Christian retailers are mixing up their inventory in an effort to better meet consumers' changing needs.

Seventy percent of stores have increased the space they give to DVDs in the past two years, while 40% have cut the room given to rock/alternative music, according to the latest Christian Retailing magazine Vital Signs industry survey.

Three in five stores have increased their SKU counts for Bibles, while 51% were stocking more devotionals than they were two years ago. On the other side of the scale, 40% have diminished inventory for framed art. Apparel inventory was down in 31% of stores and up in 24%.

Meanwhile, stores were evenly split on their approach to changes in criteria for introducing products they "might not have carried" in years past.

Just over half (52%) reported that their selection criteria was narrower than it used to be, and 48% said they were stocking a broader range of products. One owner commented on a shift in her mission, saying the store was "becoming more and more like real life--a Christian living center."

New retail technologies are a long way from being commonplace in Christian stores. Just one in three stores reported having a system where shoppers can select songs and have them burned to a CD in the store. Cost and lack of awareness were the main reasons given for not offering such a service.

Read the full Vital Signs survey report in the Sept. 21 issue of Christian Retailing.

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