Online bookstores to sweep over physical shops

More and more people now purchase their books on the Internet since they find it more convenient. Sector representatives estimate that the online book-selling industry is expanding by some 30 percent per year in Turkey in line with the ever-increasing number of Internet users, which currently totals around 27 million. At present 10 percent of total book purchases are made on the Internet, and this figure is expected to rise.

The factors attributed to this growing tendency towards online stores might be because of the discounted prices they offer, 24-hour service and delivery straight to the buyer’s door, which saves time. Online bookstores also have the chance to offer hundreds of thousands titles while the number of books that can be found in a brick-and-mortar shop is limited with the size of store.

So, what are the challenges threatening traditional bookstores in the face of the advantages of online stores? According to Sadi Kizir, the owner of leading online bookstore Kitapyurdu.com, the negative effect of online sites on sales in physical stores is not huge. Book sales on the Internet has its own market, he believes. “Some stores might be affected adversely in part, but I don’t think their sales went down at the same rate that sales on the Internet went up,” he said in an interview with Sunday’s Zaman.

Bora Ekmekci, director of idefix.com, another leading online bookstore, on the other hand, thinks that physical bookstores’ sales were adversely influenced because of high discount rates. Normally, a 15 to 20 percent discount rate in prices is deemed ideal, since total cost of purchasing only one book on the Internet is equivalent to the prices available in physical stores when shipping cost are included. But this price still remains attractive, as there is the cost of traveling to store and making a less convenient search for the book. However, some online bookstores exist that offer truly low prices, with a discount rate of up to 40 or 50 percent. This situation, Ekmekci says, does affect the traditional bookshops’ operations. “With these discount rates, I can’t see how those stores can remain open since their profit margins must really be too low,” he states.

Even though online stores are expected to continue growing at the expense of bricks-and-mortar bookstores, sector representatives do not expect downtown bookshops to close their doors for good. The joy of browsing through the pages of a book in a store can’t be replaced, even by the “inside search” options provided by online booksellers. On the contrary, “Online bookstores are likely to become the primary source for one to look first for purchasing a book in the near future,” Ekmekci predicted.

People read more now thanks to online bookstores

By making access to books easier, online bookstores are also credited with helping the publishing sector. Kizir contends that the number of people who are avid readers has at least doubled over the past 10 years thanks to the attractive opportunities offered by online bookshops, while the demand for pirated books has also dropped, albeit slightly.

Ekmekci told Sunday’s Zaman that idefix received harsh criticism from publishing houses when it was first established in 1998. But this situation is the exact opposite now, he said, emphasizing the positive impact of online booksellers on the sector. “There is a clear difference between anyone who is just browsing around in an actual bookstore and another one searching on the Internet while also making comparisons. Our Web site has more than 700,000 members, and all of them are consciously shopping; this is to the advantage of the publishers,” he said.

Also agreeing with the idea that online bookstores contribute positively to the sector, İhsan Sönmez, general director of the research and development department of Timaş Publishing House, also cites new marketing techniques adopted by these stores, such as offering copies of books signed by their authors, as efficient ways to boost book sales.

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