Last Call: ABACUS Survey Responses Due September 27

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Booksellers have until the end of today to submit their store’s 2016 financial data to the ABACUS survey, which booksellers have called an invaluable tool for financial and strategic planning.

“Vroman’s and Book Soup have been participants in ABACUS ​for a very long time. We find the time spent completing the survey to be a valuable investment in good industry information,” said Clark Mason of the California bookstores. “The survey results provide us with a substantial amount of financial data that compares our information with independent booksellers across the country. ​They also help us to identify expense categories that we could improve, which allows us to focus our efforts more precisely. I encourage all ABA members to take the time to participate.”

For ABACUS to succeed, a critical mass of indie bookstores must complete the survey by the end of day on September 27.

ABA member bookstores should look for the e-mail sent on August 23 from Michael Becher of Industry Insights (via the e-mail address [email protected]) with instructions on how to access this year’s survey. ABA members can complete the survey securely online or download a PDF version of the form to complete and return to Industry Insights.

The deadline for submitting to ABACUS-16 is Wednesday, September 27. ABA member bookstores can begin the submission process by going to www.ABACUSbenchmarking.com. Please note that you will have to set up a new ABACUS account from the secure ABACUS-16 website.

Once stores submit their 2016 financial data — which should take approximately 30 minutes — they are eligible to apply for the Avin Mark Domnitz Scholarship to attend the upcoming Winter Institute (January 22–25 in Memphis, Tennessee) by sending an e-mail with “Domnitz Scholarship” in the subject line to ABA Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen. The e-mail should include the applicant’s name, staff title, store name, and store contact information.

By submitting their store data for ABACUS-16, stores will receive a detailed individual store performance report that analyzes their financial results, including relevant and insightful benchmarking comparisons across a number of criteria.

As part of this new partnership with Industry Insights, in addition to the customized printed report, bookstores participating in ABACUS-16 will be able to access a secure and private online searchable results tool that allows users to compile ABACUS data using criteria that they select.

Booksellers with questions about submitting to ABACUS-16 are encouraged to contact Michael Becher, CPA, of Industry Insights at (614) 389-2100, ext. 114, or at [email protected]. Booksellers who have general questions about ABACUS can contact ABA’s Dan Cullen via e-mail or at (800) 637-0037, ext. 7560.