| Learn
More About Church Bookstores
Church bookstores
have different needs for different
reasons. Their core mission often
differs vastly from that of the general
retail bookstore. Here are a few things
to keep in mind when contemplating
installing a bookstore in your church:
- The volume of
customers that come in before and
after a service is very different
from general retail. Church stores
often service anywhere from 100
to 800 customers at a time, depending
on the size of the church, the hours
of services, and break out sessions.
This means the traffic flow must
lend to a comfortable shopping experience
for browsers who don’t want
to be rushed, but also meet the
needs of the customer who just stopped
in prior to their class. They need
quick access to pay for their product.
- Clear informational
signage is crucial to help customers
find the product they are looking
for quickly. Detailed category signs
and shelf talkers are a good start.
- In most cases
the church bookstore is very conscientious
of the merchandise mix they carry
in the store. Doctrinal issues sometimes
arise over certain product.
- For most Church
bookstores, gifts are not a major
product in the store, versus it
being the highest margin product
for independents! If gifts are included
in the product mix, they are limited
to apparel, some cards, coffee mugs,
etc. Most avoid carrying large quantities
of art. (Generally slow moving,
margin sensitive product.)
- Pastoral teachings
and sermons are an additional product
line that must have space in the
church bookstore. The more well
known the pastor or staff, the larger
the section.
- Larger
churches are constantly trying to
facilitate smaller group activities
because they know how crucial it
is for members to be connected in
small groups to better meet their
needs and to combat individualism.
Thus, many of them are mixing a
coffeehouse environment with the
bookstore so people can gather after
mid-week services/meetings in addition
to Sunday activities.
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