Independent bookstores have revived behind Amazon's prosperity

byJosh Felise

The net asset of Amazon CEO Jeff BessosIt exceeded 100 billion dollars (about 11 trillion yen)It is reported that Amazon is prosperous. On the other hand, bookstores with real storesBattle that survivedAlthough it is said that they are doing, a new investigation found that the number of independent bookstores has been increasing in recent years.

How Independent Bookstores Have Thrived in Spite of Amazon.com
https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/why-independent-bookstores-haved-thrived-in-spite-of-amazon-com

You can see from the following movie what kind of efforts the independent bookstore is actually doing.

The Value of Local Independent Bookstores - YouTube


American Booksellers AssociationAccording to a survey, the number of American independent bookstores has decreased by 43% in the five years from Amazon's online bookstore launch in 1995 to 2000. However, in the six years from 2009 to 2015, the number of independent bookstores has increased from 1651 to 2227. ABA has reported that it recorded a 35% increase rate.


Ryan Raffaelli associate professor at Harvard University calls the phenomenon "technology reemergence". Switzerland watchmakers have seen the same phenomenon, in the past there are instances where manufacturers who lost momentum due to the birth of digital watches succeeded in surviving by redeveloping watches.

As of November 2017, Mr. Raffaelli is in the process of conducting research, conducting more than 200 interviews for independent bookstores, conducting field surveys on publishers, writers and bookstore owners It is. After visiting 13 state bookstores in the United States for 91 hours observing bookshop activities and conference, analyzing 915 industry publications and newspaper, Raffaelli says "community (community)" "curation (collection)" " (Holding) "has become the key to reviving independent bookstores.

◆ Community
Owners of independent bookstores often adopt the idea that people can support local communities by shopping at neighborhood bookstores. Bookstores that succeeded in gathering customers back to bookstores without losing pressure from Amazon and large bookstores tended to place great emphasis on the involvement with local communities.

◆ Curation
Characteristic of an independent type book store where it is successful not to sell bestsellers but to succeed in providing more personalized customer experience. After establishing relationships with customers, we recommend "books that customers will like not to know".

◆ Convenience
By holding various events such as lecture, signing, game knight, reading time of children, young reader group, independent bookstore functions as "place where intellectuals gather". There are places to hold 500 events a year in independent book stores.

Bookstores in Cambridge, USAPorter Square Books"Owner owner David Sandberg said in the movie," If we compete at price, we will lose.We are making our products "service" and "community", books are If you consider it as one, you can win. "


Actually Porter Square Books seems to be doing events such as calling writers.


By becoming a book store more than "a place to buy books" it is creating value for a bookstore.


"The story of an independent bookstore gives hope to us.While focusing on the value of the community as the core, curating and conducting convincing to get the position again, everyone can not" can not " It's growing up in the way I was thinking, "Raffaelli said.


The first round of Raffaelli's formal research results will be announced in 2018.