Increase the Odds of Impulse Purchases of Your Books

In today's guest post, I'm delighted to welcome author and publisher Sue Freeman to share some tips about using book displays to boost book sales in stores and at events, and increase the odds of making sales to retail stores.

Increase the Odds of Impulse Purchases of Your Books
by Sue Freeman

On Store Shelves

We’re all susceptible to the impulse purchase. That’s why the grocery and discount stores line the checkout lanes with goodies to catch your eye. It works - you buy more. Put this human impulse to work in your favor by using point-of-purchase displays to put your books in direct line of sight of people with their wallets already out of their pockets.

At Footprint Press, we sell outdoor recreation guidebooks to trails for hiking, bicycling, and skiing. We’ve gotten them displayed on checkout counters in bike shops, gift shops, nature centers, wineries, coffee shops, and even gas stations.

When we make a sales call we offer a free plastic counter-top display stand if they buy 5 or more books. With the stand (and some not-so-subtle suggestions), nine times out of ten, our books end up being displayed on the checkout counter. We tape a business card to the back of the stand, which gives the owner of the shop quick access to our reorder phone number.

Of course, some shop owners say no – their counters are too crowded already. But, the ones who say yes end up selling many more books and we make our minimal investment in the display stand back very quickly.

This works for other genres of books also. Target which stores you approach with the free book stand idea carefully. If your book appeals to grandparents, target stores where grandparents shop. If your book is historical (fiction or non-fiction) target stores where people interested in that history might shop. Don’t limit your thinking to book shops. Think about what shops might be visited by your specific customers, then make a sales pitch to the shop owner. Offering a book stand is sometimes the tipping point that gets them to say yes rather than no.

At Exhibits, Book Signings, Festivals and Trade Shows

Use book stands to give your books a lift at festivals, exhibits book signings and trade shows. You've spent time and money to get there, and often shelled out money for the honor of setting up your table. If you spread your books on the table (as we’ve watched many authors do) and sit back as people wander past, sending only a fleeting glance toward your table, an opportunity is lost. Instead, capture that opportunity by using display stands to set your books upright at various heights.

You've invested in designing captivating covers, so display them front-out to passers-by and let their glance light upon your covers, enticing them over for a closer look. This works well, even if you’re not an aggressive marketer. Some authors can engage people in conversation as they walk by, but many are too shy to do it successfully. Whether you’re shy or aggressive, displaying books on stands helps to entice potential customers to your table.

Back of Room Displays at Talks, Workshops and Seminars

If you’re giving a talk, seminar or workshop, having your books on display stands on a table in the back of the room is much more noticeable to attendees. They’re more likely to see them upon entering the room and stop to browse. Browsing often turns into buying.

Resource for Book Display Stands

DisplayStands4You offers 15 different models of plastic book stands plus the BookHug, which is made of metal. Which one you choose depends on the height, width and spine width of the book you want to display and how much space you have to work with. Display models cs2, cs14, and cs5 book stands work well for displaying single titles, depending on the size of your book. If space is tight, the model cs3, or wider cs15 double-tiered book stand works well to display 2 titles. DisplayStands4You is currently designing a stand specific for Tablets PCs and e-book readers.

About the Author

Sue Freeman and her husband Rich have written and published 14 outdoor recreation guidebooks for Central and Western New York State. Learn more about their books at Footprint Press.

While marketing their guidebooks, Sue and Rich discovered that they needed display stands to get stores, such as bike shops, to display their books near the cash register for higher sales. When they couldn't find any display stands in low quantities and at a reasonable price, Rich decided to make some and their business, DisplayStands4You, was formed.

Comments

[Judith Briles]

A simple thing such as a book stand can create wonders. And as obvious as it seems, sometimes we forget the simple things that can truly be useful even in a small way. Thanks for the enlightenment and great tips on how to use book stands for effective marketing.

[Laura]

Love this idea! Thanks Sue for offering your tip and the suggestion for the website too.

[QuinnCreative]

And while a hundred people grumble, "That will never work," I'm just going from store to store, leaving the stand and selling books.

[Denise]

Great idea. Thanks for sharing. Posters help too. To get sales after you attend an event, consider passing out postcards that have your website URL on them and the titles of your books.

Denise
writemoneyinc.com

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks Denise - posters are a great idea for events, and small versions can even be used in retail settings.