Online retail growth continues, Bowker finds

07.08.13 | Joshua Farrington   - The Bookseller

 

Online retailers, including Amazon, accounted for 44% of all book spending in the US in 2012, according to Bowker. The figure is up from 39% in 2011, while bookstore chains now account for less than 20% of book spending.

E-books also grew, with an 11% share of spending in 2012, compared to 7% the year before, while the share is as high as 20% in areas such as mystery, romance and science fiction. However, despite the growth in e-book sales, there was still a growth in print book output, with traditional publishers producing 301,624 titles in 2012, up 3% on 2011's output of 292,037 titles.

Jo Henry, director of Bowker Market Research, said: "The review reveals the larger industry impact of the growth of ebooks. This is more than simply a format change. E-books are driving powerful behavioral changes among book buyers."

The information in the review it taken from a panel of nearly 20,000 American book buyers.
It revealed that woman have increased their lead over men in book buying, accounting for 58% of overall book spending in 2012, up from 55%. However, men buy more hardback titles than woman, the only area where they buy more.

Respondents also said that the economy was having less impact on their buying choices, with 53% of consumers saying it did not effect them, compared to 51% previously.
The 2013 US Book Consumer Demographics and Buying Behaviors Annual Review is available to buy from Bowker.