Instant coffee didn't kill coffee shops. Canned spaghetti didn't kill Italian cafes. Yet the media keep reporting that eCommerce and eReaders will kill the indie bookshop. We need to keep correcting the message.    

In a recent Caltech study, researchers found that people participating in their food shopping experiment "were willing to pay, on average, 50 percent more for items they could reach out and touch than for those presented in text or picture form." There's value in experiencing something real, something authentic.  

How does your bookstore capitalize on the sensory experience?

3 fast & easy ways to keep them coming back in ...

 Brief & Clear - Short copy for   signs and shelf-talkers can be just as effective (maybe more so) than  lengthy reviews.  

Stop, Look, & Open- Beautiful, amazing books need to be seen to be appreciated. What books are spine-out or face-out in sections throughout the store that need to be opened to be admired?     

 Joy of Discovery - Customers love discovering things. It's one of the joys of shopping!  

Group items in themes and combine non-book items people don't know you carry. Give them surprises throughout the store in focal point areas. 

Inspire the add-on sale by tapping into interests and presenting a delicious display.  

serendipitous discovery.

your most powerful advantage. 

From window displays to focal point areas, perimeter bookcases to the cash wrap - we've gathered the best of our photos of bookstores around the world for a 26 minute training video for everyone on staff.

Watch the 3 minute preview...

Promo-Bookstore Merchandising Made Easy

Copies are available on DVD for $39.95. Purchase before April 30, 2011 for an additional 20% savings.

professional merchandising for booksellers.

see & do ... buy now. 

How could you not open an email with these subject lines?

• We interrupt this newsletter to giggle - featuring new picture books at The Bookworm in Omaha, NE
• 3 Days only - limited time offers are a proven call-to-action strategy that works
• Exclusive - it's a magical word; we all want to be special
• Shhh ... for members only - makes them glad they signed up for your email list or frequent buyer program!
• Look who just won the xyz Award - help them be the first to know   

open & read.

make it worthwhile.   

Writing and drawing on the walls.

We love the stairwell at Vero Beach Books in Vero Beach, Florida where visiting authors and illustrators have literally left their mark. 

Do you have a blank wall somewhere that could be your wall of fame?

Often times spaces near restrooms and drinking fountains, short walls that lead to the back room, and other little spaces can be used for something fun.  

Here's the cafe at Books & Books in Coral Gables, beautifully adorned with author photos ... a reminder to customers how bookstores add to the cultural life in the community. 

write & hang stuff on walls.

  corporate office approval not required.