ECPA report reveals Christian-book consumer habits |
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Wednesday, 09 November 2005 07:00 PM America/New_York |
Consumers of Christian books read more, spend more on books, shop at bookstores more and visit the library more often than the general population, according to the 2005 Christian Book and Consumer Purchasing Report by Ipsos BookTrends research group. The report was commissioned by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), which unveiled the findings at its Publishing University (Pub U) training event in Bloomingdale, Ill., this week. The study, drawn from around 16,000 households across the country, spotlighted a “powerful consumer group,” said ECPA President Mark Kuyper. The report's release was one of the centerpieces of Pub U, where the theme was “Consumer Centric Publishing.” Christian-book buyers read more than the overall population, according to the study; 32% of those surveyed reported reading more than three titles a month, compared to 29% overall. 58% read at least one book per month, compared to 55% of the general public. Bookstore visits among Christian retail consumers averaged nine visits a year, 40% more than the general population. Spending habits at those bookstores were also higher among Christian-market shoppers, who spent an average of $300 a year on books, while the general public spent just $200 a year. Research showed Christians also give books as gifts more often (32% compared to 28%), borrow books from the library 3% more (42% compared to 39%) and loan them to friends 4% more (36% compared to 32%) than the general population. Barrie Rappaport, senior account executive for Ipsos, presented the study's findings. Rappaport said the compound average annual unit growth rate for sales of Christian books was 2.3%, compared to 1.8% for non-Christian books, giving Christian publishers a “terrific growth opportunity,” she commented.
The Ipsos study also found that Christian retail stores ranked third in the list of purchase points for Christian books, accounting for 12% of sales, behind book clubs (18%) and general market chains (16%). Mass merchandisers and the Internet each took 8% of sales.
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