Inspired!

The gift industry is a business of sentiment, with sales driven by what makes consumers feel good rather than by what they strictly need. After September 11th, inspirational and religious products took center stage along with patriotic merchandise. But while red, white and blue have largely receded to their usual niche, inspirational gifts have continued to prosper.

A study by Colorado Springs, CO-based CBA: The Association for Christian Retail shows that sales of Christian products by CBA member suppliers were $4.34 billion in 2004 — up from $4.2 billion in 2002, and $4 billion in 2000. Though the Christian retail channel continues to distribute the majority market share at 53 percent, general market channels sold 31 percent.

“Availability of our products in more outlets means more competition,” explains Bill Anderson, CBA president and CEO. “But it also means increased awareness, availability and consumer service for our products. The general market is increasingly interested in selling Christian products, but they don't carry a depth of product. … General market retailers are mostly interested in selling titles that have a proven track record as bestsellers in the Christian market.”

In order to facilitate this cross-pollination, the CBA's International Christian Retail Show was held this summer in Atlanta on dates overlapping the AmericasMart Atlanta summer market, and the two shows joined forces to host a Christian retailer breakfast at the AmericasMart show.

General gift retailers might consider teaming up with local Christian stores to cross-promote to a new customer base. The merchandise overlap won't be extensive: Christian retailers are more likely to be a direct competitor of Borders bookstore than of gift stores. Gifts made up only 19.3 percent of independent Christian retailers sales in 2003, based on a random sample of 140 stores; books topped the charts at 35.6 percent, with Bibles claiming another 19.7 percent.

While Christians make up the bulk of the inspirational market, many of the gifts aimed at the general gift market have spiritual but non-denominational qualities. Evoking themes of kindness, connection, values and faith, such gifts appeal to shoppers who want to express a wide range of beliefs. And following the trends of the gift market as a whole, they are increasingly functional (fashion accessories are a growing trend) and include motifs such as orange, gold and butterflies.