Second-largest independent Christian chain saw ‘quite a few customers directed’ to its stores

More than 20 Christian retailers were able to increase their in-store traffic in the fourth quarter of 2012 by using the Covenant Group website program, company officials said. 

Utilizing the “pick-me-up” options from Covenant’s website program and companion phone apps, the retailers saw more than 1,000 items reserved for in-store pick-up during the fall months.

“With just over 20 retailers utilizing these services, that averages out to about 50 customers pointed to each of these retailers during the October-November time frame,” said Chuck Wallington, Covenant Group founder and president. “In actuality, about 80% of the pick-me-up orders generated fell between early November and Christmas, so stores on our program saw quite a few customers directed to their stores from their branded sites.”

Acknowledging that the measurement only captures customers that placed an order for pick-up in-store, he added: “We have no way of knowing how many other customers shopped our stores’ sites before their trip to the store for their purchase.”

Overall, Covenant Group reported more than 100,000 unique visitors at one of the 21 retailers’ sites in December. 

“This points to a huge amount of information relayed through these stores’ websites, [which is] far beyond what we can track through online or pick-me-up order purchases,” said Wallington, also the owner of Christian Supply in Spartanburg, S.C.

Covenant provides marketing and support services to stores with a standard program for retailers with annual income of more than $1 million and an affiliate program for stores under $1 million in annual sales. The country’s second-largest independent Christian chain also launched its first mobile phone apps for iPhone and Droid for member stores last summer.

Non-member stores can also take advantage of Covenant’s website program and phone apps.

Promotion offering half-off discount on all Bibles attracted ‘quite a number of new customers’ to the store

Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Mich., hit a home run with its 2012 Bible Sale, continuing its annual tradition.

Held Nov. 17, the promotion offered by the recently renovated independent store offered a 50% discount on all in-stock Bibles. The sale also included 50% off Bible covers and accessories. 

“We sold 219 Bibles along with many other things,” Sue Smith, store manager of Baker Book House, told Christian Retailing. “Best of all, quite a number of new customers walked through our doors. To me, that’s the best part.”

Louis McBride, Bible and academic book buyer for Baker Book House, said the store started receiving calls a week from people before asking, “When is your Bible sale?” 

“This is a sale that we have really come to enjoy,” McBride said. “As I expected, the top translations shopped were NIV (New International Version) and ESV (English Standard Version). I saw one lady with four ESV Study Bibles along with some other Bibles. A surprising number of people were interested in the New American Standard. I usually sell quite a few copies of The Message, but there wasn’t that much interest in it. The NLT (New Living Translation) seemed to do fairly well, too.”

McBride added that it was “a great sale” overall. 

“We had just slightly lower sales than last year, which is not bad, given we just moved into our new space,” he said. “There were a few times when you couldn’t fit another person down the aisle. … It seemed as soon as one group of people was done browsing, another group would take their place.”

The store sold 96 NIV and 39 ESV Bibles during the sale. Interestingly, Baker Book House’s annual Bible sales by translation in 2012 followed the same trend with its top five sellers the day of the sale. Last year, the store sold 4,152 NIV (including sales of The Story), 893 ESV, 576 KJV (King James Version) Bibles, 555 NLT and 321 The Message Bibles.

Christian radio host and former Major League Baseball pitcher ‘pointed people to Jesus Christ’

Frank Pastore, a Christian radio host and author of the 2010 memoir Shattered: Struck Down, But Not Destroyed (Tyndale House Publishers), died Dec. 17—nearly a month after suffering serious head injuries from a motorcycle crash in Duarte, Calif. Pastore, 55, had been in a coma since the Nov. 19 accident.

“I lost my beautiful husband,” Pastore’s wife, Gina Pastore, told the Inland Daily Bulletin. “But it’s comforting to know he’s home with the Lord now. People are calling in [to his radio show] and crying and mourning with us. 

“I want to thank so many people for their outpouring of love and support,” she added. “That’s really helped to sustain our family during this difficult time.”

Pastore sustained his injuries when his motorcycle was sideswiped by a car in the carpool lane on the 210 freeway, California Highway Patrol officials said.

A former Major League Baseball pitcher, Pastore was on his way home after his “The Frank Pastore Show” on Glendale, Calif.-based Christian radio station KKLA when the crash occurred, family members said.

His wife said he spoke about the fragility of life during a segment on his radio show the night he was in the crash.

