Making the most of the crucial Christmas-shopping season involves more than just ordering key product in plenty of time, according to CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey.

Stores need to be working hard the rest of the year to ensure that they are at the top of consumers' mind when the holiday comes round, he said.

"People make decisions on where they buy at Christmas not just on a sale at the end of the year, but also on which stores are their favorites and who they are buying for," Riskey told Christian Retailing. "These are habits established through the year.

"Store experience continues to be a critical factor for brick-and-mortar stores, particularly Christian stores that currently are not able to engage customers effectively with digital products--something that must be addressed in our industry," he added.

Riskey was speaking in the wake of the publication of CBA's State of the Industry report for 2010 that found Christian stores reporting an average 2.1% decrease in net holiday sales last Christmas, while the National Retail Federation found all 2009 season retail sales up only 1.1% from the same 2008 period.

"Emotional connections to core customers and active Christians will help sustain the loyal relationships already built with them throughout the year, giving them something more important than a cheap gift that could be bought anywhere," he added.

Read more in the July issue of Christian Retailing.

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