We are excited to reveal the global bookselling markets report for 2021, analysing current trends, exploring the pandemic impacts and highlighting development opportunities for the sector
The bookselling industry has been reshaped since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, with many booksellers undergoing a complete reinvention of their business models, often having to incorporate practices not associated with their traditional core business. In these changing circumstances, it is important to acknowledge the importance of customer interaction in bookshops.
Booksellers rely on consumer presence in their stores and this connection is an integral part of any successful bookshop, no matter where in the world the store is located. From bustling city centres and urban residential areas to remote rural spaces, customer engagement underpins bookselling.
As we try to understand the current trends shaping the global bookselling sector, we have to consider the ones that are gaining traction due to pandemic restrictions, such as lower footfalls in the shops, primarily digital audience groups and overreliance on online sales channels, among others.
The European and International Booksellers Federation is excited to share its milestone report on the global bookselling markets for 2021, exploring the total sales numbers for the past year and analysing emerging trends to understand how the industry can respond to future development opportunities and challenges.
The report is based on a member survey, carried out by EIBF in April 2022. The national booksellers associations from eighteen countries responded to our written questionnaire, shedding light on ongoing challenges booksellers face in their daily activities: Australia, Denmark (Faroe Islands), Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. In addition to the survey answers, this report includes supporting information gathered by EIBF during the course of the past year.