The idea of the single boutique bookstore comes from analysing the positioning and values that make each partner museum a unique place, an exceptional destination for the exhibition philosophy and for the heritage it presents to its audience. The interior design, the assortment, the prices, the editorial selection; everything is designed to offer the visitor an extension of the museum experience. Skira also develops a marketing strategy for each museum that includes an e-commerce site, offline distribution, brand licences and co-marketing operations. It is thanks to this strategic, broad-minded approach that the boutique bookstore is always a selection of high-value content consistent with the DNA of the museum and its specific sales results.

An art and culture publishing house since 1928, Skira has become renowned worldwide for the original publications it curates for partner museums, from editing, to printing and distribution. Today Skira publishes guides, exhibition catalogues and reference volumes for the largest museums and international cultural institutions such as the Louvre, the British Museum, Gallerie d’Italia, the MoMA and the recently opened Diriyah Art Futures. Inside each boutique bookstore, the editorial component is fundamental. The selection of books reflects the image and positioning of each partner. As well as the original publications for the museum, new releases and specialised editions are also stocked, including titles chosen to offer cultural, historical and scientific content that enriches the visitor’s experience in the museum. The goal is to meet the interests of not only experts, with rare editions and niche books, but also of the wider public of all ages.

The design of the boutique library, entrusted by Skira to architects and designers established in this sector, is inspired by thegenius loci, its spirit of place. It recalls the collections, the architecture and the values of the museum. Each element, from the windows, to the arrangement of the different areas, to the furnishings, is designed to offer a unique experience.This creates a visual and sensory impact that invites the visitor to enter, to choose and make their purchases, moving at ease in a space designed as if it were the final gallery of the museum.

Skira takes care of the arrangement of products in the window and inside the boutique bookstore in a manner that seeks to balance aesthetics with commercial necessity. The goal is to capture the attention of the visitor, encourage the impulse to purchase and increase the conversion rate thanks to the training of dedicated staff and the use of various tools. The most advanced visual merchandising techniques, constantly adapted according to sales trends, are combined with intentional scenography and space distribution. The strategic presentation of products also continues in the e-commerce site that Skira designs for the museum, which also respects its visual identity.

Inside the boutique library, Skira creatively presents objects in the colours and style that best enhance the spirit of the museum and its collections. Each object accompanies the books and is also based on the profiling of visitors. In particular, the choice of art objects, gift ideas, objects for children, stationery items, fashion, decoration and souvenirs are the result of extensive research in the sector to grasp contemporary trends. Always cognisant of ethical and sustainable production, Skira’s purchasing office favours zero-kilometre objects from exclusive brands, active at the local and regional level. The internal creative workshop of the publishing house, with a production of almost a thousand objects per year, contributes to guaranteeing a short and low-impact supply chain.

Skira offers museums the opportunity to become part of a digital ecosystem that helps them to reach the public before, during and after the visit. The e-commerce site designed for each partner to be consistent with its specific brand image, is integrated both with the museum’s site and with the Skira sales platform in order to generate a higher number of visits. To complete the ecosystem, Skira also takes care of the communication via newsletters and social media coverage of the museum’s exhibitions, products and events, in order to involve and retain new digital visitors.

In recent years, online cultural consumption has been on the rise, with a growing interest in museum sites. Ever attentive to new spaces and new ways to access art and culture, Skira optimised its marketplace in 2024.Skira-arte.com is now a meeting place for an increasingly relevant online community consisting not only of museum visitors, but including a vast audience of people motivated by a thirst for culture. Almost 7000 points of reference, including books, creative objects, limited editions on the work of great artists and original publications made for partner museums make up a highly original online marketplace. It is a constantly evolving selection, of great interest to art lovers and collectors, but also for young people looking to find out more about the world of art and culture.Discover all the news of the Skira e-shop

Skira makes each boutique bookstore a lively and engaging space, animated by moments of sharing that strengthen connections with the public and with partner museums. Meetings with artists and authors, book signings, temporary exhibitions, launches of new editorial proposals; each event is communicated through the social channels of the boutique libraries, via newsletter and, if the activity requires it, also through the Skira press offices in Milan, Paris and New York.

Over more than 20 years, Skira has built a working group with significant experience in the publication and distribution of cultural products designed for artistic tourism. Our team combines creativity and technical preparation and continuously augments its skills thanks to the sharing of best practice between the different boutiques. A central point of contact supervises the local sales managers, updating them on all the news of the museum and on the most advanced commercial systems and techniques.

The boutique bookstore’s sales trends are transmitted daily to the Skira headquarters. Once a week, the relevant manager analyses the data and reports any changes to be made to optimise purchases, assortment and sales results. Several times a year, the customer experience inside the Skira boutique is also monitored, through a mystery shopper. The evaluation concerns the qualitative level of the space, from the organisation of routes, to the tidiness, to the cleanliness and labelling, as well as services such as the availability of staff, the support to the purchase and the management of the cash desk.