Easter 2016 + + +

Christian retailers play a special role in engaging customers with the Resurrection.By Lora Schrock

Engage with Easterthinks Easter isn’t a bigger deal “because people, com-munities, and churches continue in the old frame-work of Easter as a com-mercial holiday. � ey don’t engage the people in the true meaning of Resurrec-tion Sunday, Passover, etc. Christmas is celebrated because the birth of Jesus has always been associated with Christmas.”

CBA board member Heather Adams, owner of Greatest Gi� and Scripture Supply (Pueblo, CO), be-lieves Christmas overshad-ows Easter in retail because of the three wise men.

“I think because of the simple act of the Magi

bringing gi� s to Christ to honor Him, we caught on to that as a way to celebrate the occasion ourselves,” she says, noting it’s good to celebrate both events.

“Without His birth, there would have been no life, no ministry, no death, and no Resur-rection. But without Christ’s willingness to die for our sins, we would have no reason to live ourselves. And without His Resurrection, we would truly be lost, as Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians 15,” she says.

“Because Christ’s death was so traumatic, and only later cel-ebrated, ‘gi� giving’ doesn’t really have the same impact,” she says. “Maybe it’s good and right that we observe with reverent, thank-ful, quiet gratitude the event that Easter celebrates.”

What SellsQuiet or not, Easter should be a time when Christian retail is top-of-mind for consumers, but there are reasons why this doesn’t happen.

According to Beemer, Easter retail has three main population segments: parents, older adults, and families for whom Easter is a big event. But the top retail categories at Easter are candy and women’s and children’s apparel—not what Christian retail specializes in.

What product do Easter shoppers buy at Christian stores?

“Customers are most interested in Bibles and Bible storybooks. � ere’s also a grow-ing desire for books about the life of Christ, apologetics, and devotionals at Easter—products that deliver a spiritual legacy,” says Randy Ross, sales and marketing specialist for � e Parable Group. “As we celebrate the risen Lord, a gi� that draws people closer to Him is essential.”

Chriscynethia Floyd, VP of sales and marketing for books and new media at Da-vid C Cook, says over the last 25 years their No. 1-selling Easter book has been � e Tale of � ree Trees, adding that the company also sees a spike in sales of the Action Bible dur-ing Easter.

Hogan reports cards are the top seller in her store, but Adams � nds Bibles and home décor items with crosses also do well.

“Crosses have become so commonplace that people don’t really give them much thought, but at Easter, it’s a time to re� ect on the su� ering that took place before and on that cross,” she says.  

Christianity’s defi ning events are Jesus’s birth and His Resur-rection, but in terms of celebrat-ing, Christmas is done on a big-ger scale, not only in the com-munity but also in the church. The fallout of this on Christian retail directly impacts sales because many consumers are more likely to think of bunnies and candy at Easter than Chris-tian resources.

“� is is a totally missed opportunity,” says Britt Beemer, founder and CEO of America’s Research Group Ltd.

Before Christian retailers can own the Easter selling season, they need to under-stand what consumers want, carry the right product mix, and capitalize on marketing opportunities.

Christmas vs. EasterRobin Hogan, general manager of Christian Cultural Center Bookstore (Brooklyn, NY),

The Official Magazine of CBA20 CBA Retailers+Resources | 12.15

Stores should host Easter events for kids, such as storytell-ing, that will draw parents and grandparents in as well.

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Easter 2016 + + +

12.15 | CBA Retailers+Resources 21The Official Magazine of CBA

Another popular item in her store is Res-urrection Eggs. “� e story they tell is such a wonderful way to teach little ones about the true meaning of Easter.”

Greatest Gi� o� ers a variety of Easter gi� s, such as “devotionals, actual crowns of thorns, and plaques depicting empty tombs,” says Adams. “And while � e Passion of the Christ isn’t an awesome ‘let’s watch that one again’ kind of a movie, it certainly brings the gravity and reality of the events that Christ endured for us to the forefront, so we always sell a fair number of those DVDs.”

While some stores do carry stu� ed ani-mals, Hogan cautions Christian stores to be careful when celebrating Easter with toys and bunnies.

“[� ey] should understand where Easter originated and be able to explain why Resur-rection Sunday, which is about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is the real reason for the holiday that actually follows Passover,” she says.

EngagementIf shoppers go to mainstream stores for their candy and Easter dresses, Christian retailers need to be savvy about letting consumers know what they do carry for Easter. � e Par-able Group starts early in promoting Easter o� erings.

“We promote outreach materials and prod-ucts via catalogs, emails, in-store signage, and social media to encourage both individual and

church outreach to communities and neigh-borhoods,” says � e Parable Group Merchan-dising and Marketing Man-ager Je� Bruenning.

Marketing strategies em-ployed at Christmastime also work well at Easter, such as special sales. To draw cus-tomers in, Beemer suggests stores create a sale event on all children’s Bibles. He also suggests retailers host an event for kids because where the kids are, their parents and grandparents will be there, too.

“Find a church that will al-low you to have an Easter egg hunt. A� erward, get a sto-ryteller to tell the Christian basis for Easter—make it a special day of fun and learn-ing,” he says.

Easter egg hunts aren’t just for kids; holding one for grown ups inside your store will generate good will and sales. Simply � ll color-ful plastic eggs with slips of paper redeemable for a spe-cial percentage discount, a prize, or candy. Hide them throughout the store and

display plenty of signage reminding shop-pers to look for the eggs.

Using social media to interact with cus-tomers is a good idea any time of year, but at Easter stores can invite their Facebook fol-lowers to submit their favorite Easter photos, have fans vote on the best picture, and give away a nice prize.

Setting up a one-stop-shopping display of Easter product, including Bibles, crosses, and plenty of children’s books, will appeal to busy consumers. Be sure to also include re-sources churches can use.

“Easter is such a time of renewal and celebration,” says Adams. “It’s a time when people who have never thought much about God start really giving Him more thought and come in with a lot of questions.”

And providing the resources that answer those questions at Easter or any time of the year is what Christian retail is all about. R+R

With more than 20 years in magazine and book publishing, Lora Schrock is the owner of Edito-rial Answers, LLC, www.editorialanswers.com.

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Set up a one-stop shopping display that will appeal to busy customers.

Customers are most interested in Bibles, apologetics, devotion-als, and Bible storybooks at Easter.

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