Sharon Cole, director of special sales, Zondervan

What's new in terms of Bible cover colors/designs? "Designer looks, lots of color, seasonal color combinations, similarities to high-end handbags, Bible carriers/covers that coordinate with Bible bindings."

Do men buy Bible covers, and, if so, what types appeal to them? "Zondervan's Bible covers designed for men also appeal to women who don't necessarily want a feminine-looking Bible cover. We try to always include designs in traditional colors, styles and textures that appeal to both men and women."

"Zondervan carries a complete line of Bible covers and carriers for kids ages 3 and up. Many of our Zonderkidz Bible covers are brand-based-Beginner's Bible, FaithGirlz, VeggieTales, Adventure Bible. We pay close attention to what kids and their parents are seeing out there in the marketplace and pick up on those trends as we create new Bible cover/carrier designs. We've recently released youth messenger bags, ‘backsacks' and other styles that appeal to children and youth. We also carry a product called My Little Purse Bible, which is an NIrV New Testament self-contained in a binding that looks like a purse for little girls."

In merchandising Bible covers, how can retailers appeal to teenage customers? "I'd recommend identifying a special section of the store for teenagers and merchandise youth Bibles, books, Bible covers and even music together."

There are African-American style Bible covers. Do you know of other such cultural expressions? "Zondervan has designed some of our Bible covers to appeal to the Hispanic market by including Scripture verses in Spanish stamped on the product. We find that many of our retail customers are asking for more of these types of Bible covers so we're working on more designs for this market."

What are the best ways for stores to display Bible covers? "Displaying Bible covers on fixtures that allow the customers to see them face-out is essential. And displaying them near the Bible section with signage in both the Bible and Bible cover sections that suggest the purchase of a Bible and Bible covers together has been a great way to increase sales of Bible covers."

Any tips for add-on selling Bible covers? "In addition cross-selling tip, we also suggest merchandising Bibles that coordinate with Bible covers together, and, perhaps, offering a special price if the customer purchases both a Bible and a Bible cover."

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