World Book Day is just around the corner, and there is a reading boom across the country. In the past few years, the impact of the epidemic, the prevalence of online shopping, and the profound changes in readers' reading styles and consumption habits have brought many challenges to the operation of physical bookstores. The survival dilemma and operational transformation pressure faced by physical bookstores affect the nerves of every book lover. What is the current situation of physical bookstores? In the Internet era, how should bookstores seek transformation and development? How to actively expand new channels, new models and new services? The reporter recently visited some physical bookstores in Beijing and found that they had made their own explorations.
On a bright spring afternoon, in the bystander book club in Beijing's 751 Cultural Park, everyone was quietly choosing and reading books. Wu Min, the manager of the Bystander Book Club, told reporters, "There are more and more customers in the store, and it can reach <> people on weekends." The turnover in the first two months of this year is much higher than before the pandemic".
Physical bookstores are not only important commercial formats and consumption spaces, but also display windows for the city's image and cultural dissemination. Nowadays, more and more people enter bookstores, and the physical bookstores in Beijing as a whole have shown a good situation of stable development and quality improvement. The strong smell of books not only meets people's rich and diverse reading needs, but also conserves the cultural heritage of the city. Data shows that before 2016, there were fewer than 1000,2022 physical bookstores in Beijing. As of 2000, the number of physical bookstores in Beijing has exceeded 0,94, with more than 2022.3 bookstores per 2000,<> people. In <>, Beijing held more than <>,<> special reading activities, affecting and covering more than <> million people.
"The vitality of offline bookstores has begun to appear, and the epidemic has made everyone realize that people need to meet, books need to be touched with their hands, and they need to be opened and read. Brick-and-mortar bookstore business is getting better and better, and the turnover is better than before the epidemic. Zhao Chao, the manager of the bookstore on the other side, told reporters.
Through the introduction of a series of support policies and the holding of various special activities, Beijing's physical bookstores have achieved continuous improvement in quantity and quality. The bookstore continues to attract more readers through high-quality books, creative exhibitions, thoughtful services, rich activities, etc.
Refuse to lie flat and work hard
"When we first opened, it was just in time for the epidemic to be more serious." Pan Xiaolong, the manager of the Lewu Reading Bookstore, is a "post-80s generation" whose bookstore is located in the Lanshan Cultural Park in Miyun District, far from downtown Beijing. "In the three years of the epidemic, bookstores have not been able to hold a large number of activities to the outside world, so they can only form a certain influence through online forms to let everyone know here."
During the epidemic, most physical bookstores operated intermittently, the flow of customers was unstable, and consumers were increasingly inclined to buy books online, which made it even worse for physical bookstores, which were already under great pressure to survive. Staying alive becomes a top priority for brick-and-mortar bookstores.
Beijing has introduced relevant support measures in recent years. From 2016 to 2018, Beijing invested about 7000 million yuan in support funds, supporting more than 220 bookstores. Since 2019, the budget of support funds for physical bookstores in Beijing has reached 1 million yuan per year, and about 4,1000 physical bookstores have been supported in the past four years. In addition, in order to promote physical bookstores to focus on their main business and improve the level of refined management, from 2016 to 2020, Beijing successively issued a number of documents such as the Implementation Opinions on Supporting the Development of Physical Bookstores, as well as the Measures for the Management of Brick-and-mortar Bookstore Support Funds, which provided a basic policy basis for the implementation of the project.
A series of support policies have boosted the confidence of brick-and-mortar bookstore practitioners. "Before the epidemic, the Beijing Municipal Government, the Chaoyang District Government and the cultural park where the bookstore is located provided financial support through rent reduction, upgrading subsidies, and policy incentives for demonstration bookstores. These measures have shown us the government's determination to increase investment in cultural undertakings and have taken a reassuring pill. Wu Min told reporters, "The funds were implemented quickly, and we could receive government funding soon, especially at the end of the year or at the critical moment of paying rent, which greatly relieved us." ”
In 2022, the Spectator Bookstore received a special subsidy of 10,<> yuan from the government for renovation and upgrading, and Wu Min used this fund to upgrade the bookstore, remove the drink area, increase the shelf area, and add more books. "During the epidemic, the sales volume of physical bookstores was very low, and we did not dare to buy in large quantities without the financial support of the government. The support of the government has given us the confidence to open micro-stores online, and we have maintained our marketing efforts online during the epidemic. ”
In 2021, Beijing adjusted and refined the support direction and application conditions for physical bookstores, and for the first time added incentives and support for model bookstores and bookstores "entering universities, shopping malls, and parks", and increased support for physical bookstores to carry out reading cultural activities.
