Category: Retail

Unlocking Success: The Magic of Bargain Books in Your Store

November 29, 2023

In the dynamic world of retail, finding the perfect balance between quality offerings and budget-friendly choices is an art. One avenue that holds immense potential for both customers and store owners is the realm of bargain books. These treasures not only delight avid readers but also open up new avenues for sales growth and customer loyalty. Let’s explore the benefits of incorporating bargain books into your inventory and how to maximize their sales in your store.

Broadening Customer Base

Bargain books act as a magnet for a diverse audience. While budget-conscious readers are drawn to the affordability, others might be enticed to explore new genres or authors they wouldn’t have considered at regular prices. By offering discounted books, you attract a wider customer base, making your store more inclusive and appealing.

Boosting Impulse Purchases

A well-displayed section of bargain books near the checkout counter can spark impulse purchases. Customers often find it hard to resist a good deal, especially when it comes to adding an affordable gem to their purchase. Consider strategically placing bargain books in high-traffic areas to capitalize on these impromptu buying decisions.

Building Customer Loyalty

Bargain books can serve as a gateway to cultivating long-term relationships with your customers. By offering them affordable options, you demonstrate a commitment to providing value, creating a positive shopping experience. Satisfied customers are more likely to return, and with word-of-mouth marketing, your store can become a go-to destination for both quality and savings.

Creating Theme-Based Displays

Maximize the appeal of bargain books by creating theme-based displays. Whether it’s seasonal discounts, genre-specific promotions, or highlighting hidden gems, organizing your discounted selection in an attractive and organized manner can significantly enhance their appeal. Visual storytelling around the bargain books encourages customers to explore and discover new titles.

Leveraging Social Media for Promotion

Harness the power of social media to promote your bargain book offerings. Share regular updates on these titles or host online book discussions around these budget-friendly options. Engaging with your audience through platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter can amplify your store’s visibility and attract a broader online audience. Stay connected to BookTok for what’s trending, as a lot of bargain book titles are highly sought after.

Incorporating bargain books into your retail strategy isn’t just about providing affordable options; it’s about creating an experience that resonates with your customers. By maximizing the benefits of bargain books, your store can become a haven for both savvy readers and those looking to embark on new literary adventures without breaking the bank. Unlock the magic of affordability and watch as your store transforms into a thriving hub for book enthusiasts of all kinds.

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Selling Sidelines

October 10, 2018

As booksellers, we all know that books are our bread and butter. We all have a great affection for book product—the smell, the feel, the comfort of having a book in our hands. We live and breathe books. Our customers come to our bricks-and-mortar store looking for that special feeling. But what if we could add some jam to that bread and butter? Seriously, who doesn’t like jam? Adding additional product lines to your overall assortment can significantly add a layer of “jam” to your bottom line!

At Book Outlet, our retail store in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, we have recently added many new non-book items to enhance our customers’ shopping experience. These product lines do not take away from our book product. Quite the opposite! These non-book product lines actually enhance the overall book shopping experience. We carry many different product lines, including greeting cards, toys, mugs, cozy socks, candles, candy, tote bags and many, many more. We do our best to cater to our core book customers and we look for non-book items we know our bookworm customers will love. We have also added smaller/lower priced non-book product, such as chewing gum, hand sanitizer, bookmarks, etc. around our cash line for impulse shopping! This increases the chances for these non-book items to become add-on purchases, which increases basket size, adding to your overall profitability. Last year, our non-book product represented 17% of our total sales in-store! Finding the perfect mix of non-book items along with great cross merchandising ideas are key to making a cohesive shopping experience.

Our team at our St. Catharines store has done a fabulous job in identifying non-book product lines that work well for our clientele. It is imperative that you identify successful product lines for your customers’ interests.

That being said, here are a few of our favorites:

Toy product:

Toys are a natural sideline to most product types. Many people shop either with their children or for their children. One brand we carry is Melissa & Doug. They have amazing products, such as puzzles, games, puppets, pretend play, and many others that will enhance your customers’ experience!

Clothing:

Okay, I know what you may be thinking. How the heck am I going to merchandise clothing in my bookstore? I am talking about scarves, socks, and yes, even T-shirts! We carry Out of Print product, which is perfect for the bookworm in your life who has read everything but would love anything that features their favorite book! From mugs to tote bags, this is excellent non-book merchandise for any bookstore.

Tea and Tea Product:

I don’t know many bookworms who do not enjoy a hot cup of tea while snuggled up reading their favorite book! We currently carry a line of tea product from Tea Forte. From loose-leaf tea to boxed tea, tea cups and tea pots, Tea Forte has it all!

