Symtio Delivers 500th CBA Store in Down Economic Year
February 42010
Symtio has thrived during the economic downturn by creating a digital destination within the retail environment, signing up 514 retail locations since its debut at ICRS 2008.
Weve had tremendous growth in the last year. And thats going to continue because we have a solution that meets the needs of the retailer, content providers and the consumer, said Joe Questel, Symtios business development vice president.
Symtio launched its digital platform on October 17, 2008 with 212 Christian bookstores, providing the technology to generate revenue from the sale of digital media in traditional brick-and-mortar retail. Symtios platform allows retail customers to redeem and download digital products like eBooks and MP3 audiobooks through the retailers website.
The CBA space has never had content for consumers to buy and download themselves, Questel said. We make that available now, giving their retail customers the content and convenience they want.
The platform also provides retailers the ability to compete with the online giants for digital media sales. Symtios platform is the future wave, said Barry Berglund, store manager at Parables Christian Bookstore in Omaha, Nebraska. It keeps customers tied to us, and we appreciate that. There are so many things today pulling them away from bookstores.
Symtio quickly expanded to several hundred retail locations after addressing concerns about inventory and theft. David Loos, manager of the book and Bible department at Lighthouse Christian Store in Long Beach, California, was skeptical in the beginning.
I was a little apprehensive at first because I thought, okay, I hope theres a safety feature so the cards wont walk out of the store, explained Loos. And then when I found out that a card has no value if its not activated at the register, that answered my first anxiety.
Loos was also concerned how his customers would react to the new display, until one night when a young man walked into the store 15 minutes before closing.
I introduced him to the display and he said, I need to get a couple things for people in my office. They read and theyre Christians, said Loos. He picked up five titles right there and said, Great, this is great! I was very encouraged by seeing his reaction and how it worked.
Symtio provides retailers with compelling price-sensitive digital media, but without the usual upfront inventory investment and high shipping costs. Customers of all ages are catching on quickly. Its as simple as buy, download and enjoy.
Symtio, a division of Zondervan, is the first multi-channel digital media platform for retail. Customers at traditional retail locations can purchase eBooks and MP3 audiobooks inside stores (with music and movies coming soon). They can then download the digital media anywhere with an internet connection. Its the link between digital media and the retail experience.
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