Founded in 2006, Canzi Book House is the first physical book house set up in Beijing's 798 Art District, focusing on art books, tea ceremony aesthetics and art exhibition space. As a niche bookstore specializing in art, the epidemic has had a huge impact on it. "The subsidy for rent from the bookstore support fund is almost 1:1, which greatly relieves our pressure." Zhang Xiaoqiang, the owner of the jar book house, said.
In addition to financial support, government departments also coordinate multiple resources, publicize and guide physical bookstores, promote bookstores to enter e-commerce platforms, continuously expand sales channels, and open up ideas for bookstore operators.
Located in Kingdee Software Park in Shunyi District, Fascinating Planet Book Island is geographically remote and has little passenger flow. The relevant departments suggested that they enter the Dianping platform, but they did not expect that in just a few months, the bookstore would become an Internet celebrity bookstore and gain a lot of traffic.
Pan Xiaolong also felt the same way, "Every time a review expert comes to guide and visit the bookstore, he hopes to help. Through the epidemic, we were able to survive, and it was the support and guidance of many parties in society that played a decisive role."
A series of support measures, not only to let the bookstore survive, but to stimulate the internal vitality of the bookstore. Instead of lying flat, the subsidized bookstores are actively seeking innovative change and sustainable development.
Beijing Book Building, a large state-owned bookstore, and PAGEONE Beijing Fangdian upgrade bookstores and organize activities to benefit the people through government subsidies; Sanlian Taofen Art Museum Store and Wangfujing Bookstore, a large-scale bookstore of state-owned time-honored brands, used support funds to purchase equipment and decoration to beautify the store; In 3, 2022% of the subsidy funds will be used to purchase excellent books, 70% will be used to renovate and upgrade the facilities in the store, and 15% will be used to fill the gap caused by the rise in rent.
"There are subsidies to support us, and in the three years of the epidemic, we have been continuously improving, increasing bookshelves, choosing better books, and doing installation art." Zhao Chao said. "Under the premise of no rent pressure, we can focus more on open source to reduce costs, increase revenue, enrich the format of bookstores as much as possible, and make bookstores continue to operate." Zhang Xiaoqiang said.
Optimize positioning to impress readers
In the past, many bookstores located in urban complexes became Internet celebrity check-in places because of luxurious decoration, but when the drainage effect brought by high appearance continues to weaken, it is difficult to go far and become an urgent problem for some Internet celebrity bookstores. There is a popular saying on the Internet - "those who go to bookstores are often not the ones who buy books", which also shows to a certain extent that some bookstores have gone astray in their business positioning.
In recent years, some Internet celebrity bookstores have closed one after another, and people are constantly thinking about what kind of bookstore they want to make? How do you get readers to stay?
"In the past three years, the bookstore has undergone a lot of changes and added new revenue points. From the perspective of the overall environment, the increase in government subsidies, environmental upgrades, and changes in consumer mentality are all new changes and opportunities. The environment is changing, and we need to change, and now bookstores are facing problems such as adjusting the layout of goods and changing sales strategies. As the manager of an art niche bookstore that has been in business for many years, Zhang Xiaoqiang has a clear understanding.
"It is difficult to make money through books, and you have to change the model." In Zhang Xiaoqiang's view, if niche bookstores want to go further, they must work hard professionally. Nowadays, consumers are more rational and their demand for books is becoming more and more professional, which brings a lot of challenges to their selection. The main reason for readers to choose professional bookstores is that the books are reasonably priced and have a complete variety. "More than 80% of readers will choose to read in professional bookstores for a long time to find more valuable materials."