Blankets/Throws:

I am an avid reader. I have blankets and throws throughout my entire house in all my favorite reading places. I have bought many of these items while shopping at my local bookstore (totally guilty!); therefore, I can attest that carrying this non-book product in bookstores works! We currently have a line of blankets and throws from NorthEast Fleece Company that customers have been very receptive to.

Lower priced impulse items (chewing gum, candy, hand sanitizer, wrapping paper, etc.):

We carry a number of different lower-priced product lines in our cash line-up and they sell consistently! These impulse products may not be the reason why a customer came into your store, but they sure do make a difference in the basket size and bottom line.

These are just some of the recent sideline products we have identified for our retail location. Don’t limit your search! There are many companies offering this type of product. Do your research. Get the best margins! Ensuring the non-book product you decide to sell meets your customer base is essential to its success at your store. Don’t know where to start? Ask your key customers what they’d like to see to enhance their shopping experience. Done right, sidelines will add another dimension/texture to your bookstore. They may even bring in a new customer who hasn’t purchased from your store in the past. They also make it possible to do more add-on selling and will keep customers in your store for longer periods of time, enticing them to buy more and ultimately adding revenue to your bottom-line!

Tracy Basnett

Category & Store Operations Director

Book Depot

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Getting Involved in Your Community

August 15, 2018

As a stand-alone store, it can be hard to shine in the community the same way a well-known corporate chain store does. In our case, we have to be a great deal more creative when it comes to forming a customer following and making a mark in the community, especially in areas that are growing so rapidly in business and culture. When the odds are against you and your brick-and-mortar store and it seems like other businesses are advancing without you, here are some tips for staying involved and keeping your community interested:

Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone

A fantastic way to get involved in your community is to open your arms and welcome people in by hosting a creative and exciting event. It may be something completely new to you, possibly an intimidating idea, but event coordination is an excellent way to reach out. Trying something new and hosting an event (of any kind) makes your location known to those who may have never heard of you, and it offers an ideal destination for family activities. Creating environments in which customers are encouraged to participate, have fun, and get to know your employees will inevitably lead to good reviews and good relationships. People will associate your location with happy memories and subsequently will want to share those good vibes with friends and family. We often get lost in the cold, hard side of business and forget that the most important factor is the community you form with your customers (because where would we be without them?). The warm and genuine human relationships are what make it possible to build a friendly and loyal base of customers, and hosting fun events is an excellent way to initiate these kinds of bonds and stay active in the community.

Band Together

Another way to remain current in the community is to get to know your fellow comrades in business and join forces to create an even larger web of customers. Rather than pitting yourself against the small business down the road, why not offer a friendly hello, get to know their story, and work together to bring business through both doors? In our growing society of online shopping, brick-and-mortar stores need to link arms and march bravely into the future by sharing their knowledge and offering a helping hand to a fellow neighbor. Putting your heads together to create joint marketing ventures (such as offering discounts if customers shop at both locations) is an excellent way to get involved and also to show your customers you are dedicated to the growth of the community.

Lend a Helping Hand

Perhaps one of the most essential ways to get involved in your community is to reach out in whatever way you can to those in need. A charitable donation can go a very long way with regard to relationships formed and the reputation of your business. It is important to be kind but cautious when choosing who/where to donate to. Obviously you can’t donate to everyone, but sometimes a small discount or a literal helping hand with a project can go much farther than anything of monetary value. Donating your time and your efforts can be just as worthy to someone as free product or a big cheque, and it also lends itself easier to that warm and genuine human connection that will help your business succeed in the long run.

Ultimately, it is your human nature that will aid you and your business in getting involved in the community around you. There is a lot of give and take in business, and the more you dedicate to your customers, neighbors, and those in need, the more you will receive back in spades in the form of customers, marketing, recommendations, and lasting relationships. So be loud, proud, and stand out in the crowd! Your success, as well as that of your brick-and-mortar store and your community of followers, is worth the effort!

Samara Bissonnette

Book Outlet

Retail Store Manager

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Visual merchandising display of books in bookstore.

Creative Merchandising Ideas

February 28, 2018

Does your store stand out from the crowd? Does it excite customers? Is there a way you can beef up your merchandising to increase sales? Is that even possible in a bookstore? I say YES! Having 11+ years’ experience working for a major book retailer in Canada, I have seen many ways to increase sales via in-store merchandising. People come to your brick-and-mortar store to discover new items, to be WOWED. Making your store stand out from the competition is crucial to staying healthy and profitable in this competitive marketplace. Not only are you competing with other brick-and-mortar stores, you are now competing with online retailers too. Therefore, creative merchandising becomes even more important. You want to provide your customers with the ultimate shopping experience! Here are six easy ways to boost sales, while making an aesthetic impact on your store.