On the air, “he said that ‘if I were to be killed on the freeway tonight and my body parts are all over the freeway, I’m not on the freeway because my soul and I would be with the Lord,’ ” she said. “He actually said that the night that it happened, not knowing that he would be hit on his motorcycle. Frank would want people to know that.”

The driver of the car involved was not arrested or cited, said investigators, who concluded that the crash was an accident.

In Shattered, Pastore describes how an elbow injury ended his dream of getting “rich and famous” as a Cincinnati Reds pitcher. He also shares how the incident was part of his Christian testimony.

Pastore is survived by his wife; son, Frank Jr.; and daughter, Christina.

Manager of tours for Casting Crowns and TobyMac ‘left an indelible mark’ on gospel music

Christian music pioneer Norman Miller died of cancer Dec. 3. He was 69.

Founder of Nashville-based Proper Management, Miller worked in Christian music for 50 years, founding the groups ZOEgirl, Avalon, Jump5 and PureNRG, and managing tours for Casting Crowns, Nichole Nordeman, TobyMac, Michael W. Smith, Newsboys, Sandi Patty, Steven Curtis Chapman and many other artists. 

On Casting Crowns’ Facebook page, the band said Miller “was a hero for Christian music and us.” 

“Norman lived a life fueled by his passion for his faith, his deep love for his family and his care for his friends,” the group said. “He also was renowned for his indelible impact on the Christian music industry. Norman was a creative visionary who was constantly focused on increasing the quality of compelling and engaging ministry. His legacy will continue to effect countless lives through the eternal message of the artists he dearly loved and faithfully served.

“Norman’s loss is immeasurable and we are all humbled, honored and blessed to have known him as a respected leader and a loyal friend,” Casting Crowns added. “We ask that you lift Norman’s wife and children in your prayers during this difficult time. Norman was our close friend and manager for 10 years. We will miss him dearly.”

Gospel Music Association (GMA) Executive Director Jackie Patillo told Christian Retailing that Miller “left an indelible mark on the Christian music industry in ways that will never be forgotten.” 

GMA recognized him and Proper Management with the Lifetime Achievement Award last year. 

“Norman will be greatly missed, but his legacy will continue to light a path for all who are called to share the gospel through music,” Patillo said. 

Greg Bays, senior vice president, sales and marketing for EMI CMG Distribution, agreed. 

“I met Norman shortly after joining the company in 1992 and worked with him more closely during my time in our label group—2000-2004—through today,” he said. “Norman left an indelible mark on our industry and on all of us who had the chance to work alongside him and call him our friend. 

“I will always remember him for his leadership, creativity and innovation, as well as his humor, integrity and faith,” Bays added. “I will miss his welcoming smile, genuine kindness and passion for helping to grow the platform for his artists and for our industry to spread the gospel through music.”

A native of the U.K., Miller played in Christian bands there during his teens and early 20s, starting his own label in 1970. It was later acquired by Word Records. 

Miller became executive director of the Word Europe label from 1973 to 1983, promoting and producing tours throughout Europe featuring pioneering Christian artists such as Larry Norman, Andrae Crouch and 2nd Chapter of Acts.

In 1983, Miller moved to the United States, and started managing artists and producing tours. he is survived by his wife, Debbie, and two children. A memorial service was held Dec. 10 at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tenn.

Best-selling self-help writer ‘inspired millions to make the most of life’ with humor, hope and encouragement

Zig Ziglar, best-selling self-help author and motivational speaker, died Nov. 28 at a Plano, Texas, hospital due to complications from pneumonia. He was 86. 

“Though his time on earth has ended, he is speaking with Jesus now in his heavenly home,” a post on Ziglar’s Facebook page said. “The angels in heaven are rejoicing and his family is celebrating a life well lived.” 

Author John Maxwell wrote on Twitter: “My friend Zig Ziglar passed away. I am grateful for the many wonderful memories we had together. We lost a great one!”

Ziglar’s “Success Rallies,” “Born to Win” seminars, self-help books and countless audio recordings attracted millions of followers with homespun advice on career advancement and moral uplift, the New York Times reported. 

At his busiest, he spoke 150 times a year, and well into his 70s, he was speaking 60 times a year. His fee was $50,000 a speech plus expense, but at other times he waived his fee, The Washington Post reported. Ziglar kept up a rigorous touring schedule until retiring in 2010.

Ziglar’s books include the best-sellers See You at The Top! and Confessions of a Happy Christian (both Pelican Publishing Co.). He wrote Confessions of a Grieving Christian (B&H Publishing Group) after the 1995 death of his eldest daughter, Suzan Witmeyer, from pulmonary fibrosis.

