The European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) is a non-commercial European and international umbrella organization representing national booksellers’ associations and booksellers across Europe and worldwide. Our mission is to represent our members and their interests on a global platform, as well as to provide a forum for co-operation and to foster the exchange of best practices.
To support this, we launched RISE Bookselling in 2022. It is a three-year project co-funded by the European Union’s Creative Europe program and aims to upscale, reinforce, and maximize the capacity and resilience of the bookselling sector. The RISE project meets its objectives through a diverse range of activities, including research, and the collection and production of valuable data and studies.
In our fast-paced world, retailers, such as booksellers, need a solid understanding and knowledge of current trends and consumers’ shopping priorities in order to stay resilient—to keep a relevant offer of books and a viable business. And, while this knowledge can be gained from engaging with customers and the local community, real foresight can only be achieved through larger research into customers’ priorities and behaviors. To meet this need, we commissioned a study under the RISE Bookselling project titled RISE Study on Consumer Behavior: Book-Buying Trends, Reading Habits and Customer Needs in December 2023.
Globalization and the digital revolution have undoubtedly changed the way people purchase and consume goods, including books—transforming the retail environment and customers’ buying habits. Research on consumer behavior and trends is therefore invaluable as it can provide the book sector, and especially booksellers, with tools and precious information to help anticipate what their customers might expect from them, not only today, but also tomorrow. Most importantly, it can help them remain competitive and resilient, which is one of the proclaimed objectives of the RISE Bookselling project.
The study was carried out on behalf of RISE by Listen, a Belgian-based consultancy with experience in multi-country surveys. It analyzed consumers’ attitudes and habits concerning reading and book-buying across 19 markets, including the U.S., Canada, various European markets, Australia, and New Zealand. It investigated what motivates respondents to read and buy books, their preferred genres and book formats, as well as their expectations of bookshop services, and much more.
“It is our hope that this study not only provides meaningful insights but also underscores the importance of resilience and innovation in our sector,” write EIBF copresidents Fabian Paagman and Jean-Luc Treutenaere, in their introduction to the study. “By working together and learning from research like this, we can ensure that bookselling remains a vibrant and indispensable part of our societies for years to come.”
Tora Åsling is policy officer at EIBF.
The EIBF unveiled the RISE Bookselling Study on Consumer Behavior at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. A version of this story previously ran in the 2024 PW Frankfurt Show Daily.
