles list for last year spotlights some of the strengths of the category for Christian stores.

With prices ranging from $1.99 to $4.99, the top three sellers highlight the potential for multiple sales for purchasers wanting to give away the Scriptures in evangelistic efforts and the opportunity for stores to connect with consumers who are ministry-minded.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of niche-audience versions, like Zondervan’s $44.99 True Images NIV in bubble gum/chocolate Duo-Tone, underscores the higher-than-average sales to be found in moderately priced editions.

And while later-in-the-year new releases from Tyndale House Publishers and Crossway generated much interest, their sales were not high enough to displace longer-established editions on the list.

1. Text Bible-NKJV (Thomas Nelson), $2.99
2. Outreach New Testament–ESV (Crossway Books & Bibles), $1.99
3. Operation Worship Bible–NLT (Tyndale House Publishers), $4.99
4. Thinline Bible-NIV, burgundy bonded leather (Zondervan), $24.99
5. The Adventure Bible-NIV, hardcover (Zonderkidz/Zondervan), $26.99
6. The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible-NKJV, CD (Thomas Nelson), $49.99
7. Gift and Award Bible-KJV, black leatherflex (Thomas Nelson), $4.97
8. Adventure Bible (Updated)-NIV, hardcover (Zonderkidz/Zondervan), $27.99
9. Gift and Award Bible-NKJV, black leatherflex (Thomas Nelson), $5.97
10. Quest Study Bible-NIV, hardcover (Zondervan), $34.99
11. Witness Edition Bible-NIV (Zondervan), $5.99
12. Gift and Award Bible-KJV, red leatherflex (Thomas Nelson), $4.97
13. Thinline Bible-NIV, black bonded leather (Zondervan), $24.99
14. Thinline Bible-NIV, navy bonded leather (Zondervan), $24.99
15. Princess Bible-ICB (Thomas Nelson), $24.99
16. Gift and Award Bible-KJV, navy leatherflex (Thomas Nelson), $4.97
17. Finding God: New Testament-NIV (Zondervan), $4.99
18. True Images-NIV, bubble gum/chocolate Duo-Tone (Zondervan), $44.99
19. Gift and Award Bible-NIV, black imitation leather (Zondervan), $7.99
20. Gift and Award Bible-NIV, burgundy imitation leather (Zondervan), $7.99

Type: Independent
Region: Midwest
Location: Busy intersection leading into town

Appearance:
Inventory:
Staff: 0

External appearance: After getting off a major highway and being visually bombarded by signage through the retail corridor leading downtown, the store's corner spot beside a vast, uncluttered parking lot was a welcome pause. However, the store was part of a rather stale two-store, stand-alone center, brightened only by a decorative mural on the side of the building.

Window display: A few window-cling promotions decorated the large front window, but a sunshade-down even on a cloudy day-obscured the store's inviting interior. However, there was no confusion that the store was "open," as indicated by a lit neon sign.

Entrance: Multiple airlock doors led into the store, and the spacious vestibule had large windows and a garden bench-the first hint that this store was a gathering place for Christians in the community. Between the doors and windows of the vestibule were graffitied spots on the wall where anyone could post signs for childcare, roommates or concerts.

Layout and inventory: Past the front entrance, a makeshift clearance bin muddled the otherwise attractively displayed multitude of Christian prints, frames and gift items. It was enticing to bypass the store's main artery, which cut through the store and led to a centrally-located checkout counter, and instead meander through the sections of framed prints, greeting cards and books.

Among the angled bookshelves the stock seemed meager, and there were numerous empty spots. In some places entire shelves were bare, especially in the children's area. This area was corralled off by shelving, with a computer just outside the area to occupy older kids.

The music section was partitioned off, and a coffee shop-rivaling popular chains with its stylish décor and hip, homey presentation-was tastefully isolated in the front quarter of the store.

Interior appearance: Warm, with contemporary décor colors and nice lighting. Secured glass shelving, without the sense of being untouchably fragile, attractively bounced light to feature unique photo frames. The card section's distinct lighting would enable even seniors to read the decorative fine print on greeting cards.

However, there was an assault on the ears, if not the eyes-extended-play contemporary rock music blared from ceiling speakers, making it a challenge to recall a title or to search out the right book from among the meager offerings.

