Research and Market Releases Book Stores Retailing Report

The good news is that Research and Markets has released the “2008 Worldwide Book Stores Retailing Industry Report”, which includes information on establishments, employment, and sales totals (with forecasts for 2009), 5-year trends, and coverage of many many countries. The bad news is that the cheapest copy is a PDF for $266. Details at http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2c50fe/2008_worldwide_boo .

Overivew of the NEIBA

Publishers Weekly had a brief update on the 35th annual New England Independent Booksellers Association Trade show, which include the little nut that independent booksellers comprise about 10% of the book market. I’m glad; frankly I’m amazed it’s still that high.

Attendees discussed print-on-demand as well as the possibility of selling Sony Readers in their stores (Seems to me Kindle has got to get a bricks-n-mortar retail outlet or get buried. Circuit City’s market cap is now 230 million!)

From the article: “Moderator Roxanne Coady, owner of R.J. Julia in Madison, Conn., noted the need for independents to monetize what they do. ‘Here’s what’s becoming a problem,’ she said, ‘we don’t charge. You can talk with our staff, and there aren’t even tip jars. We see people spending an hour in our store and then leaving and buying the books where it’s cheaper. Is there another way of paying for being that filter?’” Yes ma’am: let the people order the books online THROUGH YOU. Be one of those assistant shopper kinda deals. And put your recommendations online. And hell, put out some tip jars.

Target to Start Carrying Sony Reader

Sony has announced that Target is going to carry the Sony Reader starting September 14th. That’s today, boys and girls. The model in question is the Reader Digital Book PRS-505. If you buy the reader at Target, you’ll also get a coupon for a free e-book. The store will also carry a selection of accessories and accouterments; the Reader will retail for about $300. You can get a few more details at this PC Magazine article.

A Look at Borders’ New Concept Store

Canada.com has an article about Borders new concept stores. The new stores have a “digital center”, where customers can download both ebooks and music. That’s not surprising, but the concept stores also have a travel section where shoppers “can buy maps, portable DVD players and GPS navigation systems. And there is an interactive computer kiosk where customers can research, plan, and even book a trip in the store.”

Borders wants to go through a Christmas season before they make any determinations about how profitable the new stores are. But something like this has to happen sometime…

Sample a Cheese Puff and You Suddenly Want a Spa?

Interesting press release from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, covering a series of four studies performed by Professor Baba Shiv and doctoral candidate Monica Wadhwa along with Stephen Nowlis of Arizona State University. It seems that samples can trigger desire for more goods beyond the sample itself.

One group of students was given small samples of a sweet drink or chocolate, and another group was given nothing, before being taken into a room to watch a film. The room contained readily-available food and drink items. The group which had a sample before the film ate and drank more during the film than those who hadn’t.

Furthermore, those who had a sweet drink sample indicated after the film a stronger desire for consumer goods and experiences — like vacations and chocolate cake. There was even a similar response for groups exposed to pleasant smells as opposed to eating a sample (though smell might be riskier to try — your lovely floral perfume is someone else’s horrible asthma attack.) You can get more details on the study at http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/research/shiv_sample.html.