Christian bookstore representatives are being encouraged to gather in Orlando, Fla., next month to discuss "the biggest buying shift that will hit retailers in the next 24 months," according to Christian Retailing Publisher Dave Condiff.

Citing Barnes & Noble executive Marc Parrish—who said that e-books will dominate sales in the next two years, during last week's GigaOm Structure Big Data conference in New York City—Condiff said that "there are some that hope that a white horse will come galloping in the night to make sure that the small Christian bookstores will survive this, but this is wishful thinking."

"Even the best efforts from leaders in our industry will not be able to impact the wave of consumers who will buy their Christian e-book titles from Amazon or any other source that is gobbling up marketshare from sales that have been traditionally sold in Christian retail stores and church stores," Condiff said. "Retailing ReBoot is one place where retailers can gather to discuss this major shift."

Church and independent Christian bookstore managers and staff from across the country are due to gather for Christian Retailing's Retailing ReBoot 2011, to be held April 26-28 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center.

Managing Bible, book and gift categories and creating a successful customer experience are among the issues to be addressed at the event—themed "Engaging Without Limits."

In addition to education sessions helping retailers connect more with suppliers and customers, there will be worship and inspirational messages as well as a suppliers' exhibit area. The program will also include an authors' reception and the announcement of the winners of the magazine's 2011 Retailers Choice Awards.

Click here for more information on Retailing ReBoot 2011.

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