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Bookstores Now Acting as Ebook Showrooms

Simba Information has released the results of a rather obvious little survey. Have you ever looked at a product in store and then bought it online? Guess what – readers are now doing that with ebooks.

Simba surveyed 110 bookstores across the country, and they found that 38% of the booksellers reported seeing (former) regular customers come back to the after the customers bought an ereader. The customers rarely bought anything, however; they were just there to browse. 43% of the booksellers also reported having regular non-customers who only came in to browse  before leaving to buy from another retailer.

And this is supposed to be news, how exactly? The internet did this situation long before ebooks came along. Actually, this predates the internet. People have been using local store to window shop ever since the time of mail-order.

Simba are selling a new market research report, and that’s where this little nugget of info came from. If the report is as good as this sample then I’m not sure it’s worth buying.

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Comments


Sweetpea August 31, 2011 um 1:00 pm

Well, we all know how slow the book industry is, so this might be news to them!

Nate Hoffelder August 31, 2011 um 1:16 pm

LOL


Tim Spalding August 31, 2011 um 1:08 pm

More is different. Yes, throughout history people have sometimes shopped with a low intention to buy. But more people are doing it now—a lot more.


Laura August 31, 2011 um 5:32 pm

I’m a freak who tends to do the opposite. I use the internet to research things I want to buy and to track down where I can find them for sale locally.


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