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Internet Arrives Capturing 2% of Book Industry Study Group Presents Results of The 1998 Consumer Research Study on Book Purchasing (Prepared by the NPD Group Inc. for the American Booksellers Association and The Book Industry Study Group) at 3-4 PM, Friday, April 30th, 1999, Room 308A, BookExpo America, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA ( Los Angeles, CA) - At the annual BookExpo America Convention in the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Book Industry Study Group presented the results of the 1998 Consumer Research Study on Book Purchasing, prepared by the NPD Group, Inc. for the American Booksellers Association and The Book Industry Study Group. It is the eighth such study. The study showed that despite continued growth in the general economy, consumer demand for adult books declined in 1998. Highlights of findings include:
The decline by 3% in consumer demand for adult books is in marked contrast to the Association of American Publishers' reported 6% increase in the publisher's dollars sales, and to the Census Bureau's reported 2.6% increase in bookstore dollar sales. The divergence of publishers's dollar sales from the consumer unit purchases might be explained by inventory in the pipeline which may signal heavy returns in the future or purchases by buyers other than consumers, such as professional, business, educational, institutional and government. Distribution patterns continued to shift as major chains continue to increase the number of their outlets and their market share (although a modest .2% in 1998), as independents lose share (-.6%), and as E-commerce disturbs all the traditional patterns of book distribution. Internet sales were reported for the first time in 1997 and registered impressive gains of 349%, although enjoying only a 1.9% overall share. Data on Internet purchases show that popular fiction dominated sales at 33%, followed by Technical/Science/Education (14%), Cooking/Crafts (12%), and Psychology/Recovery (11%). Purchases were shown to be spurred by in-store promotions. Refinements were made in this year's study in tracking purchasing motivation which highlighted the impact of in-store promotions. Overall, in-store promotions and impulse-buying accounted for 33% of books purchased by consumers (recommendation by sales person only 1%), while out-of-store reviews, word of mouth, advertising and promotion prompted an additional 39% of buying. Regional Patterns showed households in the Pacific states continued to be the heaviest book-buyers, contributing 19% of purchases. Geographic areas with smaller populations were weak in 1998. Heaviest book buyers continued to reside in large market areas. FROM The 1998 Consumer Research Study on Book
Purchasing, (Section II) INDUSTRY OVERVIEW: MARKET SIZE AND DIRECTION CONSUMER ADULT BOOK PURCHASING: Following a sluggish 1997, consumer purchased fewer books in 1998 than they did the year prior. This is the first time that the industry posted a year-to-year decline in the demand for books since the study's inception. For the third consecutive year, consumers were less likely to purchase a book during the key holiday season (October - December). In fact, the fourth quarter accounted for 41% of the industry's losses in 1998. Since 1995, the percentage of all adult trade books purchased during these key months has slipped from 31% to the present rate of 27% in 1998. Consumer demand for books fell broadly in 1998, regardless of format type. However, the rate of loss was strongest for the mass market format, followed by hard cover. The number of trade paper books bought by consumers held close to the level posted in 1997. Consumer Adult Book Purchasing Market Size: MILLIONS of Books Purchased
OUTLET REVIEW: Consumer Adult Book Purchasing
Figures indicate that while consumers are visiting a greater variety of outlets available for their book purchasing, it does not appear to have affected the total volume of books purchased.
Separately, among books bought through the Internet, half of them were in the trade paper format. Hard cover books accounted for another third of the unit volume, followed by mass market books. METHODOLOGY: The data for the study are obtained from monthly "diaries" mailed to a nationally representative panel of consumers in 16,000 households. Approximately 75% of the diaries are returned each month. The study is conducted by The NPD Group, Inc., one of the nation's largest market research organizations. NPD has been collecting information on book purchasing since April 1990. This report reviews January to December data for 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. TO PURCHASE A COPY, CONTACT: The Book Industry Study Group, Inc., 160 Fifth Ave, NY, NY 10010-7000. Tel. (212) 929-1393; fax (212) 989-7542; E-mail: bill@bookinfo.org. URL: http://www.bisg.org. And visit the Book Industry Study Group Booth, Booth #2166, at BookExpo America, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles CA, Friday, April 30 - May 2, 1999. The 1998 Consumer Research Study on Book Purchasing, ISBN 0-940016-75-3. Price: $295.00
26 West 17th Street, Suite 504, NY, NY 10011. Phone: (212) 727-7271. Fax: (212) 727-7275. publicity@bookbuzz.com.
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