Here are a few ideas for incorporating touches of technology in your bookstore to facilitate your customers ’ shopping experience .
TVs & Tablets
At your local grocery store , you might have noticed a cooking demonstration on TV at some point . Typically , they use the digital video segment to boost sales for a particular product . But TVs and tablets are also eyecatching ways to entertain and inform customers about store products , sales , features or updates .
Donna McCollough at Dove Christian Supply in Dothan , AL , uses TVs in the store to play YouTube videos or to set the tone in the store . Her husband Chip likes to feature nature scene videos on the big TV behind the counter , which Donna says customers are always commenting on . Occasionally , they ’ ll play the big football game on the TV in the back for the husbands who might have been forced to go shopping on the weekends .
For smaller spaces , tablets can be purchased for under $ 100 and mounted on walls next to products where you can show YouTube videos for Bible journaling , Bible studies , children ’ s products or fiction .
Audio
Most brick-and-mortar stores use an overhead sound system to create a specific shopping environment . According to Donna , “ Setting the mood is important .” At her store , she uses boom speakers to play a Spotify song list , provided by their marketing group , which features music from the albums they sell .
You can also use technology to assist customers before they even enter your store . Instead of using the standard ( i . e ., dreaded ) on-hold music , Donna uses a free program called Audacity to record messages for their phone system . “ It makes it more personal and is really easy to do ,” Donna says .
Artificial Intelligence
While widely debated , AI can be a helpful tool for those with a limited staff or budget . For social media , Donna uses apps such as ChatGPT and CapCut that utilize AI technology to create content for posts and videos . Donna says other apps , such as chatbots , help her communicate with customers and answer customer questions on Facebook and Instagram messaging . Using AI for content production or online customer service are just a couple of the ways that AI can help you save time and money and increase productivity .
While widely debated , AI can be a helpful tool for those with a limited staff or budget
Mobile Payment
Mobile payment options are a convenient backup to traditional forms of payment for you and your customers . For example , Donna says she uses Square to run transactions when the internet unexpectedly goes down . Mobile payment options can also help your customers , like the mom at the checkout counter who realizes she left her wallet at home . She could go home to get it and hopefully come back later . But she likely has the one thing she never leaves home without — her cellphone .
Mobile payment options are a convenient backup to traditional forms of payment
18 CRA today / www . christianretailassociation . org