Staff: Noncommittal. Although there were as many employees as customers in the store, no frontliners offered greetings or help. I sought out an employee and asked for a novel for a 10-year-old voracious reader, assuming that nearly any Christian title could be suggested.

The young lady pointed to some books that are part of a large series and said, "I don't know what these are about." She asked her senior employee, but she hadn't read any of them either. The young staffer and I then went to the teen area, where the fiction was very slim and teen-issue related, and she said, "A lot of moms buy these."

"What are they about?" She didn't know.

Verdict: The messy entrance area was a turnoff. If the store wants to be a hub for its community, a simple bulletin board can convey that with professionalism. Inside, stock deficiencies could easily be concealed with product face-outs.

The store is obviously a destination for Christians in the community, but the extensive variety of gifts along with the samplings of books and music and an entire coffee shop overextend the knowledge of the staff. The lack of training was apparent-teaching employees to brew hot lattes is relatively simple, but teaching them how to sell books takes more work.

If this were your regular store? I'd stick with the reasonably priced coffee and special-occasion gift purchases.

Would a non-Christian feel comfortable here? Yes. The store seems like a Cheers for the coffee crowd. No one would fear getting thumped by the Bibles, which are safely placed in a far back corner. But, unfortunately, the staff's lack of presence means that unless you were a faithful regular, no one would know your name.

What will you remember of your visit a week from now? That I should go elsewhere if I want recommendations for good books.

THE STORE OWNER RESPONDS: The store owner declined to respond.

Type: Independent
Region: South
Location: Medium-size strip mall
Appearance:
Inventory:
Staff:

External: Located in a busy strip mall in a lower-income area near a Wal-Mart. The lighted sign was easy to spot between all the other neighboring stores. Even though there was traffic, it was easy to find parking in the well-lit lot.

Most of the national media’s reporting on the economic challenges we are facing seems to me to have come from Chicken Little.

While there’s clearly no denying that the recession is impacting both retailers and suppliers in the Christian products industry, the reality is that the sky is not falling. Indeed, there are noteworthy bright spots amid the dark clouds.

I want you to look up—not for falling debris, but for hope. The good news is that wonderful Christian resources are on the shelves of stores across the country offering more help and encouragement than any network TV station is willing to mention. These books, DVDs and other materials contain the answers to every challenge known to man.

Some retailers are showing a level of Mother’s Day initiative and ingenuity that, well, would make their mothers proud. Instead of relying solely on special gift titles or promotional materials from publishers, they’re looking for inventive ways to drive sales mom’s way.

Retailers interviewed by Christian Retailing agreed that Mother’s Day is a great time for selling frontlist as well as backlist books, gifts—including gift books, music boxes, trinket boxes, plaques, vases, hand lotion and jewelry—and greeting cards.

Matt Nicholson, owner of Lakewood Christian Gift Center in Lakewood, Wash., ranks Mother’s Day as his second biggest sales season, and plans to create his own shrink-wrapped gift baskets this year.

“We’ll handpick items that will be a good match for mothers, whatever we have at the time, I imagine,” Nicholson said.

As a Munce Group store, Dightman’s Bible Book Center in Tacoma, Wash., has the benefit of a catalog full of Mother’s Day specials. Munce will be mailing more than 3 million catalogs and will provide stores with signage. Despite the advantage of being a marketing group member, owner Donna Dightman Baker isn’t resting on her laurels. For example, she purchased some close-out packages of discontinued items for mothers from P. Graham Dunn.

Bryan Sapp, manager at Family Books & Gifts in North Highlands, Calif., plans to host a mother/daughter tea. He will advertise the event through customer e-mails, a mailed flier and a newspaper advertisement. Tickets for the event will be sold at $3 a piece.

“Our events always do really well,” Sapp said.

Gifts galore

The reason Mother’s Day is so important for Christian retailers is simple: People love to get gifts for mom.

“If you wanted a short version of trendy items for Mother’s Day, you can never go wrong with jewelry or picture frames,” said Tina Wohlgemuth, general manager of Servant Marketing, a Texas-based company. “It all depends on how much money the customer is wanting to spend.”

In order to drive gift sales during the season, retailers might consider putting together a large display with all sorts of gifts and books for Mother’s Day. It should be placed front and center in the store, said Steve Mohler, vice president of marketing for Dicksons Gifts.

