Standing Out on the Shelf: Helping Book Buyers Find the Right Books

What convinces someone to buy a book? Here are some specific features consumers are looking for.

Booksellers want to determine the best marketing strategies for their books so they can understand what buyers are looking for and what eventually persuades them to make a purchase. Importantly, the book attributes people look for are not always given equal value, as the following research indicates.

THE RESEARCH

In “Do Consumers Judge a Book By Its Cover? A Study of the Factors That Influence the Purchasing of Books,” Luís Leitão, Suzanne Amaro, Carla Henriques, and Paula Fonseca from the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu evaluate what criteria are most important for people deciding to purchase a book of fiction, either as a gift or for themselves. The researchers claim, “Understanding the factors that influence the consumers’ main buying decision of fiction books will enable all professionals working in the book industry to adopt strategies that promote the buying and reading of books, making [the books] more attractive visually, physically and even emotionally” (Leitão et al. 2018, 89). 

To determine those influencing factors, the researchers gathered data from 487 people in Portugal by creating a questionnaire that had participants rate 24 features related to books. The questionnaire also included a section about book-buying habits to learn how often the participants actually bought and read books. The responses indicated that nearly one-third of the purchases were gifts for others and that the most valued book features for gifts differed from the most valued features for personal purchases.

Although the researchers examined many features, the features consumers value most—whether purchasing books for themselves or for others—are the subjects of the books, recommendations from friends or family, synopses, titles, and discounts. When people buy books as gifts, one feature they care more about is author and book recognition, likely because they are more careful about what they purchase. When purchasing books for themselves, one feature they care more about is recommendations from family or friends.

THE IMPLICATIONS

While valued features may change among regions and cultures, this study suggests that people care about some features more than others. Therefore, booksellers could test these features in their own stores (e.g., putting books on different subjects on display or making synopses easier to find) or take advantage of holidays where people are buying gifts (e.g., exhibiting books as presents or putting well-known authors at the front of stores). If booksellers test and effectively apply these features, they can increase the rate of book sales in their local areas as they help customers easily find the right books. When a bookstore owner knows and provides what readers are looking for, the readers will keep returning. 

To discover other features that consumers value read the full article: 

Leitão, Luís, Suzanne Amaro, Carla Henriques, and Paula Fonseca. 2018. “Do Consumers Judge a Book by Its Cover? A Study of the Factors That Influence the Purchasing of Books.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 42: 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.01.015.

—McKenna Tolman, Editing Research

FEATURE IMAGE BY NUR YILMAZ

Find more research

Read Rachel Roberts’s Editing Research article to discover more about the physical features consumers look for: “Seeking Attention: What Covers Attract Readers?”

Take a look at Brooke Francis’s Editing Research article to learn more about how social media influences marketing: “How is Product Promotion Changing in the Publishing World?”

Read Alain d’ Astous, Fancois Colbert, and Imene Mbarek’s (2006) article to look at other book features readers value: “Factors Influencing Readers’ Interest in New Book Releases: An Experimental Study.” Poetics 34 (2): 134–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2005.12.001.