Change displays biweekly

All of us know that it is crucial to merchandise displays to follow holidays, seasons, etc. But is that really enough? Keep your store vibrant and fresh by switching your displays on a biweekly schedule whenever it is possible. This will keep customers excited and looking forward to see what’s new when they return.

Is your cash lineup exciting?

New arrivals should be displayed near the front of the store. Most book retailers have ample new arrivals weekly. Keeping your cash lineup fresh gives you more opportunity to entice your customers to impulse buy an item they didn’t even come into your store for. Alongside these sought-after new arrivals, display easy add-on items (low ticket priced items – like bargain books) to increase your customers’ basket size.

Tables should tell a story

Grouping like products together will give your customers additional reasons to buy more items from you, saving them time mixing and matching categories and topics that interest them. All tables should tell one cohesive story. A customer is looking for a complete solution. For example, if doing a Mother’s Day table and you are featuring some books on tea, cross merchandise this with tea, tea cups, and cookies, for example. Table displays that tell a story are more interesting to a shopper and potentially much more profitable to you as a retailer.

End-caps

End-caps should be used to display new releases or older books by popular authors. When customers browse through your store and pass by the ends of your shelves, they can be influenced by what is displayed. Use end-caps creatively by adding products such as book lights, reading glasses, or gift cards. Adding one or two higher-margin products to every basket can really affect your bottom line.

Back of store merchandising

Categories such as Science, New Age, and Crafts and Hobbies, to name a few, should be placed in the depth of your store. Less impulse in nature, customers will travel to the back of your store to find these categories. By doing this you will increase the chances of those customers putting other items in their basket, increasing their basket size.

Make the shopping experience a comfortable one

Most shoppers shop with another person; a spouse, a friend, or a child. The more uncomfortable the spouse, friend, or child may get, the less time your customer will spend in your store browsing and adding to their basket.

Examples may include: chairs and sofas to make browsing more comfortable, ample heat/air-conditioning, or sufficient room to maneuver between shelves and tables.

These are just a few ideas to get your juices flowing. You will have many unique ideas that tailor to your store and your target customer. Have fun and be creative!

Tracy Basnett

Book Depot

Category Manager

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5 Tips for Running a Successful Store Event

August 2, 2017

If you think having fun at work is a myth, then you’re wrong! Maybe it’s time to bring some pizazz into your workplace and host an exciting event for you and your customers! Connecting with customers is a deeply important part of running a successful business, and what better ways to connect with the people you cater to than by literally catering to them? Starting an interactive in-store experience for your customers may seem like a daunting task, but in the long run, not only will the revenue reflect your efforts, but you will also have created a whole new community of people within your business.

Here are some tips for running a successful store event:

1. Get the word out

You may have a steady stream of customers throughout the week, but how do you know if putting on a special store event will be worth your efforts? The answer to this is to advertise until you can recite your event details in your sleep. One hugely effective way to do this is through social media. More and more people are turning to Facebook, Twitter, and websites to find details for upcoming events, so make sure it is posted well enough in advance for people to plan around your event! If you spring it on your customers the day of, they may not get the memo and the poor turnout might turn you off of ever putting on another event. Another highly effective way to do this is through word of mouth. Though social media is an expanding phenomenon, there is still a great deal of value in personally informing your customers about your upcoming events. Whether it be just with a friendly reminder, or if you hand them a physical flyer outlining all the details, customer interaction is always effective. Remember, that’s why you’re putting on the events in the first place!

2. Be passionate!!

If there is something that you are passionate about, don’t hesitate to incorporate it into your events! Many themes I’ve used have been related to my favorite authors, holidays, seasons, animals, etc. Trust me—your customers will know if you are engaged. The more enthusiastic you can be about bringing something new and exciting to your store, the more entertaining and meaningful it will be for your customers. Not to mention, the more engaged you are with your audience, the more rewarding it will ultimately be for your business. By participating and reaching out, you can form important and lasting relationships with people, which will essentially do a large portion of your marketing work for you! When you provide a good customer experience, people are much more likely to pass on the word to friends and family and send many new faces your way!

3. Dollar stores are your best friend

When planning events for a large group of people, it can be hard to fit everything you need into a budget that will still allow for profit. This is where your local dollar store comes in handy! In my experience, I have been able to provide craft supplies, prizes, decorations, and refreshments for 50+ people for under $100, just by shopping smart and making a little go a long way. Buying things in bulk and really getting your money’s worth out of the supplies you purchase makes the day’s sales numbers that much more satisfying.

