Canadian Bookseller Sees Sales Go North With Switch to Gift Cards
Indigo Books & Music Inc., the Canadian bookseller, switched from paper gift certificates to plastic gift cards in November 2002, and has seen escalating gains since then, according to Keith Liu, vice-president of business development for Indigo. Instituting the gift card program, run by the Givex Corporation, increased Indigo's sales 35 percent over the paper certificates, and, Liu told BTW, "Our stores experienced an immediate uplift, and we're pretty happy about it.
The Mid-South Independent Booksellers Association (MSIBA) held its fall trade show at the Renaissance Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas, from September 4 - 7. Austin, an apt choice for the trade show, was celebrating the "Keep Austin Weird" campaign, which promotes independent businesses and was created by Austin's BookPeople and Waterloo Records.