Book store industry is facing a difficult situation nowadays.
Not only because of electronic publishing is sweeping over the world, but also online shopping is replacing part of people’s shopping habit. Books are heavy, to be honest. Bunch of books are the last thing a shopper would like to carry all along. Shopping online for books is a smart thing to do.
People’s reading and shopping habit has changed, but it doesn’t mean bookstore will extinct. Indeed, bookstore business is facing a big challenge, but if we look at it in another perspective, it could well be an opportunity in design.
Before internet ruling the world, bookstore plays an important role to distribute information to the community. It’s a source of knowledge and wisdom. Hence, the store is designed to be filled with as many books as possible, so that customers will have a large range of options.
It is different now. Information is accessible anytime as long as a connected device is in use. A bookstore doesn’t have to be full of book series. Instead, the bookstore that attracts customers are acting as a service provider more than a retailer. It is hard to find a pure bookstore that only sells books nowadays. It must have been incorporated with other items or services. It could be a bookstore also sells home deco items, or a bookstore with a coffee bar on the side, or even just a hotel that’s designed with a bookstore concept. Let’s face it: selling books is not profitable.
However, books as a symbol of knowledge, will never fade its aura. The transformation from a business industry to an interior design concept will become a trend in the foreseeable future.
