Surge in Popularity of Online Bookstores
The popularity of online bookstores is increasing by the day. Online stores typically offer their books at lower prices and customers are able to make the purchase from the comfort of their homes. Online bookstores also offer customer reviews which reveal more about the book than a quick glance of its contents.
Online bookstores are able to sell their wares at reduced prices as they are not required to rent a prime location space for the store. Furthermore, they sometimes do not always physically store the products but simply forward the orders to the publishers or wholesalers. Physical brick-and-mortar bookstores are limited by space and budget, but online bookstores face none of these restrictions. As there are several online stores selling books, the customer has the option of comparing the price of a book across the stores. This is another reason for the competitive pricing. In an effort to outdo each other, stores offer attractive discounts and offer free shipping if a customer’s order exceeds a certain amount.
Another reason for the popularity of online bookstores is the convenience they offer. Any book you are looking for is just a few clicks away. You can buy books while relaxing in your pyjamas on your couch at 3 in the morning! You can browse through as many books as you like without pushy salespersons trying to force you into making a purchase. Unlike some of the other commodities, when you are buying a book online you don’t need to touch or feel the book to make sure it is a good purchase. In far flung areas a bookstore may be several miles away and getting to one can take hours. No such challenges are there with an online bookstore. The only possible drawback, regarding an online purchase, is that you may have to wait for some days before the book is delivered.
Online bookstores generally allow users to post reviews and feedback. A new customer is, therefore, able to read the reviews and then decide on a purchase. The customer thus has greater confidence in his purchase.
When looking to make an online purchase, you would be well advised to pick a website that has generally positive reviews among its users. Just because a website is offering you a book at a price lower than anyone else, does not make it the preferred choice. Make sure you take the shipping cost into consideration, if any, when ascertaining the actual price of a book. Go for brands that have been endorsed by its customers. Flipkart has a good number of satisfied customers. TheBookCafe.in has been in the book business for a long time and has recently launched their online store. Indiaplaza is another online store that offers books. However, not all its customers have provided positive reviews. IndiaBookStore.com and SnapDeal.com are a couple of the other prominent websites selling books online to Indian customers.
