Christian retailers that participate in Parable Group’s annual sales survey saw, on average, a 1% decline in same store sales in 2024 compared to 2023. The dip followed a 9% increase in sales in 2023. Results are based on reports from almost 200 outlets with combined sales of more than $92 million.
The survey found that 52% of stores had a sales decline, 24% saw sales increase, and another 24% reported flat sales. (Parable categorizes sales as flat if they neither rise nor fall by more than 2%.) Participants reported that sales showed a marked improvement in December, particularly in the last two weeks of the month, after what had generally been a lackluster year—albeit one that followed solid gains in 2023.
Gifts remained Christian retailers’ largest segment, accounting for 28% of dollar volume, marking a slight increase from the 27% share the category had in 2023. Bibles’ share of sales rose to 25% from 24% in 2023, while sales of adult books held even at 25%. More interest in imprinting services to personalize Bibles helped drive sales in the category, retailers said.
Among adult books, Christian living remained the most popular category, accounting for almost 24% of sales even as its share of the market has steadily declined since 2021. Devotionals had the biggest share gain, up two percentage points, to 17%, with retailers pointing to a noticeable increase in demand for mental health devotionals. The Bible study category had a 8.5% share in the year.
Fiction accounted for 10.6% of sales at Christian retailers in the year. Colleen Coble was the bestselling Christian fiction author in 2024, and Sarah Young took the title in nonfiction. Sales of children’s books represented 7% of sales.
Other key takeaways from retailers found in the "2025 State of Christian Retail" report included a generally positive business outlook for 2025, with 77% of participants predicting strong or steady sales in the year. And while supply chain problems have eased, 69% or respondents reported that managing inventory and logistics remains very or somewhat challenging.
