“The whole of art is an appeal to a reality which is not without us but in our minds.” ~ Desmond McCarthy
I’ve been known to buy a book on gardening or home decorating and design based on a single picture I liked! Crazy, you might say but, it is the truth of the matter.
The other day, I began thinking of instances that have led me into the action of buying a book rather than just perusing the publication’s dust jacket. Finding an interesting book among other things that I like (complimentary products) has prompted me to buy.
Some of the most successful bookstores I have ever entered, pull merchandising off real well. One year, all in one fell swoop, I created the best Mother’s Day present ever. I went into a great bookstore, and they had an attractive table display geared toward the gardener. Within a few minutes time, I had picked up a small, beautifully designed picture book of heirloom perennial flowers, some heirloom garden seeds, Burt’s Bees gardener’s skin cream and soap, a garden hand tool and a garden container, perfect for creating a gift basket. Viola! I was all set.
My decision of whether or not to buy that book was driven by the convenience and beauty of the display! Why not, everything I needed for a beautiful gift was right there. Booksellers, here is a good article on merchandising
http://bit.ly/ggZDq3
.
Some bookstores do a better job of merchandising than others. A feature of “Book of the Month” with complimentary products may help drive sales. After all, in book selling you are trying to appeal to the heart and soul of the readers interests, are you not? For instance, in the dead of winter, a cozy display of knitting books and yarns and other like accessories might just strike a chord. It is worth a try and it will make for added interest among rows and rows of books, that make decision-making often difficult.
The art of the display could mean no investment at all, just a extra little time and effort. An attractive arrangement of coordinating merchandise and books already found throughout the store, gathered into one creative display may bring added focus to the publications. Sounds like fun to me! A treasure hunt! Put the composition front and center and ask your customers how they like it. Perhaps when it is time to switch-up the display, raffle-off a small gift from the collection as a token of thanks for bookstore browsers. Could this be a way of identifying customers with niche market interests? It may help determine what flies.
Independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
Posted by sueleonardCFS 
