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Why Bookshops will die

October 9, 2003

My friend walked into this shop, looking for a particular book that he had read about. This bookshop (spread over multiple floors), is typical of its kind - rows and rows of shelves, stacks of books, generally classified into broad topics (Fiction, Science, Art, etc.). Customers wander into the relevant section, and search for their book, bring it to the counter, and pay for it.

He couldn’t immediately find it, so he asked the sales personnel to help him. They in turn asked him for the exact name of the book, the publisher’s name, etc. - all information that my friend didn’t have. He had just read about this book (either in a magazine or on the Internet), and since it was of interest to him, he thought he’d buy it. He didn’t think that he’d have to bring in so much information just to find it!

Well, he didn’t get the book, so tried in another shop, with similar results.

He gave up, went home, came online on Instant Messenger, and cribbed like mad to me about the inefficiency of bookshops.

I can sympathise with him - I too have run into the situation he faced at the shop - and I have been facing it for the past twenty years. The difference is - these days there are tools a shop like that can deploy to help the customer - computers and the Internet.

How it could have been

Picture this (imaginary) situation that my friend could have experienced at the book shops he went to:

Not immediately finding the book he was looking for, he walks up to the a counter where a helpful looking staff member could be seen staring intently at a computer screen. Explaining what he was looking for, both people quickly realise that the exact title of the book is the clue to advancing the transaction.

So the shop assistant pulls up her browser (naturally, she is connected to the Internet), and dumps in a few search terms into her favourite search engine (probably Google).

Working with my friend, she quickly identifies the book, the publisher and other information. Then she quickly searches her internal inventory program to locate the book in the shop.

She realises that the book isn’t in stock, but does find a source for the book right here in the city. She quickly calculates what it would cost her shop to buy the book, slaps on a small margin to cover procurement and courier costs, tells my friend that the book isn’t in stock, but can be procured and couriered to him within a day, and names her price.

My friend is thrilled, whips out his credit card, orders the book, and goes
home. The book is delivered the next day, with a personal note from the shop assistant thanking him for his business.

Would my friend ever go back to this shop?

You bet he would. In fact he would probably never go anywhere else.

Why isn’t this more common

So why isn’t this a common enough scenario?

Because these bookshops (at least here in India) just don’t get it (yet).

Let’s look at some of their arguments against using a system like this:

1. Too expensive

This is rubbish. Most bookshops are using computers already anyway - so throwing in a Rs.3000 modem and a dialup account can’t really be that expensive, can it? And these days cable Internet and DSL always-on connections are so cheap that it is laughable.

2. No software

Another bogey from the past. You don’t need any expensive search software, or even any in-house infrastructure to be able to search for information - services like Google and Yahoo are a million times more powerful than anything you could set up anyway, and they are free.

3. Will be misused

This is a possibility - if you don’t do it right. If you set up access terminals all across your shop and offer them to your customers, there is a very good likelyhood that they will come to surf and not buy.

You can easily fix that - make them pay a small amount to use the terminal, and adjust the amount in any purchase they make. Just make sure that this amount is more than what a cybercafe would charge!

Or just make the terminals available to sales staff only. In the above scenario, the sales assistant not only located the information required, but also found a source for the book, and was able to swing a deal because of it. Good for the shop, good for the customer.

4. Too complicated

Come on - if your 8 year old daughter can do it, I am sure you and your employees can, too.

5. Not worth the returns
Ahhh, here we go. The “what’s in it for me” factor.

What’s in it for you is your own survival. Without facilities like these, you might as well shut down and retire - the online bookstores will wipe you out in no time at all.

What’s also in it for you is greater customer satisfaction, and that translates into a more sales.

Ever been to a roadside shoeshine “shop”? You walk up to him, he polishes your shoes to a high gloss, you pay him a small amount, and both of you are happy. Sure, you could have spent time at home shining your shoes yourself, but this is so convenient.

See the lesson in that?

People don’t mind paying a little extra for extra service. And that little extra can translate into big profits for you in the end. That’s an age-old business wisdom.

But the more important thing is - you are raising customer satisfaction. And nothing is better advertising that word-of-mouth from satisfied customers. Not only do they keep coming back - they bring their friends along, too.

But all this seems wishful thinking. I have not seen any changes in the way the bookshops operate for many years - they live in an age long gone by.

And soon they will be history themselves.

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