How Ecommerce Is Advancing To Save The Sinking Ship Of Traditional Book Retailing

The rise of the ecommerce industry has unfolded opportunities for many such industries that were gradually trudging towards becoming a dying breed to trade and profit. One such avenue where the ecommerce industry is finding newer ways in advancing its grip over is the traditional book retailing market and now is making tremendous efforts in saving it from getting extinct due to the current fashion of owning an ebook. By exploring “Books on Rent” as an options they have brought about a revolution so that it does not butcher “the touch and feel” effect of holding an actual book. A concept of an online library in India is something fresh and very practical to use since they imply the ideology of “Why Buy When You Can Rent, Read And Return”, well this is not simply limited to the traditional concept of a library since this concept gets the online library to your home. One can easily order a book at the touch of a button and have the luxury of having it get delivered to a desired address and have someone take it back once they finish reading it.

Here are few merits that are bringing back the zeal of book reading back into the lives of everyone:

• Online Libraries have found the perfect solution of the constant issue with readers who said they cannot end up buying every book on the rack and even if they did, where will they stack them later? Ordering books and not hoarding them is a relief and beautifully solves the purpose.
• One can read a book, know its literal worth and later make up his/her mind to buy it too, this initiation can surely help people save money over things that are essential to read about but not desired to keep for a lifetime. Saving over books can lead to buying or investing in other essential or leisure expenses. For an ardent reader, book accessories coupled with some coffee is an icing on the cake.
• Students and competitive exam aspirants are benefitted in a big way as they can order many books, use them to the best potential and return them. Sitting in a physical library may not be possible for everyone and having the privilege to order competition exam books is pure bliss.
• In addition to gaining knowledge or reading for pleasure one has the advantage to buy books at low price since companies promoting reading habits also take charge of giving an incentive to its readers by setting a discount on books. Further these discounts on books at a lower price are usually made on books that are of very high priced, mostly academic or competition exam books. This is to ensure the affordable reading factor since cost could sometime discourage buying.
• Corporate offices are introducing books on rent as a recreational hobby that will inculcate the habit of reading and add as a positive attribute to its employees. Corporate offices benefit from book rental platforms in a very unique way. Not only can the employees order physical books at their office or even home, competency building features allows employees to filter on books related to specific professional virtue that the employee is looking to work upon and strengthen. In addition to physical books offered as license on a fixed cost, employees are benefited through intra company social network and free content in form of videos, e-books, info-graphics and much more. In a nut shell, Corporate Library is not just about book reading, it’s about building an employee engagement around affordable knowledge resource hub.
• Digital libraries offer free delivery and pickup that is also inclusive of packing and re packing. This means that a user only has to pay for the rent and rest is assured by the company.
• The online libraries also help bloggers blog about new books, encourage guest blogging, author interviews and writing book recommendations by not entirely investing in a novel or a book but simply renting it for a short time and making good use of it.

These are simply few of the merits the ecommerce world is making in the world of traditional book selling and library business however what is more important is they are inculcating the habit of reading and bringing it right to your doorstep ensuring you cannot crib about weather or traffic. Little initiatives like these will not only sustain the utility of actual paperback books but also keep them alive. Buying books online is a great way to impart knowledge but by renting them first and reading whether that knowledge does need more attention and should be bought or not is even better. Book clubs are now going online where you get a chance to read about the views people have given about a book you might be interested in and similarly one can leave their views for others to get enlightened with.

All in all connecting with a book rental platform does not come with physical books only, it comes along with an idea of affordable reading that can be implied to any knowledge offering resource. The creative hobby of reading is here to stay and one should make the best of it as no matter how many people may call an e-book trendy or easy with its size and space, the feel of holding a book, flipping through pages and smelling the fresh ink off its cover is a feel that no e-book can give or ever give.

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.