Unlike the jar bookstore, which specializes in professional books, Spectator Books is a discount bookstore specializing in social science books that has been in operation for 15 years. The store used to sell coffee and make meals, but now it's basically just books. "For us, the added value generated by books is longer-lasting." Wu Min said. In November 2021, with the support of government funds, the bookstore boldly transformed into a discount bookstore. "Many good books fade out of the public eye after a period of time when they are published. We rely on more than 11 years of experience in product selection to pan for gold in the inventory of publishing houses and booksellers, so that old books can return to bookstores. ”
The Spectator Book Club is known as a "book buyer" by insiders, and Wu Min does not shy away from this. "Most of these books have the characteristics of large stock and low discount in the circulation link, which allows us to give full play to the advantages of product selection, and use cash settlement and discount sales to ensure the rapid update of bookstore varieties and smooth cash flow, thereby offsetting the impact of e-commerce." Wu Min said, "I personally selected the books in the store to bring them back into the public eye, which I call 'the resurrection of old books'." ”
The reporter noticed that all the sample books of the bystander book club were wrapped in book covers, and readers could read in the store all day even if they did not buy books. "Physical bookstores can provide readers with a quiet reading space and feel the joy of absorbing knowledge. We only need to do a good job of book selection, exhibition and promotion, and the rest is handed over to readers, and through reading and selection, readers will decide for themselves whether to buy or not. ”
Someone does subtraction, and someone does addition. The other side bookstore, which also focuses on social science books, is located in the Peony Science and Technology Cultural Park in Beijing, with a small door, but there is a hole in the sky. More than half of the 500-square-meter bookstore is full of books, and almost every book is accompanied by a small card. "There will be a sentence introduction book written on the card to attract everyone's attention. We are a bookstore, and our efforts are all about books, to draw readers' attention to books. Zhao Chao said.
The other side of the bookstore has also put a lot of effort into the exhibition. In 2022, Bean Bookstore will try to use installation art to tell the story of books. In an installation art corner, Zhao Chao told reporters, "This installation art is mainly set up to sell Borges's "Garden with Diverging Paths", which is about the confusion of time and space, so we deliberately messed up the book. Readers love these creative exhibitions, and the books are selling well."
"With so much effort, we're actually selling books. Now it is not that readers do not buy books, but to impress readers, give him a reason to visit the bookstore, so that readers can actively read books, so as to be attracted by books and then want to buy. Zhao Chao said, "Physical bookstores are to root readers and tell the stories in the books in various ways." We tell the story of the book through installation art and sell the book. ”
Peng Mingbang, the manager of the niche theme bookstore Yonghe Bookcourt, also expressed a similar view, "Whether it is a niche bookstore or a popular bookstore, the internal laws are the same. First of all, bookstores should be based on books, and they should focus on good selection. Second, locate accurately. Niche theme bookstores cannot simply cater to the public, but should focus on improving and leading."
From being a bookstore to being a culture
"Online I just buy books, but in brick-and-mortar bookstores, I get more." Some netizens described the difference between online and offline book purchases. Compared with online reading, physical bookstores can provide a strong cultural atmosphere and bring people an immersive experience.
In an environment where e-commerce companies are competing to sell books at discounts, it seems like an unattainable goal to achieve the original price of books and sell them considerably, but Yonghe Shuting has done it. This is a bookstore with the theme of authors' autographs, and writers come to the scene to sign autographs every day, hold new book launches and sharing meetings.
"I initially decided to start a physical bookstore with the theme of autographs, mainly to differentiate myself from e-commerce and other physical bookstores. Let the bookstore achieve a warm connection between the author and the reader, and give the reader a reason to buy the original price book in the physical bookstore. Peng Mingbang said.
More and more bookstores are constantly seeking innovation and change, deeply cultivating theme characteristics, improving service professionalism, and more accurately grasping readers' reading preferences and consumption behaviors, so that readers are interested and stay, and finally form purchasing power.
Peng Mingbang believes that in addition to books, activities are also an important part of the bookstore. Events can be a reason for readers in a region to come together, helping to expand footfall and create social impact. "For bookstores, don't think about the economic gains and losses of an event, but about its cumulative value."
In the eyes of industry insiders, the function of physical bookstores is far more than selling books, but to become an integration platform, using books as a medium to gather a variety of cultural elements to create a rich format.
