Introduction
If you want a good read, a bookstore is one of the premier places to visit. Bookstores are, conceptually, retail shops that sell a large array of books of different categories. At Cornerstone bookstore, the collection of books sold zero in on a spiritual theme and focus, as they mainly retail religious books and bibles. It is located near a university; therefore, the majority of the store’s shoppers are university students followed closely by the university lecturers. However, the store is limited in selling religious material rather than educational resources, therefore the sales of its products are not as high as expected. To increase sales, the proprietors should hence revive their stock and instead supply material that will cover the students’ needs as well as entice the other members of the society. This paper discusses ways on how to increase sales at Cornerstone Bookstore.
Incorporating Academic Resources and Accessories
The bookstore owners should supply appropriate academic resources such as textbooks, past papers, course outline booklets, research books, exercise books, stationery, motivational books, scholarly journals, and articles, academic periodicals among others. The supplementary accessories comprise laptops, laptop bags, contemporary magazines, and gift mugs among others. They should do this by administering student focus groups as well as learning what other college bookstores sell, all in a prudent manner, to enable in selecting the right fit of items covering the syllabus and curriculum studies of the university in question.
Installing Advanced IT Infrastructure
By virtue of being tech-savvy people, university students respond very well to sophisticated technology and IT-related systems. They could install an advanced state-of-the-art IT infrastructure that will integrate an electronic inventory, catalog, and a point-of-sale system, allowing for swift browsing of books and a smooth checkout system. They should also program the system to allow the students to pay for these resources using their debit cards.
Initiating a Readers Club
For those students who thrive on reading, a readers club at the bookstore will be most appealing. The club registration should be smooth, simple, and free. For any sales made at the bookstore, they get an extra bonus that they can use the next time they shop at the store. This promotional element will entice the students to shop here, which in turn will increase the sales. Additionally, they could also introduce a membership club, where, university students can freely register and purchase items at discounted prices.
Offering Additional Services
Services such as printing, photocopying, Internet browsing are in high demand among university students. Students’ assignments require in-depth research, typing, thorough editing, and photocopying services before submission. If these services are incorporated, there will be a constant flow of students at the bookstore.
After-Sale Services
Finally, as a way to show commitment and devotion to their clients, the bookstore proprietors should also provide after-sale services. These include following up on clients even after they have already purchased items from the bookstore, to find out how much they like the items. They should also encourage their shoppers to feel free and report any difficulties they come across as they start to utilize their items. This will help create and strengthen customer relationships and bonds, which will, in turn, lead to repeat customers and referrals.
Conclusion
Concisely, the bookstore sells mostly biblical and religious material, observed to be quite slow on sales. To improve the low supply of their products, the demand should be increased to enable an increment of sales and profits. They must invest in academic material that resonates with the university students to increase sales at the bookstore.