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Getting College Stores to Sell Themselves
05/01/09
In the CAMEX 2009 session Apocalyptic Bookselling, Lisa Walden emphasized that a college store needs to sell itself. The general book section needs to tell its own story. Every department in the store has to reach out to shoppers with its own strengths.
"As soon as somebody's in the store, you have to imagine there's somebody with them the whole time," said Walden, general book manager, University of New Mexico Bookstore, Albuquerque. "People are on their little gadgets and they've got their posse with them," even though those friends aren't along physically.
"It's the same way for booksellers," she added. "We've got to be with them virtually. We can't go out and greet every customer. It'd be great if we could, but time doesn't allow it.
"Inventory tells people who you are. Now that everyone's so economically challenged, we really have to focus on what we are selling. The whole little-bit-of-everything model isn't really going to work for everybody anymore."
Walden said her store focuses on niche marketing with products particular to Albuquerque, the state of New Mexico, and the Southwest, including Native American items. Inventory choices are made carefully, with an eye on quality and appropriateness, to avoid any perception the store is becoming "touristy."
She also pointed to faculty-authored books as an obvious must for any college store.
Each department in the store should have its own clearly defined entryway, a transition that begins telling its story. But don't become locked into one arrangement. Shift the store's layout every so often. "Unless it's bolted down, don't be scared to move things around to keep things fresh," said Walden.
Even if the store's layout is constrained by size, she noted there are still simple things one can do to emphasize both niche products and core merchandise.
"Put all your fiction together," she advised. "Don't have somebody that's looking at mysteries have to go all the way across the store to go and try to find a horror novel." Study aids should be near textbooks. Bargain and clearance areas should be clearly marked as well. She recommended overhead signage whenever possible for maximum visibility.
Don't forget such oldies but goodies as placing new titles face out so books can sell themselves. "I know it sounds cheesy," said Walden, "but you're selling your book by facing it out. Try to do as little spine out as you can." She periodically performs a little test, selecting a fiction title she loves but that hasn't sold any copies. "I'll just—boop!—face it out and I'll come back in about an hour and 'Ohmigod, sold three of them! That is amazing!'"
While each department has to be able to sell itself, Walden said not to compartmentalize how your store markets itself: "Don't think, 'Oh, I've got So-and-So to make displays and I don't worry about those. Somebody else does buying, so I don't worry about that.' You need to make sure that all the elements are working together, because that's the way that your store speaks cohesively and tells its story and really will get a customer from the front door all the way to your back bargain section or wherever it is they need to be and out the door with books in their hand."
—Michael von Glahn
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