MEDIA

  • In 2015 print will represent more than 80% of all book sales revenue worldwide
  • Many prefer buying print books because they like to collect, 'like the smell' and 'want full bookshelves'
  • Video blogger Zoella's debut novel sold 20 physical copies for every electronic copy

Deloitte predicts that in 2015 print will represent more than 80% of all book sales revenue worldwide. Ten years on from the launch of the eReader, print will dominate book sales even in markets with high digital device penetration. In the UK, one of the largest book markets, print sales are likely to be just under 80% in value and approximately 75% in volume. This is in a market in which over 30% of adults own or have access to an eReader, 50% have tablets, and smartphone ownership exceeds 70%.

For some print products, such as newspapers, most demand for the print version is from older consumers who grew up in a print-only world. This is not the case for books. Millennials' (generally 18-34 year olds) aversion to physical CDs, DVDs, print newspapers or magazines is not replicated for print books. In the US, twice as many millennials read print books (75%) as read an eBook.

Why do Millennials show a preference for print books? One UK study found that 62% of 16-24s prefer buying print books over eBooks because they like to collect, 'like the smell' and 'want full bookshelves'. One recent example of this preference is from the mix of physical to digital sales of a book aimed specifically at younger consumers. Girl Online, the debut novel of video blogger Zoella with a substantial teen fan base sold 20 physical copies for every electronic copy. Additional reasons include the cover and information retention which tends to be greater with print formats.

The future of book retailing is complicated. By the beginning of 2013, the number of high street bookshops in the UK had fallen by more than half in seven years. If eBooks were dominating print, that trend would likely continue or accelerate.

The impact on booksellers and related industries

A continued preference for print does not appear to be a panacea for physical bookstores: nearly 40% of all books (print and eBooks combined) in the UK were bought from online only retailers as of 2012, and the number is likely to be higher now.

While online sales of physical books may remain strong, bricks and mortar retailers should extol the value of buying print in person. You can browse far more easily, you can appreciate the font, you can feel the paper's texture. And you can walk out reading the book, rather than having to wait a few days for the book to be delivered.

With increasing numbers of primary and secondary students using a tablet for at least some of their classes, it is likely necessary to do more research on the difference between print and screen with the findings also likely to apply to tertiary education and the training markets. Other print medium publishers like newspapers and magazines might learn lessons from books: for example considering how can they duplicate some of the attributes that causes millenials to persist with print.

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