Ziglar also wrote Inspiration From the Top: A Collection of My Favorite Quotes; Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World; and Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down World: Daily Hope for the Daily Grind (all Thomas Nelson); The One Year Daily Insights With Zig Ziglar (Tyndale House Publishers); and Conversations With My Dog (B&H Publishing Group).

Ziglar was an active Southern Baptist layman and a member of Prestonwood Baptist Church in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Baptist Press reported. 

“Zig has left such an indelible mark on this church that we will forever remember his servant heart, his passion for teaching the Word of God, his love of people and, of course, his high-energy, motivational speaking,” Ziglar’s pastor, Jack Graham, wrote in a message to the congregation.

Matt Baugher, senior vice president and publisher of Thomas Nelson’s nonfiction group, told Christian Retailing that the company published more than 20 of Ziglar’s books, with the last being God’s Way is Still the Best Way (2007).

“In teaching us to honor God and each other, he inspired not only positivity, but a whole new approach to life,” he said. “Zig helped motivate you to understanding that results follow attitude, and no one did it better. Zig lived every day as if it was his last. May we honor him by doing the same. As Zig himself said in one of his book titles, we all have ‘something to smile about.’ “ 

Tyndale House Publishers published two of Ziglar’s books plus a daily calendar. 

“Zig inspired millions to make the most of life,” Senior Vice President and Group Publisher Ron Beers said. “With humor, hope and encouragement, he showed us how to make our faith practical, helpful and life changing. Zig understood how passionate God is about helping people reach the full potential for which they are created, and that’s what Zig dedicated his life to doing. It wasn’t just a job to him; it was a calling. And he did it so well.” 

B&H Publishing Group published three of Ziglar’s books. 

“All three, including Confessions of a Grieving Christian, are still in print,” said Marty Kind, director of LifeWay Communications. 

Ziglar is survived by Jean, his wife of 66 years; two daughters, Julie Norman and Cindy Oates; a son, Tom; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.

Chain drops its recently introduced Edifi e-reader and responds to customer needs with a device ‘that is at the cutting edge of technology’

Family Christian Stores has partnered with Kobo to sell its e-readers, starting this past Christmas shopping season.

Dropping its recently introduced Edifi e-reader, Family Christian is offering two Kobo e-readers at its store locations and online: the Kobo Mini ($79.99) and Kobo Touch ($99.99). 

Kobo e-readers purchased at Family Christian come with three versions of the Bible when the device is registered: New International Version, King James Version and The Voice. 

The readers also will include recommendations to more than 17,000 Christian titles and access to the entire Kobo library—with more than 3 million titles, of which 1 million are free.

In addition, Kobo will donate a portion of each e-reader sale to The James Fund, Family Christian’s nonprofit arm dedicated to meeting the needs of orphans and widows around the world.

“We are responding to the needs of our customers by offering them a digital delivery option that is at the cutting edge of technology,” said Family Christian Senior Vice President of Merchandising Olivia Marx. “By partnering with Kobo, we are able to stay current in the ever-changing technology of e-readers and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

Cliff Bartow, president and CEO of Family Christian, added: “We believe in investing in products and services that grow out from our mission.”

Kobo has more than 10 million registered users for its e-reading devices.

First-of-its-kind service and device designed for Christian retail stores provides e-books, music, audiobooks and movies

ACM Digital has launched its “Myeebo” brand—touted as the first digital service and device to provide “all categories of downloadable Christian entertainment,” including e-books, music, audiobooks and movies. The sister company to Integra Interactive, Nashville-based ACM officially unveiled the ambitous endeavor Dec. 17.

“It’s the overall strategy that makes Myeebo distinctly different from others in the Christian e-commerce channel,” said David Amster, chief innovation officer of ACM, who serves in the same role with Integra. “Our objective is threefold: provide independent Christian retailers with a solid digital service to give them a competitive edge with Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple; significantly improve the online browsing and discovery experience for e-books and music; and create a way for retailers to partner with churches.” 

Amster told Christian Retailing that 125 retailers had signed up to offer Myeebo, including Berean Christian Stores. In the first quarter of 2013, ACM Digital plans to add another 75 stores.

“They [retailers] are selling the tablet and soliciting the website and apps,” he said. “The name Myeebo sprang from playing around with the words electronic and books. We added ‘my’ to personalize it.”

