The Canadian Book Buyer 2018 Report Published Today by BookNet Canada

From BookNet Canada:

The most popular reason Canadian book buyers choose a particular store or website for their purchase is convenience, followed closely by selection, price, and then availability. In a recent survey of adult, English-speaking Canadian book buyers, convenience was chosen by one out of four book buyers, while loyalty programs, “shopping for other items,” good service, and cheap delivery came in further down the list (13-17%), among other factors.

Amidst new stories about the resurgence of the indie bookstore and the age of “shop local,” it is also interesting to note that sales at indie bookstores have been holding steady the past three years, accounting for 9% of purchases compared to 25% for chain bookstores, while 4% of book buyers say that they chose the place where they made their purchase to “support this shop.”

When it comes to formats purchased, there has been little change over the past three years — paperback is down slightly (49% of purchases, down from 54% in 2016); hardcover has increased (26%, up from 24% in 2016); ebooks have fluctuated from 17% in 2016 to 19% in 2017 and back down to 17% in 2018; while audiobooks have seen minor gains, rising from 3% in 2016 to 4% in 2018. Though it should be noted that audiobook purchases may be underreported, due to the popularity of subscription services and the fact that these are often not considered by listeners to be “purchases.”

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