“My wife likes to buy journals for her mother,” Mohler said. “If she goes to buy the journal and displayed next to the journals is a nice mug, more than likely that store will get additional cash register rings from her.”

“Your display should offer a variety of price points as well,” said Sherry Morris, marketing manager for Carpentree. “Create something that gives consumers options.”

Publisher strategy

Most publishers focus on gift books during Mother’s Day, if they release any new products at all.

Barbour Publishing is releasing two new products, with its A Celebration of Mothers ($9.97, March) by Helen Steiner Rice and Power Prayers for Women gift edition ($14.97, March) by Jackie M. Johnson.

Few publishers are producing special books for Mother’s Day this year. For example, Beacon Hill Press won’t publish any books for mothers around Mother’s Day, although it did in 2008 with the release Quiet Moments for Moms by Joyce Williams and Quiet Moments for Grandmothers by Kay Marshall Strom.

“It was more of a fluke,” said Barry Russell, Beacon Hill marketing manager, adding that the company’s strategy is “to develop resources that come alongside moms … on more than just the celebrated special days of the year.”

Thomas Nelson didn’t wait to release the mom-friendly Robin McGraw title during Mother’s Day. Rather, What’s Age Got to Do With It? came out in December, with the publisher advertising the book in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine and promoting it with a national radio campaign.

The enterprising Christian retailer need not wait for special Mother’s Day titles to make hay in May. Last year, Sapp took the newly released God’s Master Plan for Your Life by Gloria Copeland (Putnam Adult) and created a Mother’s Day promotion around it.

“The publisher didn’t link the book to moms, but we did,” he said.

Creative marketing

Retailers are keeping a keen eye on their marketing spending. The Friendship Bookstore in Burnham, Pa., runs daily ads on a secular radio station year-round. Because of the station’s format, during Mother’s Day the highlighted product must appeal to a general audience, said store manager Theil Kauffman.

“You can’t measure radio exactly, but it works well for us,” he said. “People come into your store and say, ‘Where’s that book from the radio?’ ”

The Potter’s House in Valdosta, Ga., takes a new media approach. The store has a Facebook account where new releases and promotions are posted for online viewing.

“We post links so that viewers can hear or see clips of products we are promoting,” said Lee Andrews, store manager. “All of this is completely, 100% free.

“For Mother’s Day, we will use Facebook to send blasts to our customers about featured products. We keep adding ‘fans’ of the page so that each blast is being automatically received by more people, and then those people can choose to ‘share this post’ with other friends who aren’t yet fans of our page.”

Some stores are looking to connect with local churches to spur Mother’s Day sales. Kauffman holds an annual pastors’ breakfast and sends out a quarterly newsletter to those pastors. The spring issue will include Mother’s Day specials.

Nicholson noted that whatever a store’s resources, initiative and inventiveness can go a long way toward success.

“We are only limited by capital. We have all the rest,” he said. “This ingenuity all comes about not just through our own work, but through the blessings of the Holy Spirit. … It all comes from God with His will and the Holy Spirit’s help when you understand that the store does not really belong to anyone but to Him.”

Mother's Day Gifts

Barbour Publishing

A Celebration of Mothers ($9.97, March) celebrates motherhood with Helen Steiner Rice poems.

Power Prayers for Women gift edition by Jackie M. Johnson ($14.97, March) covers topics such as “My Emotions” and “My Home.”

Brownlow Gifts

Brownlow has unveiled several gift books, including the Gardens of a Mother’s Heart watercolors/essays/scripture collection ($14.99) edited by Caroline Brownlow and the accompanying journal ($9.99). The company will also publish “Heart Strings” miniature gift books ($5.99 each), with matching mugs available ($9.99). These products were to release Feb. 1.

Carpentree

Carpentree unveiled three new frames in January: Mothers, a pewter embossed frame ($15); Virtuous Woman, an embossed gold frame with scripture ($16.50); and Mom and Me, which holds a 4-by-4-inch photo ($12.50).

Zondervan

Eight Little Faces by Kate Gosselin ($14.99, April) includes photos from famous parents Jon and Kate Gosselin of the TLC TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8. In the book, Gosselin reflects on such themes as perseverance and encouragement.

The Best Is Yet to Come by Fran Fernandez ($16.99, April) offers 60 devotional meditations for women caught up in the hectic pace of life.