Christian retailers are missing an opportunity by not fully engaging customers with the true meaning of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While Christmas is more heavily commercialized, Easter should be an important time for Christian retailers since it celebrates Jesus' resurrection, which Christians believe underscores the significance of his life, ministry, death for sins, and the promise of eternal life. Some ways Christian retailers can better engage customers at Easter include hosting events for children and families, emphasizing their Bibles, books, and other resources that explain the religious meaning of Easter, and promoting Easter sales and discounts.

1. Easter 2016 + + +
Christian retailers play a special role in engaging customers with the Resurrection.
By Lora Schrock
Engage with Easter
thinks 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. They 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 Gift 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 gifts 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, ‘gift 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 Sells
Quiet 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. There’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 The Parable Group. “As we celebrate the
risen Lord, a gift 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 The Tale
of Three 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 finds 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 reflect on
the suffering that took place before and on
that cross,” she says.
Christianity’s defining 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.
“This 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. Easter
Robin 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.
Cover Feature_Easter.indd 20 11/10/15 10:36 AM

2. Easter 2016 + + +
12.15 | CBA Retailers+Resources 21The Official Magazine of CBA
Another popular item in her store is Res-
urrection Eggs. “The story they tell is such a
wonderful way to teach little ones about the
true meaning of Easter.”
Greatest Gift offers a variety of Easter
gifts, such as “devotionals, actual crowns of
thorns, and plaques depicting empty tombs,”
says Adams. “And while The 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 stuffed ani-
mals, Hogan cautions Christian stores to be
careful when celebrating Easter with toys
and bunnies.
“[They] 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
holidaythatactuallyfollowsPassover,”shesays.
Engagement
If 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. The Par-
able Group starts early in promoting Easter
offerings.
“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 The Parable Group Merchan-
dising and Marketing Man-
ager Jeff 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. Afterward, 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 fill 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.
continued on page 22
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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