Myeebo consists of a website; apps for iPad and iPhone, Android tablets and Kindle Fire; and ACM’s Myeebo Color Tablet. Retailing for $179, Myeebo—which took more than 18 months to develop—includes an 8-inch touch screen with features not available on the Fire and Nook Tablet. 

“The mix of front and rear cameras, support for 500,000-plus Android apps and priced at $179 is unparalleled,” said Jay Weygandt, ACM’s vice president of customer experience, adding that many retailers have been reordering 15-50 tablets after receiving their first shipment. “We are pleased that those who know the most about tablets are the most enthusiastic and amazed.” 

Myeebo was an ideal match for Berean’s 18-outlet chain, according to Chief Operation Officer Bill Nielsen.

“Berean elects to work with Christian companies whenever possible,” he said. “Choosing Myeebo not only allowed us to support a Christian company, and thereby support CBA, it also gave us the confidence that our customers would be provided with a [service] that would present to them biblical, life-changing products.

“The tablet is also very attractive,” Nielsen added. “It is very competitively priced, while offering a package of features that most other tablets do not offer. It has met our expectations, and we have a high level of optimism in consumer demand.”

The myeebo.com website is also different from other online sites selling multiple entertainment media categories.

“Far too often, too many products are featured on the homepage, which creates visual clutter,” Amster explained. “We created what we call the ‘magic shelf’ that keeps the site user from having to scroll down the webpage, but still able to view new releases, best-sellers, value titles and featured titles such as Gold Medallion and Carol fiction award winners.”

The website—still in beta mode—is the first of its kind in the Christian channel to be fully integrated into social media, he added. Registered customers can be automatically logged back into the site through their Facebook or Twitter accounts. 

David Lewis, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Baker Publishing Group, was upbeat about Myeebo. 

“We think the Myeebo brand offers retailers one of the stronger solutions to compete in the marketplace for the e-book-reading customer,” he said.

Integra’s myMEDIA BurnBar in-store burning system is in nearly 500 Christian stores worldwide.

App option is several ways ‘Christian Retailing’ encourages readers to keep in touch with the industry

Christian Retailing now provides access to news of the Christian products industry through a growing number of sources, including a brand-new option for smartphone or tablet users—the retailing tab on the free Charisma News mobile app. 

Authors who want to know if their favorite book made the top spot on the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s best-seller list this week, retailers looking for stores engaging in innovative promotions or companies wanting to know what key industry partnerships have come about will find all of this information and more at www.christianretailing.com, through our e-newsletters or by using the new Christian Retailing tab on the Charisma News mobile app. There we offer 24/7 access to industry news—including breaking news—best-sellers, personnel transitions and more sent to Android, iPhone or BlackBerry phones or other mobile devices.

Available for free, the app makes Christian Retailing available anytime, anywhere. Users can download the app for free by texting “Charisma” to 24587 or by going to charismamobile.com.

Along with our monthly print issue, Christian Retailing is also available for free—thanks to our advertisers—in a digital version online. Store managers may wish to encourage each of their team members to read the magazine to stay abreast of new products or key news stories that may impact their interaction with customers on the sales floor. The digital issue also is a cost-effective option for international readers or simply for those who enjoy reading the magazine online. To sign up for the digital edition, go to www.christianretailing.com/digital/register/.

In addition to these options for keeping up on the news, our principal e-newsletter, Christian Retailing Update, currently goes out twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays. We are also reinstituting our gift e-newsletter, Inspirational Gift Mart Bulletin, which will be sent every Wednesday. To sign up for the newsletters, go to the Subscribe drop-down menu at www.christianretailing.com.

Our readers will also notice that we have introduced a new logo with a clean, eye-catching design. The price tag icon at its center reflects the business side of Christian retail, and the new tag line reflects the broadness of the product offerings in our industry as well as our interest in what God is doing  worldwide in this global economy. 

Retailers and others interested in new products will also find it helpful to know that publishers and other suppliers post their product information on our New Release Listing on our website. Simply visit www.christianretailing.com and click on the New Release Listings graphic to see some of the latest gifts, children’s books, CDs, DVDs, Spanish and Catholic products. 

Authors or suppliers who need access to the listing should create an account on the site, then notify Editor Christine Johnson.

‘Healing and comfort’ offered to those affected by the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history

A number of Christian artists and authors have offered support, prayers and commentary in the aftermath of the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind only the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech that left 32 people dead.