4. Free is key

If you want your store event to be successful, I have found that advertising FREE attendance for your customers is the key to a larger turnout. Your goal is to get more traffic in your store, and nothing brings bargain shoppers out like free things! The more people you have coming through your doors, the more you’ll have purchasing your product when they may never have stepped foot in your store otherwise. It also never hurts to make noticeable displays of event-related product to catch their attention. Another good tip for advertising a free event is to keep a sign-up sheet and ask your customers to put their names on the list prior to the event to guarantee their attendance. This way you can gain a better estimate of the size of your crowd, and customers will have time before the event to spread the word to their friends and families. That being said, when promising a free event for anyone to attend, make sure you have adequate space to accommodate a large crowd. The word “free” often generates a pretty overwhelming response!

5. Think outside the box

Don’t be afraid to seek outside help for your events! There is a wealth of available services geared specifically towards catering to corporate events. Whether it is a magician, a live animal show, or an art workshop, there are always new and affordable ways to bring something exciting into your place of business. Many entertainment companies are also more than willing to provide discounts and extra deals to suit your needs, so it always helps to call and speak personally with your potential guests before booking.

Regardless of which direction you decide to go in with your events, remember that they are yours and if you’re not having fun with them, then your customers won’t either. Whether it is an event geared toward children, family, or adults, the more engaged you are in what you’re doing, the better success you will have. Participating in fun activities different from your daily routine will not only improve your relationship with your customers, but it is an excellent team-building exercise for you and your staff as well. The more involved you become within your surrounding community, the bigger your customer base will grow and you will find that work can be more fun than you thought it could be!

Samara Bissonnette

Book Outlet

Retail Store Manager

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Customers shop for bargain books at annual book outlet box sale.

Retail Store Event Feature: Annual Box Sale

April 21, 2017

Every year on the March break, book-loving customers come from far and wide to visit our retail store location and participate in the Book Outlet Box Sale. Tables upon tables are filled with damaged product or slow selling/excess titles that are accumulated over the year from our warehouse location. About a year goes into preparing the 24,000 sq ft warehouse to become a veritable candy factory of books, lined with overladen tables. It has become such a popular local event that our marketing was made easy by the enthusiasm and involvement of the customers, proving day after day that they look forward to this year-round.

Box Sale 2017

This year’s sale proved to be one of the very best in several regards. The product we procured over the year was a big driver of sales. We were selling books by Emma Donoghue, Stephen King, Jeffrey Archer, Ken Follett, Oliver Jeffers, Sandra Boynton, Julia Donaldson, and so many more! It’s no wonder our customers came in chaotic droves first thing in the morning to rush in and peruse the tables. In past years, we have been accustomed to a line up at the door and rush when we open, but this year was an exceptionally busy year, partially due to the excellent social media campaign that got our customers so excited for this event. As well as visual teasers and daily advertising, we ran a number of new and thrilling contests for our customers, such as hiding boxes in the store and having people rush in to find them, hosting coloring and writing contests for the youth, and a Facebook Like & Share post that reached over 218,000 people, all with the enticing prize of a free box at the sale. Perhaps the most exciting promotion we ran throughout the sale was our Golden Ticket promotion, where we hid a number of shiny tickets within the stacks of sale books, which also entitled the customer who found it to a free box of books at the sale. As a result of all of this incredible dedication and effort from the store staff, we exceeded our past sales results, making this year the best Box Sale ever at a total of 3536 boxes in three days.

We hope this might inspire you to run your own exciting sale in your store that garners a lot of attention! Do you have more questions about the sale and promotions leading up to the event? Please comment below.

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Bargain books displayed on table in bookstore.

Top 3 Reasons You Should Sell Bargain Books

August 24, 2016

When I was asked to write an article about why a bookstore should be selling bargain books, another question actually came to my mind first: “Why would you NOT sell bargain books in your store?” Maybe the reason this question popped into my head is that I have been selling bargain books to bookstores and various retail accounts for almost 20 years, but it is one that is worth exploring. From speaking with many booksellers over the years at numerous trade shows I have heard many concerns about bargain books, the most common being they will cannibalize front-list sales, don’t support the authors via royalties, are “used” and “dirty,” or bookstores don’t want to sell what someone else could not sell.

I will respond to all of these objections as I present to you the top three reasons why you should be carrying bargain books in your store.

