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:

1.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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.)
5. 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.
6. 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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