Forging partnerships with suppliers will be an important key to your store’s success

Peering across the landscape of the CBA marketplace, the industry is littered with hundreds upon hundreds of products to sell, vendors to work with and programs to execute and market. But with the dawning of the digital age and, essentially, a new type of consumer, traffic is down for many stores, and sales are struggling due to a lack of interest in in-store book and music sales.

Naturally, stores have branched out into other categories to fill the sales void. Some have added boutiques with fashion jewelry and scarves, cafés with coffee and dessert, and specialty merchandise based on the History Channel series The Bible or A&E’s infamous Duck Dynasty. Such additions to the typical product mix help to differentiate Christian retail from its big-box competitors. 

But, is it enough? Paired with exceptional customer service, are Christian retailers able to carve out enough of a niche through these new offerings? It’s safe to say that while this is a definitive step in the right direction, the answer is no, it’s not enough to thrive in today’s retail environment.

FIND EXCITING PRODUCTS

In a world that is breeding a consumer who is becoming more difficult to please, thanks to online product offerings that are highly customized and unique, it is essential for the CBA industry to take action. The Christian retailer must continue to discover and purposefully seek out vendors who not only bring their best, but also bring more to the table. The task at hand is to find vendors who consistently release fresh, quality products, provide excellent customer service and elicit a spark of excitement among consumers.

While many products in the CBA industry are timeless, industry leaders must continue to adapt to a consumer culture that may no longer place as much of an emphasis on quality customer service as it once did—and is becoming progressively bored with run-of-the-mill products and services. To address this need, Christian retailers must remain sharp, identify customer trends and act quickly. 

Partnering with vendors that are committed to new product development and a pursuit of industry excellence is a win-win. Finding and building relationships with vendors that are mindful of the future and being at the forefront of the industry is a key piece of the retail puzzle. When strong, smart partnerships exist between vendors and stores, customers will take notice, traffic will increase, and improved sales will result. 

As a vendor, P. Graham Dunn works hard to analyze sales and reveal to customers products that provide proven sell-through. We not only disseminate this information at store level, but also internalize it and take what we learn to develop new products that are engaging and exciting.

New, on-trend product is key, but don’t discount quality either. Identifying vendors that consistently provide an excellent product, deliver on their promises and are able to keep store shelves full is essential.

When competing in the fast-paced game of retail, stores lack the time and resources to struggle alongside a vendor with replenishment issues, overdue delivery times and inconsistent products. Once you find a vendor that produces and distributes great product, begin building a relationship that if done right, begins to resemble a partnership. 

PRIORITIZE KEY PARTNERSHIPS

The Christian products industry has an extensive history of passionate and deliberate relationship-building. This aspect is unique to CBA, and one that is essential to the survival of the industry.

P. Graham Dunn takes pride in the relationships that have been built in the CBA marketplace since the origin of the company. Founder Peter Dunn built many relationships through the years that led to our growth and development—relationships that we strive to build upon and enhance. It is a company priority that we make ourselves accessible to our dealers and open to their feedback via trade-show presence, store visits, our on-site dealer conference and through email and phone contact. 

As a vendor, we also benefit, gaining first-hand feedback from stores that pass along their learning from listening to customers and analyzing sales. P. Graham Dunn takes dealer feedback seriously, and works to identify common-ground solutions.

Recently a visit to Hackman’s Bible Bookstore in Pennsylvania gave us an opportunity to reconnect, discuss business, hand off some new product and fixtures, and leave with smiles and bags full of pretzels for the road. It’s next to impossible to quantify the value of these relationships, but they keep us excited about what we do.

GROW YOUR PASSION

Excitement is contagious. It’s no secret that word-of-mouth marketing is the purest and most effective form of advertising. When selling products that you absolutely love, it’s nearly impossible to keep quiet about them! At P. Graham Dunn, we love the products that we manufacture and sell, and we do our best to pass along this passion through our product offering, promotions and sales representatives.

A perfect example of this practice in action is our personalized laser-engraving program, which was initiated years ago out of our sole retail location in Dalton, Ohio. Early on, we could see that the effect this product had on our customers was overwhelming, and we were determined to pass along this opportunity to our dealers. 

In the past few years, we have worked to develop a program that can be placed in just about any store and is a simple, yet unique product line that excites customers. This is just one example, but there are hundreds of products out there that can bring excitement to your store. 

Finding extraordinary vendors is not easy and will not happen overnight, but it will pay off. Drumming up vendors that keep their products fresh, treat you well and elicit excitement will not only elevate your product offering, but also your business and bottom line. 

Although P. Graham Dunn is a vendor, we too maintain a 20,000-square-foot gift shop on our premises, and we take the aforementioned steps on a daily basis to keep our customers coming back. We’re always on the lookout for new vendors and products that are unique to our store—and items that customers just cannot find anywhere else. This is what makes our store different, and it can do the same for yours! 

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