TobyMac, Chris Tomlin, Mandisa, Laura Story, Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman and Building 429 were to present a free concert on Jan. 15 honoring the victims and families impacted in Newtown, Conn., where a masked gunman killed more than 26 people—including 20 children—Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

Authors and speakers Louie Giglio, Max Lucado and Mary Beth Chapman were also scheduled to share during “a night of prayer and music” to pay tribute to the victims of the tragedy. 

Author Clive Calver, senior pastor of Walnut Hill Community Church, a network of five charismatic churches in western Connecticut, lives in Newtown, Conn.

“We prayed for the families of those who perished—including two mothers who attend our weekday women’s ministry and lost children,” said Calver, who wrote Alive in the Spirit (Charisma House) and Dying to Live (Authentic Media). “We prayed for those who were in that school and saw horrible things; we prayed for the greater Newtown community.

“Our prayer is that this evil, this unspeakable horror, would be the turning point for what God is doing in New England,” he added. “We’ve spent the last nearly eight years here, breaking up the land and laying seed for a harvest—or revival in New England. Maybe, just maybe, this is the wake-up call. Maybe, just maybe, this is when the church springs into action, being the hands and feet of Jesus and shining His light in this darkness.”

Philip Yancey, best-selling author of Where Is God When It Hurts? (Zondervan), visited those affected by the shooting.

Addressing the question posed in the title of his book, Yancey participated in a free, open-to-the-public weekend event Dec. 28-30 at Walnut Hill Community Church’s Bethel campus just outside Newtown. He and Calver met with the community’s families, teachers, first responders, parents and students who have been deeply affected by the tragedy.

“Healing and comfort—that’s what I want most for those dear people,” Yancey said. “Words can only do so much, and certainly cannot take away the pain, yet I hope that this event could be a place of safety and honesty where people can bring their grief and come away with a new appreciation for why the gospel is good news—even now, especially now.”

Attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session as well.

“I am humbled to know that a member of our Zondervan author family has been asked to help comfort the community of Newtown,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “Asking ‘Where is God in all of this?’ is something many people in our nation are currently doing.”

Zondervan provided free copies of Where Is God When It Hurts? for individuals who attended the event. In addition, the e-book edition was made available in the U.S. for free download in early January on various websites—Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book Distributors, Google and Kobo.

“We are eager to help and show our support for this community,” Schoenwald added. “Newtown is in the hearts and minds of everyone at Zondervan and all of the HarperCollins Christian Publishing division. We hope that by providing this resource, some comfort will be found and emotional wounds can begin to mend.”

Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., and author of Lost Boy (Regal Books), wrote a blog in which he called the shooting the “worst imaginable scenario.”

Settlement leaves computer giant Apple and Holtzbrinck Publishers fighting the federal government’s civil antitrust case

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reached a settlement Dec. 18 with Penguin Group (USA) in its civil antitrust lawsuit accusing the nation’s largest publishers of colluding with Apple to raise e-book prices. 

If approved by a federal judge, the settlement leaves computer giant Apple and Holtzbrinck Publishers (Macmillan) as the only defendants standing against the federal government’s charges that Apple conspired with several publishers in 2009 to force e-book prices several dollars above the $9.99 charged by Amazon on its Kindle device, Associated Press (AP) reported.

The Justice Department, which filed the suit in April, settled with Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers and Simon & Schuster earlier this year. The approval of a settlement between the DOJ and the three publishers could have a negative impact on Christian retailers because it could result in diminished competition in the e-book retail sector, contributing to the closing of many more retail outlets, according to industry observers.

The trial against Apple and Holtzbrinck Publishers is scheduled to begin in June.

“The proposed settlement with Penguin will be an important step toward undoing the harm caused by the publishers’ anticompetitive conduct and restoring price competition so consumers can pay lower prices for Penguin’s e-books,” said Jamillia Ferris, chief of staff and counsel at the DOJ’s antitrust division, AP reported.

The settlement had been expected by some industry observers in light of Penguin’s impending merger with Random House, which is not a defendant in the case. The merger will create the world’s largest publisher of consumer books.

Under the settlement, Penguin “will be prohibited for two years from entering into new agreements that constrain retailers’ ability to offer discounts or other promotions to consumers to encourage the sale of the Penguin’s e-books,” and must submit to “a strong antitrust compliance program” that includes telling federal officials about any joint e-book ventures or any communications with other publishers, Justice Department officials said.

The DOJ’s lawsuit stems from agreements reached between major publishers and Apple in 2010 that allowed publishers to set their own prices for e-books, an effort to counter Amazon’s deep discounts of best-sellers.