As a vertical professional physical bookstore in the art category, in addition to selling art books, Jar Bookstore also regularly holds various exhibitions in combination with tea ceremony aesthetics and art exhibition space, allowing readers to enjoy art works while enjoying tea and reading. Next to the name of the store, there are three big characters "Tea Library", "Jar Tea House combines art books, tea culture, artworks and different forms of art exhibitions to operate with the concept of a complex art space," Zhang Xiaoqiang said.
Bookstores should not only provide readers with a comfortable reading environment, but also provide attentive products and services, and use the unique temperament and atmosphere of bookstores to attract readers, in order to go far. When the books in the bookstore resonate with the readers, managers and buyers, then the bookstore can live with dignity.
Before opening the bookstore, Pan Xiaolong ran a children's dance school. For 3 years, he has been trying to combine books and dance. Express poetry with dance, and better understand dance through reading. In the bookstore, Pan Xiaolong invited reporters to put on headphones and enjoy a poem performed with dance to music. "Some children who learn dance stick to reading with us, originally some basic dance skills such as leg pressing are very boring, but for them, when they think of a story, they will have the courage to persevere."
Explore multi-format profit models
How to enable brick-and-mortar bookstores to reap economic benefits while advocating reading and spreading culture, so as to achieve longer development? The answer to this question is about the future of brick-and-mortar bookstores. It is the goal of every bookstore person to make the bookstore have a self-hematopoietic function and survive independently.
After the implementation of the "double reduction" policy in 2021, the sales of teaching aids in the traditional bookstore Xinhua Bookstore have declined significantly, and seeking reform is in front of it. In 2022, Shunyi Xinhua Bookstore Wenyu River Tianyuan Store will open, dealing in books, special cultural creativity, tea tasting, coffee drinks, desserts, etc. The store retains the glass curtain wall as much as possible, integrating indoor and outdoor scenery, and creating a comprehensive bookstore that integrates multiple functions such as reading, activities, and light meals. Soon after opening, the store appeared on the list of Internet celebrities in the Beijing reading space category. "This is an important step after transformation and upgrading, and it is also a new attempt by Xinhua Bookstore to explore 'culture + tourism', which opens up a new path for the future development of Xinhua Bookstore." Zhang Xiumei, general manager of Beijing Shunyi Xinhua Bookstore Co., Ltd., said.
Fascinated Planet Book Island focuses on children's parent-child immersive reading, and its decoration style is refreshing. The store has rich scenes, audio reading cabins, dubbing cabins, etc. full of science and technology, and there are also themed reading houses such as Harry Potter theme houses and space exploration theme houses.
"Books can be bought anywhere, and I hope to create an immersive reading space for parents and children to read in a quiet and comfortable scene." Julie, director of Fascinated Planet Book Island, said, "In addition, we have many activities to help children finish reading. At present, the business model of promoting reading through activities and books with reading has been verified by the market to be feasible. ”
Membership is also an option for many bookstores, which helps to enhance the stickiness between bookstores and readers. Julie told reporters that there are different types of members in the store, including reading annual pass star members, stored value members and members who can participate in free public welfare activities. "Two years after the bookstore was founded, I have talked to each member to get advice on the bookstore." When asked if the bookstore could support itself without subsidies, Julie said confidently: "No problem! ”
In recent years, the rise of short videos has given bookstores another window for promotion. At the end of 2022, Yonghe Shuting began to try to make a WeChat video account, selling only poems produced by its own niche bookstore. After a small test of the cow knife, the effect is good.
The bookstore on the other side has 12 study rooms of various sizes hidden behind the shelves. These study rooms could have been used to hold events, but Zhao Chao told reporters that they did not participate in event planning, but concentrated on books. "Although the study space is very profitable, we hide it, and we want readers to come in and find out that this is a bookstore." Zhao Chao said, "After several years of operation, I found that if I do a good job in the atmosphere of the bookstore and select the books well, the study room will often be rented, the profit will increase, and the bookstore can live well." ”
"The reason why some bookstores have declined is not that people stop reading, but because bookstores have not kept up with the times and readers." Zhao Chao said, "The industry is not so pessimistic, we can do a lot of things. As long as you strive to do it to the extreme, you can impress the reader. ”
Cheng Qi