What is 'Bookshop', an independent online bookstore service that has grown daily sales from 5 million yen to 780 million yen in less than a year?

In the actual store of the bookstore by the rise of the Amazon is relegated to the crisis of survival, and independent bookstores, which also serves as a place of community in the United States has undergone a revival it has been said . In response to this trend, 'Bookshop', which allows independent bookstores to open their own online shops, is gaining popularity, and as of March 2020, daily sales were about 5 million yen, but daily sales Has grown to 780 million yen.

'This is revolutionary': new online bookshop unites indies to rival Amazon | Booksellers | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/02/this-is-revolutionary-new-online-bookshop-unites-indies-to-rival-amazon

As Amazon expands its online bookstores and develops an all-you-can-read e-book service for 1000 yen per month, demand for real-world real-world stores declines, and it is forced to close one after another around 2014. I did . On the other hand, it has been attracting attention as 'independent bookstores have charms that Amazon does not have', and it is reported that independent bookstores are reviving around 2017. An independent bookstore as a physical store is not just a place to buy books, it also functions as a community and has attracted a large number of people.

'The Last Bookstore' in Los Angeles, USA is one of them, and it has anti-Amazon. The name The Last Bookstore was also ironically named as an endangered bookstore due to the influence of Amazon and others.

I went to the new generation independent bookstore 'The Last Bookstore' which was selected as 'the most beautiful bookstore in the world' --GIGAZINE

Following this trend, Andy Hunter launched 'Bookshop' in January 2020, a service that allows independent bookstores to launch their own online shops. Bookshop will be an online book purchase method instead of Amazon, and since the bookstore side can get the total profit of sales (30% of the cover price), it will also lead to support for local independent bookstores. .. Customer service and delivery are handled by the bookstore and its distributor partners, with a discount if you allow 2-3 days for delivery.

Bookshop: Buy books online. Support local bookstores.
https://bookshop.org/

According to Mr. Hunter, service development in the United States has expanded significantly due to the effects of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Initially, only 250 bookstores were registered for the service, but as of November this number has increased to 900. 'The total sales in February were 50,000 dollars (about 5.2 million yen), but in March it started to sell 50,000 dollars a day, and in April the daily sales amount was 15 It has increased to 10,000 dollars (about 16 million yen), 'he said, revealing that as of November, he was able to sell 7.5 million dollars (about 780 million yen) worth of books a day. I will.

'The company has only four other employees and I work from home. Wake up as early as possible in the morning and as late as possible in the evening,' said Hunter. I'm working and devoting everything to my work. It's a sweaty experience, but the bookstore always says, 'Thanks to you, I was able to pay the rent and this year's health insurance. Thank you very much.' I'm incredibly happy because I've received it. If you're working in a stressful and crazy situation, you should do what you're happy with. '

In addition, Bookshop is certified by 'B Corporation', which operates for the benefit of society and the public interest, and the rules prohibit it from being acquired by major American retailers including Amazon.

It has long been pointed out that Amazon's success is due to the 'aggregator' method of depriving manufacturers and brands of their individuality and bearing the Amazon brand on everything. Despite the fact that sellers are forced to use Amazon when selling things, they are forced to 'compete by price' because they lose all their personality. It has been thought that it is a 'platform' type service that emphasizes the individuality of the seller that breaks through this situation, but Bookshop is exactly this platform type service.

It is pointed out that it is a diverse 'true platform' that defeats the strongest predator Amazon-GIGAZINE

Hunter attributed the success of Bookshop to 'people's love for local bookstores.' 'Amazon has become more and more powerful, and 100-year-old bookstores are in danger of survival. Our success is that many people are concerned about this situation and want to revive their beloved bookstores. It's because of my thoughts, because the pandemic has exacerbated this concern, 'Hunter commented.

Originally, Mr. Hunter was planning to develop the service in the UK between 2021 and 2022, but due to the success in the United States, the demand for launch from British writers, publishers and bookstores increased, so in 2020 Service started in the UK in October. 130 bookstores in the UK have already registered with Bookshop, and this number is expected to increase to 200 by the end of 2020. The UK Bookshop will be run by Nicole Vanderbild, a former international vice president of the online shop service Etsy.