Boost Bookstore Engagement with Online Polls

A user-friendly poll maker and flexible poll creator are key for retail brands wanting to connect with customers. Last year, BookNook—a U.S. bookstore chain with 8 locations—had an issue: its monthly book club themes had low participation, and it didn’t know readers’ favorite genres. In-store paper polls only got 30 responses weekly, and results took days to count. It switched to SurveyMars, and online poll tools totally changed how it interacted with customers.

Design Targeted Poll Questions for Reader Preferences

Before, BookNook’s team guessed genres for book clubs—often picking unpopular ones. With SurveyMars’ poll maker, it created simple poll questions like “Which genre should our next book club focus on?” (options: mystery, romance, sci-fi). Short questions boosted completion rates, and a “write-in” option covered niche tastes. In two weeks, it got 350 responses—12x more than paper polls—and found 45% of readers wanted mystery.

Use Poll Online to Reach More Customers

BookNook used to only run polls in stores, missing online shoppers. With SurveyMars’ poll online feature, it shared polls via email newsletters, social media, and embedded a quick poll on its homepage (one-click voting). The poll app let it track results in real time—so when mystery led, it adjusted book orders fast. This online push lifted poll participation by 60%, and the next book club had double the usual attendance.

Create a Fun Poll to Drive Engagement

To keep readers active between book clubs, BookNook made a fun poll with SurveyMars’ poll creator. It asked light questions like “Which classic book character would you invite to a café?” The poll was shareable on Instagram, and readers loved posting answers. This fun poll boosted brand interaction (over 500 shares), doubled email sign-ups, and even gave ideas for themed merch—like mugs with top-voted characters (from poll survey results).

BookNook turned low-engagement events into popular community moments. Book club attendance rose 70% in 3 months, and feedback about “feeling heard” went up 40%. For retail brands, a good poll tool isn’t just about questions—it’s about building customer connections.