Helping Sue Ryder sell second hand books in bulk with Sell Your Books Pro
Learn how Sue Ryder used Sell Your Books Pro to help their shops sell second hand books in bulk - maximising fundraising efforts to help provide support and care for those facing life-limiting illnesses or grief.
Driving Retail Success for Sue Ryder
Sue Ryder has used World of Books to sell second hand books in bulk and generate a 260% increase in charity retail income.
With over 70 years of experience, Sue Ryder is a charity dedicated to providing support and care for those facing life-limiting illnesses or grief. Recognising the importance of generating revenue to sustain their crucial services, Sue Ryder embarked on a journey to optimise their retail operations.
"Having everything in one place with one supplier makes it easier for our retail teams to operate more effectively, train new staff and analyse the impact of our online retail presence through reporting features. The help and support of the World of Books team is invaluable to Sue Ryder and allows us to plan the future growth of our retail operations while we raise vital funds to provide palliative care and bereavement support across the UK."
Samantha Leahy
Retail Operations Manager
The Roll-out
Sue Ryder started the rollout of Sell Your Books Pro (previously known as Shopiago Trade-in) in April 2023. The implementation process involved meticulous planning, including meetings with sales managers across 12 retail territories and comprehensive training sessions for shop managers facilitated by both Sue Ryder and the World of Books teams. By May 2023, a pilot testing phase commenced with smaller retail teams, followed by widespread training sessions. Continuous support and quarterly reviews ensured that all Sue Ryder shops were scanning regularly, and maximising the system.
Thanks to proactive internal promotion and targeted training sessions, Sue Ryder was able to effectively and seamlessly integrate Sell Your Books Pro with existing retail operations through a phased approach. The ongoing training process, consisting of drop-in sessions and FAQs, worked to highlight the software’s ease of use, allowing many shop teams to start scanning immediately. Alongside this, internal surveys to gather feedback from shop teams have ensured continuous refinement of processes and user experience, providing each shop with the tools they need to sell second hand books in bulk.
"Helping our retail teams to be sustainable is important to us. Sell Your Books Pro helps us to facilitate this by responsibly repurposing excess books and media, whilst contributing to vital fundraising. This helps us to work more sustainably and maximise revenue from our donated stock, through repurposing and recycling excess book stock."
Samantha Leahy
Retail Operations Manager
Results and Impact
Sue Ryder’s training efforts have translated to remarkable growth in the adoption of Sell Your Books Pro – expanding from 25 to 354 participating shops. As part of Sue Ryder’s existing retail strategy, this growth translated into a staggering 207% increase in charity retail income between 2023 and 2025, providing essential support for the charity's services.To put this in perspective, this equates to the running of five Sue Ryder hospices for a day.
The charity’s dedicated hospice teams include doctors, nurses, care assistants, and occupational therapists, providing support and ensuring pain and symptoms are managed so that final days can be filled with family, kindness, and love.
Internal feedback reflects the ease of use and effectiveness of Sell Your Books Pro to sell second-hand books in bulk, with 83% of respondents acknowledging its simplicity and efficiency. 100% of respondents felt the training and the guides were easy to follow. And when it comes to frequency of scanning, 85% of all users scan preloved books and media at least weekly:
49% of respondents scan daily and 100% of respondents felt the training and the user guides were easy to follow. By harnessing the power of sustainability-focused solutions, Sue Ryder has not only increased revenue but also reinforced their mission of providing compassionate care and support to individuals and families facing life's most challenging moments.
As they continue to evolve and expand their retail operations, Sue Ryder remains steadfast in their commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of those they serve.
"Working with Sue Ryder has been fantastic and showcases how important internal training, promotion and check-in reviews are in driving key progress during this transition. The statistics on their tremendous growth such as a +260% increase in charity income speak for themselves. Working closely with the team, the passion for the charity mission is clear with the end goal to drive vital fundraising and provide even more important services for those who need them the most."
Hollie Capell
Customer Success Manager