The head of one the country's largest Christian publishers has urged Christian retailers to work at maintaining the special affinity they can foster with customers.

Christian bookstores "offer something unique," said Dwight Baker, president of Baker Publishing Group, in a "Talking Points" interview with Christian Retailing magazine. "When I need to buy a screwdriver, for example, I don't feel the same affinity with an independent hardware dealer," he said. "Christian bookstores are unique in that feature.

"But assuming that customer loyalty will carry retail another 10 years into the future would be a mistake. The survivors need to constantly search for methods to cultivate that affinity and put it to work."

Baker suggested stores look for creative ways to connect with customers that big chains can't, but also "stop looking at the competition in the hopes that they will disappear…. (and) at publishers in the vain hope that another tweak in terms or policies will restore the satisfaction of days past."

While Baker and other publishers had pursued market opportunities outside the Christian retail channel, the company still offered many special deals and discounts for Christian retailers, he said—and he was surprised by how few were utilized.

"The deals are there—dozens of little sweetheart offers designed to place independent Christian retailers on a level playing field," he said. "For instance, when we do a promotion through a CBA chain, we frequently extend those terms across all (Christian) retail."

Read the full interview in the Oct. 12 issue of Christian Retailing.