1. Bargain books mean higher margins

The typical margin you get from the publisher is 50%. If you decide to give the title a discount to keep up with the sale prices on Amazon or one of the other large retail chains, you will continue to eat into that margin. And then there is your cost of pulling it off the shelves, packing it back up, and sending it back to the publisher for a credit if it does not sell. It might not have been a bad book; you may have just overestimated your market or could not compete with large retailers like Costco or Sam’s Club that are selling it at cost. From the research we have done with many of our customers, we can see that bargain books sell at a profit margin of anywhere from 60-75%.

Years ago, many stores would simply double their cost, add a bit for shipping, and priced accordingly. However, with the great selection that is available and by testing their market by finding the right niche pricing, many retailers are finding the sweet spot for pricing is in the 65% margin range. Even with the slightly higher retail price, the “bargain” price is still such a great deal that their customers keep coming back for more. I am not telling you to convert your entire store over to bargain books (although you certainly could), but even if you dedicate just a table or two or a couple of shelves and create this “ongoing event” inside your store, you will soon see it is your store’s most profitable section. As one veteran bookseller once told me, the front-list product they carry is pretty much a break-even proposition, but bargain books are where the profit is!

2. Everyone loves a bargain

Bargain books give your customers more reasons to come to your store regularly. I am sure you have a loyal following of regular customers and avid readers who stop by every week or two to pick up something new to read, but you probably also have those customers who only show up when the newest book from their favorite author is on sale or they are just tracking the latest fad in books, like adult coloring books, for example. A vibrant, well-stocked bargain book section will create another reason for the money-savvy buyer to visit your store faithfully. And on this point, I want to debunk the stigmas that bargain books are “damaged” or “used and dirty” books. Our bargain books are store returns and are in perfect selling condition. The only difference between bargain and brand new product is the small mark the publisher puts on either the top or bottom edge of the book to ensure the product cannot be returned to them for credit a second time. The books are otherwise in excellent condition, and with the great prices that your customers are getting, they won’t even notice that small mark! Our damage claim for Book Depot customers is 0.07%! That is a staggering number. When you order from Book Depot, you can be confident that your books will be of the best quality and packed with care. Consider taking your two least productive sections in your store, downsizing them, and creating a vibrant, fast-moving, value-priced book section in their place.

3. The selection is absolutely fantastic

Finally, I want to fill you in on all the great books you will find at Book Depot daily and also dispel some of the myths about why selling bargain books will cannibalize your front-list sales. As I have been selling bargain books for almost two decades I can confidently say that the selection, quality, and quantity of titles at Book Depot have never been better. We have over 50,000 titles across 56 different categories, and hundreds of titles being added daily that you can view on the “New Arrivals” page of our B2B website. Publishers are just like every other business in that they are under pressure to cut losses and increase profits. For many years some of the big publishers would not sell off their unsold titles, but that is all changing. What they are noticing is that bargain books are just a small part of this very large industry and it is not affecting their front-list demand by releasing some of these unsold or returned books.

So who benefits from this? The publishers now see some cost relief by selling their returned or unsold books, and the wholesalers benefit by getting lots of great books to resell to you, the book retailer, who is next in line to benefit by getting these titles to sell at a much lower price. Lastly, your customers will benefit by getting fabulous books at even better prices! The quality and quantity of the product are truly amazing. I could go on and on about all the great books we have in stock right now, but I think you would be better served to see for yourself by visiting our web site and browsing the new arrivals, or asking one of our sales representatives for a list of our bestselling titles.

Now that you can see all the benefits, what about that scary concept called cannibalization? Guess what? Bargain books do not cannibalize sales of frontlist product! Let me explain. We all have our favorite authors who we love to read and cannot wait until their next release is available. Would you risk waiting six months to a year after a new release to see if you might be lucky enough to pick up a bargain copy? Not likely! Even I have my favorite authors whose books I buy at the release date even though I know we will probably get a bargain copy of it someday. But here is the flip side of this view. Maybe there is a book or an author who you were interested in reading but never had the time or just could not justify spending the money on something you were not sure about. Imagine this now: you can pick up a copy from a great bargain table for only $5.99. Worth the risk? (Yes!) And if you really liked it, do you think you will pick up the new release when it comes out in September? How many loyal fans of authors may have been converted by picking up a bargain copy off a sale table? And once they are hooked, they will keep coming back for more, both frontlist and those unexpected finds on the bargain table. So now you have a happy customer, an additional sale that you might not have had before, and a new fan of an author who is going to likely buy their new releases going forward, which will benefit both the author and your store. What could be better than that? Are we not all trying to get more people interested in reading, trying new books and authors, and promoting the literary culture? I know bargain books are a vital component of that and I hope you will give them a try!

Rick Mechelse

Senior Sales Representative

Book Depot

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