INTHEBLACK August 2024 - Flipbook - Page 28
F E AT U R E
“Indies trade on their expertise. When people
come into an independent bookstore, they are
excited by the service. It is special. It is never
transactional but is rather an exchange
of information or knowledge.”
ROBBIE EGAN, BOOKPEOPLE
MORAL OF THE STORY
Independent bookstores play a vital role in
the publishing ecosystem.
While discount department stores (DDS)
focus on selling already-successful books at
a steep markdown, and major bookstore
chains generally promote guaranteed
bestsellers, the indies give new authors
a leg up into the market.
“Indie bookstores are often the place where
an author connects to readers through local
event programs,” Crawford says.
“They will often be one of the first channels
to support a new author. Indies are also
valuable because they are agile.”
Independent bookstores also tend to
view reading habits from the customer’s
perspective, observing what their customers
see and the type of books they seek, she says.
“Indies identify micro trends early, and
when it comes to support of authors into
non-traditional channels, like schools, often
it is the local independent bookseller who
has relationships with schools and librarians.
They bring huge value.”
SERVICE PROMISE
Egan adds that service is the most important
ingredient in the independent bookstore
recipe for success.
Staff are knowledgeable about the products,
familiar with individual customers and
provide personalised service that simply
is not possible online or in discount
department stores.
“Indies trade on their expertise,” Egan says.
“When people come into an independent
28 INTHEBLACK August 2024
bookstore, they are excited by the service. It is
special. It is never transactional but is rather
an exchange of information or knowledge.”
“If the bookshop is good, consumers do not
feel like they are guiltily doing something.
It feels like a healthy, rewarding experience.”
Roger Simpson, retail consultant and
founder of The Retail Solution, says it is
this lesson from independent bookstores
he explains to clients.
“My passion is around helping retailers
improve service and sales. That is about
connecting with the customer and asking
questions to discover their needs,”
Simpson says.
“It is a service promise. It is about
smiling, having a conversation and finding
out enough to provide a total solution.
It is engaging on both sides, and it is
why you do not walk out of a bookstore
wondering why you bought a book.
Instead, you are excited about reading it.”
In the current retail environment where
wages are a major cost, some businesses
are cutting back on staff hours.
“It is a real Catch-22,” Simpson says.
“If you do not have the people, you will
not make the sale.”
Success, Simpson says, often comes
from store managers insisting on a
service focus such as seeing to customer
needs, rather than a task focus such as
stacking shelves.
If indie booksellers ever lose their service
focus, they will likely find themselves at
the conclusion of their business story.
Until then, the future is an open book.
