Why e-books aren’t the end of the world Christian Retailing’s Supplier of the Year on specialty retail’s enduring niche Since our company was named Supplier of the Year for 2011 by Christian Retailing magazine, I have been asked what we do that prompted stores across the country to speak so positively about our products and service. Rose Publishing’s market share through Christian bookstores has grown significantly through the years, making us a leader in the Bible atlas, biblical studies, denominational studies and Bible reference categories. I believe that part of the reason for that lies in our roots and our conviction that Christian retail stores are not just another channel for the distribution of Christian products, but share in a unique partnership with suppliers. Christian books and bookstores have always been a part in my life. My father came to Christ as a graduate student at the University of Nebraska by reading Paul E. Little and other authors. When I was 8 years old, he and my mother started a book table to serve students at UCLA, later helping open a Christian nonprofit bookstore near campus. I remember many happy hours helping in the store. At 23 years old, I was the first full-time female trade representative to cover 200 Christian bookstores in the eight Western states for David C. Cook Publishing. Too young to rent a car, for several years I drove from store to store. Inventorying three stores a day, making friends with the buyers, and in some cases even staying in their homes, gave me an understanding of what Christian bookstores wanted and needed from publishers. Those experiences inform several things we do to try to serve stores more effectively. REASONS FOR SUCCESS We answer the phone. There is no “phone tree” at Rose—our 800 number is answered by a human being from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT. Inquiries during normal office hours are answered by a knowledgeable, helpful person, not a call center or part-time summer staff. We return after-hours messages the morning of the following business day. Two years ago, we installed a “customer service live chat line” that allows dealers visiting our Web site to get answers fast without picking up the phone. We remember the mission. We never forget that Christian bookstores are the loving faces and hands of Jesus Christ to their communities. Our staff often prays with store staff about difficulties they mention. We also recommend products that will answer a customer’s question. When loyal dealers have their anniversaries, we honor requests for free products for giveaways. We help with special events. Some publishers don’t have time for Christian bookstores that order less than $1,000 at a time. They send stores to the distributors who don’t know the products as well. We have a dedicated sales reps and well-trained customer service reps to serve the independent Christian stores. We aim to meet needs. Most of our product line has come from suggestions given to us by stores—the Then and Now maps, the time lines, the comparison charts on denominations. Our best-selling Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Time Lines came about because dealers wanted 8.5-by-11-inch versions of our large wall charts for people who didn’t have room on their walls. We know people are sometimes too busy these days to read a 200-page book, so we give them pamphlets that condense a topic into 14 easy-to-understand pages, complete with diagrams, photos, maps and charts. We provide free marketing help. We started giving away free Bible eCharts to help build our mailing list, but have offered this program to stores, too. Many don’t have time to create fancy social media campaigns or look for giveaways that will increase the open rate of their emails, so our free program lets them send a free item each month. The link for the free chart goes to a site that does not have Rose contact details. The store’s email also explains how to sign up for the store e-newsletter. REASONS FOR HOPE Despite all the challenges in our industry, I remain positive about the special role and opportunity for Christian bookstores. The market is still there. There are millions of Christians in the U.S. who buy a lot of Christian products. They might buy in a variety of new ways, but the customer hasn’t disappeared. In-store is immediate. Online retailers cannot service customers with need for the product now, today. Print is still strong. Sales of Christian books are still dominated by printed books and will remain that way for a long time. Many people don’t realize that most music is still sold on CDs. People like them for gifts, for permanence, for backup. E-book categories differ. Religion as a category is one of the slowest to switch to e-books. Kindle, for example, has difficulty with Bible formatting. Yes, you can get a free Bible, but you cannot jump to a chapter and verse with ease. In addition, common sense tells us that churches will always buy for the broadest use. You can’t tell Fred he isn’t welcome at Sunday school because he doesn’t have a Kindle or an iPad. Christianity is not an isolationist activity the way normal book reading is. Most e-books have no page numbers. How can a Bible study group stay together when there are no page numbers? Physical is more visible. Digital products require intentionality. You have to download something to read it. But sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room, you need only open your eyes to see magazines and books. You are captivated by a headline. Tracts and Christian books capitalize on this. Amazon's biggest challenge is to get people to buy more than one item, whereas a bookstore customer rarely walks out with just one item. New technology can help. Social media and other communication developments are enabling retailers to contact customers in new ways who might be walking or driving near the store and offer them an incentive to come in. Where.com is just one example of how hyper-local ad networks can function. Some things don’t change. Customers are different than they were 10 years ago in many ways—interests, demographics, buying patterns—but their questions remain exactly the same. Who is God? Does He care about me? And more. Christian bookstore owners and managers passionate about serving the Lord insist on good-quality product because they have to stand behind it when customers come asking questions. This is a clear advantage over secular megastores. Christian bookstore staff add value by giving recommendations. CR
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