Young people are the future but teenagers don’t frequently read books or go to bookstores. How can Indie bookstores attract teenagers?

Host:  Perla Ni

Participants: Perla, CEO CommunityConnect Labs

Notes: Problem statement:

Young people are the future and they are not reading books frequently, or going into bookstores frequently.  

Ideas:

• Bookstores can better fulfill teenager’s needs: place to meet up, hang out with friends, impress a date

• Make bookstores a place for teens to hang out: + cafe, or ice cream, candy, or boba tea

• Recruit teenager interns/ambassadors:
  • Teen Ambassadors around causes – connect with bookstore to host an event. Maybe have teens be Tik-Tok ambassadors for you (they can add to their college application).  Tagging and sharing your posts.  They can be teen reviewers and write reviews and add it to a card in the store.  
  • Hire highschool interns in the bookstore: someone closer in age to teenagers and who they feel more comfortable with to 1. Get recommendations of books 2. Place orders for books

• Partner marketing:
  • Schools:  promote teen/middle grade 4-6pm weekly/monthly meetup at the bookstore and get a discount.  Make it a regular hangout. 
  • Cafes: get coffee, get coupon for bookstore

• Parents should create routine early when kids are young: Make a weekly trip to the bookstore

• Audiobooks:  Teens are listening more to audiobooks.  See bookstore events in the app and then teens can meet with friends and attend a bookstore event.   

• Books now tied to games and movies: Interest kids who play games like Minecraft

• Digital Marketing: Go where teenagers are:  
  • Host Discord chat around book.  
  • Fable.co has YA clubs highschool-college age 
  • Record events on Twitch
  • Tik-Tok – People become familiar with your staff via TikTok.  And also feel comfortable because they have a chance to see the diversity and authenticity of the people they’ll meet there
  • Then connect these digital conversations into real life relationships and meeting at bookstores.
    
• Teens love providing recommendations of books they really like and teens also like to make videos.  Invite kids to record video testimonials about their books at the bookstore 

• Book bucks

• How to books: Section for crafts

• Family Trivia Night: Readers can show off their knowledge: greek mythology, history, geography etc.  Have regular monthly Trivia night, make it a routine.  

• Targeted theme events

Problems we may not be able to solve: How to get teens on zoom events.  Teens seem to be done with Zoom