With all the big box bookstores taking over the industry, an independent bookseller needs to be creative and offer something to the community that is lacking in the discount sellers' establishments. Develop a plan that is unique and gives customers another reason to frequent your shop besides just buying a book.
Instructions
1. Visit the local bookstores in your area to get a feel for the kinds of offerings that are available. To be successful, you must provide a unique experience. Watch the local calendar listings online or in your newspaper for book readings and other events going on at local bookstores and attend some of the readings to gauge community response.
2. Research the psychology of shoppers through a number of books and papers devoted to the subject. You need to understand the patterns of shoppers, how they respond to displays, what kinds of browsing aisles work best to draw customers deep into the store and how signage can effectively persuade shoppers to buy.
3. Set up displays at the front of the store that are theme oriented to attract customers looking in the windows. Consider timely topics, such as economics, financial planning, job searches, alternative medicine and weight loss. Rotate the front display in keeping with the news and trends of the day.
4. Place seating strategically throughout the store to give shoppers a chance to leaf through books and rest so that they will remain in the store longer. While you don't want to encourage actual reading in the store that precludes buying, you do want to provide comfortable seating while shoppers make their buying decisions.
5. Purchase good lighting, colorful wall paint and contemporary pictures that make the store look hip and inviting. Old dingy bookstores may attract serious readers, but most shoppers want up to date reading material. Consumers want to be in on the latest trends for the most part.
6. Consider setting up kiosks where customers can download e-books onto their portable electronics. By utilizing modern conveniences, you can draw in consumers who might also notice a catchy display of a book and add that to their purchase.
Tags: local bookstores, store that