Most of you would have read or heard of Senator Nick Sherry, our Federal Minister for Small Business, statements concerning bookstores. Apparently he believes bookshops as we know them today will be a thing of the past in 5 years time. I’ve thought about this on and off for a week now and I must say from a certain point of view he is probably leaning in the right direction.
I strongly support local Australian authors, we have amazing talent in this country and yes of late I’ve occasionally purchased books online. This is for a few reasons, one the price is often better, not really enough to sway me alone, perhaps a few dollars. I know a jacketed book means the author is going to receive their hard earned royalty either way so online is very tempting. When I’m in the buying mind set, online sellers seem to carry stock and I want that book, right now. Insert image of petulant child here if you like.
With my local Angus and Robertson disappearing twice now I’ve looked for specific books at my Dymocks, the only stores left at this point in time, only to find the books I am after were not on the shelf. I’ve asked the staff and they’ve offered to order them in, a process taking 2 weeks time. The child wants the book now and is prepared to pay. Online I’ve sourced books in 3 – 5 days. On this basis it’s hard to resist the allure of clicking the mouse to add to cart!
When I shop I know what I’m after. I rarely wander the shelves looking for something new. I read reviews online and I talk to friends. Word of mouth is always the best way to sell good books. I know there are plenty of people who don’t work like this, they’re happy to wander aimlessly. Browsing online is not the same as being able to pick a book up off a shelf and perform that strange ritual us readers do of assessing a potential read in 20 or 30 seconds.
Online you might see the cover, read the blurb, all same so far however you cannot feel the book. The weight, the font size. I can’t stand books with really small fonts, even though I know the costs of producing a larger hardcover or those large paperbacks that are almost a hardcover; I’ve no idea what they are called? Anyway, my point is many paperbacks have small fonts and my eye sight isn’t what it used to be. I have to really like a book, say Magician by Feist to bother with a small font. How can the purchaser know with any confidence a paperback purchased online will be an acceptable font? How will the book feel in their hands?
I’m deliberately not talking about e-books in this post as I take the Senator’s comments specific to material books, paper and glue and the printed word. Bookstores carry costs of rent, which in shopping centers seems to be skyrocketing of late, staff, advertising, franchisee fees etcetera. Online there is the cost of the website plus the merchant engine and finally wholesale and shipping. Usually the actual stock logistics is outsourced or maybe it’s a Mum and Dad operation for now, who knows. No offense but from the buyers point of view who cares. All I want as the consumer is my product, reliably delivered and in good condition.
I noticed some books I recently purchased online from an Australian website actually shipped from New Zealand. The delivery was 5 days and they arrived safe and sound. Quality product for a great price in top condition. That’s all I wanted, one satisfed customer.
The quandary for bricks and mortar bookstores is always going to be quality of staff. My take on this is increased rents mean they have to cut corners, hire in young people for a lower wage because unfortunately that’s all they will be able to afford. How can a business with high costs compete on the same product when their competition, online sales, has minimal costs? The answer is they can’t unless they offer something more, actual service and experienced staff who know their own product and can direct consumers in their purchasing.
I’m sure I don’t know all the angles on this. I’m just one consumer however my guess is we won’t see another Angus and Robertson size competitor enter the marketplace. I think the Senator is thinking in the right direction, an Australian Amazon service will fill the void encompassing both e-books and hardcopy perhaps with a loyalty program each10th book free or whatever works.
It sure sounds like a safer bet than starting a business with so many costs weighing it down, forcing the price of books up.
Anyway, this is way too long a rant… I just felt like getting all that off my chest…
I look forward to your comments… 
J.
I’m probably the opposite A book is a set of published words and I’m not too fussed about fonts or the feel of the actual book, but instead the reputation of the author and/or story. I trust that a book will be of a reasonable quality for font, binding, etc. I also cannot ever remember asking a staff member in a store about an author or book beyond ‘where do I find…..”. Frankly, a printed directory or interactive display could give me the same information.
Books are ideal to purchase over the Internet – I think most books are sold from a combination of the appearance of the cover, the name/reputation of the author and the blurb on the cover. All can be easily reproduced online. We’ve done well, for price and delivery time, from Book Depository in the UK, as we’ve blogged about.
So Dave, are you saying you agree with the Senator’s comments as you see no barriers to online book buying taking over?
No, not quite. Major chains may be ‘dead’ unless they innovate. I can remember when Borders first opened a lot was made of being able to enjoy coffee and read their books without purchasing. Perhaps that was the only way to enjoy their books, which were expensive in my opinion. There will always be small stores that survive through a niche – perhaps targeting a community adverse to online purchasing, or a type of book that massive online retailers won’t offer. But overall, the product is ideal for online selling and purchasing, and yes there will be a major decline in the number of traditional bookstores unless they can make their business model evolve into something that the online world can’t offer (like coffee). I tend to read mass-market books and my purchases will be increasingly online.
Heard today that, subject to regulatory approval, Amazon is buying the UK’s Book Depository. Will prices climb and free delivery end? And no book stores left either!
A lot of talk is about free delivery ending… one things for sure we are going through rapid changes…
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