The 2021 Global Bookselling Markets Report, published by the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) earlier this year, highlights the adaptability that independent booksellers demonstrated in the second year of pandemic.
Having to move away from traditional sales abruptly in 2020, many booksellers saw their sales increase throughout 2021, mostly due to more efficient digital sales strategies and customer loyalty. While the demand for books remained high all through 2021— the majority of markets analyzed saw sales increase by 5%— booksellers in half of the countries surveyed put their long-term ambitions in combined physical and digital presence.
As a decline in customer footfall presented one of the biggest challenges for the industry at the start of 2021, bookshops with developed online strategies and presence quickly proved their ability to respond to the changing customer needs. This decrease in physical presence and sales, resulting in lower revenues from in-store sales—in Germany booksellers finished the year with an average 3.1% decrease in in-store sales compared to 2020—was especially difficult for independent stores in city centers and shopping areas.
By the time restriction measures eased in most countries in the last term of 2021, physical stores were ready to meet their customers’ demands and deliver targeted services, as readers gladly returned to their trusted bookstores. Bookselling Ireland commented that “more money was spent on books in Ireland in 2021 than ever before, with total sales reaching €165.9m, €4.4m ahead of 2020 (+3%).”
However, while the sector showed undeniable signs of slow recovery, numbers clearly show that in bookselling, not all growth is equitable. Physical sales in bookshops continued to lag behind the digital sales channels in many countries in the past year. This was further exacerbated by national lockdown measures in many countries in the first half of 2021. As a result, the Dutch Booksellers Association reported that, “For the first time ever, in 2021 more books were sold by e-commerce channels than by physical shops, with e-commerce gaining 6% of market share year-on-year in 2021.”
Therefore, we need to take a proactive look into who benefits from market growth, why, and how. A better understanding of combining physical sales with an online presence could be a first step for medium-to-small booksellers and retailers that are used to their brick-and-mortar store only, to keep bookstore culture alive. The Booksellers Association of New Zealand, among many others, sees investment in a solid e-commerce strategy combined with bookshops’ bricks-and-mortar efforts as key going forward: “Our main priorities going forward include: supporting digital competitiveness for indies against international retailers and local chains; sourcing an alternative audiobook platform that is not owned by a global superpower and that supports the independent sector; as well as improving digital infrastructure for the association to secure revenue streams to support members.”
As we emerge from the pandemic and new challenges are already looming ahead, now is the time for booksellers to build on the more versatile business models they have developed, as well as on their newly acquired skills and knowledge from the last two years—including the scaled up digital presence, the variety of delivery options offered, and the hosting of hybrid events.
The Latvian Booksellers Association commented: “We are waiting for the upcoming autumn and winter months with some uncertainty, because the increasing prices in all areas will affect purchasing capacity. Books will have to compete with other essential goods and services”.
In the upcoming months, it is thus crucial for the sector to keep working in parallel on raising their digital presence and focusing on optimizing their online sales channels, even with the return to more established business models, all the while helping with the revival of high streets, reconnecting with customers, and upscaling the innovative local partnerships established during the pandemic months.
