Ingram's Steps to Help Indies

In Bookselling This Week, Ingram Content Group yesterday announced steps the company is taking in response to last week's news that Baker & Taylor will no longer sell to independent bookstores.

As outlined by chief commercial officer Shawn Everson, Ingram is implementing the following:

  • "Quick and effective evaluation of credit limits for all independent stores to accommodate the change in the wholesale landscape; credit limits for accounts under $1 million are complete, while the transition is happening now for those over $1 million.
  • Fast-tracking new accounts if they were only working with B&T; all accounts will be set up by the end of this week.
  • Immediate review of stocking levels in all distribution centers to be sure books are there when indies need them; Ingram has been in frequent and ongoing conversations with publishers to ensure inventory levels and is looking at delivery options to speed supply to the northeast and western parts of the country, especially around the holidays.
  • Moving low-volume tier stores to standard terms, effective June 1, 2019, through May 31, 2020, to proactively help stores qualify for improved terms.
  • Emphasizing the Booklove program [which offers rebates when certain sales goals are met] and reinforcing the idea that there is margin in Booklove participation; the program includes all sales with Ingram, both wholesale and through IPS/distribution clients, making it easier for stores to hit the rebate threshold. Additionally, Booklove is now featured on booksellers' ipage dashboard.
  • Launching an automatic shipment tracking e-mail, for which hundreds of booksellers have signed up.
  • Launching Ingram's Stock Check app to help booksellers get even faster information about what's in stock by scanning a book's barcode with their smartphones."
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