A few years ago, major cities have opened new Internet celebrity bookstores, and for a time to go to Internet celebrity bookstores to check in has become a popular weekend activity for urban young people, but time has passed, and the original popular Internet celebrity bookstores have increasingly begun to be eliminated by the market.
1. Say goodbye to another Internet celebrity bookstore?
According to the 21st Century Business Herald, Xi'an Maike Center Tsutaya Bookstore, which has the title of "China's most beautiful bookstore", issued a closure notice that due to the adjustment of business strategy, Xi'an Maike Center Tsutaya Bookstore will be closed on October 8, 2024 (Tuesday). Recently, many "Internet celebrity bookstores" are saying goodbye to readers.
On August 27, Zhong Shuge said on its official WeChat public account that due to the operation of the mall, the Chongqing store of Zhong Shuge, which had been open for five years, officially closed on the evening of September 17.
In May this year, Xiamen's well-known bookstore brand "Ten Point Bookstore" issued an announcement through its official account announcing the closure of three bookstores in Xiamen.
Regarding the recent closure of many bookstores, netizens commented: "It's so sad, there is one less bookstore", "The last time I checked in was five years ago", "Holding a book in my hand is the most calming moment".
According to the Global Times, Tsutaya Bookstore started in Osaka, Japan, in March 1983 under the trademark TSUTAYA, mainly engaged in the rental business of audio-visual products. Since then, the company has continued to expand its business, and the store called "TSUTAYA" continues to focus on audio-visual rentals, and the store called "Tsutaya Shoten" focuses on books, stationery, outdoor goods, and daily necessities, as well as a restaurant area, making it a bookstore where customers can stay for a long time. Xi'an Tsutaya Bookstore opened in March 2021 and is the third Tsutaya bookstore in Chinese mainland after Hangzhou and Shanghai.
According to the 2020 China Book Retail Market Report, the size of China's book retail market in 2020 was 97.08 billion yuan. Among them, online channels account for 79% of the total book retail market, and online book purchase has become the preferred method for consumers.
According to a report by the Qianjiang Evening News, the original site of the Tsutaya Bookstore in Xi'an Maike Center was once a popular "Internet celebrity bookstore" Yanjiyou. In the past, Yanji had a layout in major cities across the country, such as Hangzhou, where there were Hubin Yintai IN77 stores, Xixi Impression City stores, Fushi stores, and Joy City stores, but since 2020, Yanji has been exposed to many problems such as rent arrears and property fees, and the need to wait for 180 days for membership stored value card refunds, and finally disappeared from the book market.
Coincidentally, on September 18, financial writer Wu Xiaobo posted a tweet entitled "Wu Xiaobo: Sister Jinxiu's "Age of Innocence" on his personal WeChat public account, and quickly swiped the screen in the circle of friends. The article reviews the warm stories and humanistic feelings behind the establishment of the bookstore in the age of innocence, and also mentions the problems that the bookstore is encountering: "Last year's business was not very good, and this year's situation is even worse than last year. Sheng Xia, the manager of the bookstore in the age of innocence, said that the operation of the bookstore has been on the verge of loss, and it has almost been unable to do it several times.
2. Why is it so difficult for online celebrity bookstores to survive?
The closure of an online celebrity bookstore has left us with a question: what is the problem with online celebrity bookstores? What should we think of the current problems of online celebrity bookstores?
First of all, the development of bookstores has witnessed the increasing simplicity of knowledge dissemination. As an ancient form of commerce, bookstores were once a treasure trove of knowledge and a symbol of wealth in ancient China. In that era when knowledge was expensive, bookstores often had scarce book resources at their disposal, becoming one of the most profitable places. The spread of books relied mainly on hand-copying, and the number was limited, and only a few people were able to own them. At that time, the bookstore was not only a place for trading books, but also a center for cultural exchange, attracting literati and scholars, dignitaries and dignitaries.
With the full industrialization of printing and publishing, the production cost of books has decreased dramatically, and the number has increased dramatically. Bookstores have also gradually changed from a place for a few people to a place for mass consumption. People had easier access to a variety of books, and reading was no longer a privilege of the aristocracy. Traditional bookstores ushered in a golden period of development during this period, and bookstores can be seen on the streets and alleys.
However, in recent years, the rapid rise of e-commerce has brought a huge impact to traditional bookstores. Online bookstores attract a large number of consumers with their convenient shopping methods, rich variety of books and low prices. The sales of traditional bookstores are gradually declining, and they have lost their former competitiveness. Many traditional bookstores have had to face the dilemma of closing down.
Secondly, the rapid rise and decline of Internet celebrity bookstores. While traditional bookstores are gradually declining, online celebrity bookstores have sprung up. The online celebrity bookstore has changed the way traditional bookstores sell books and turned the bookstore into a check-in attraction. With their unique spatial design and visual impact, they have attracted a lot of traffic in a short period of time and have become popular check-in spots on social media.
The space design of online celebrity bookstores is often original, full of artistic sense and creativity. Some bookstores use tall bookshelves, bright lighting, and comfortable seating to create a warm and comfortable reading atmosphere; Some bookstores combine bookstores with cafes and cultural and creative stores to create a diversified consumer experience. These unique designs and decorations make the online celebrity bookstore a kind of background for urban young people to show their tastes.
However, there are also many problems with Internet celebrity bookstores that use appearance as a selling point. On the one hand, the essence of online celebrity bookstores is just a kind of social currency, and people come here more to take photos than to actually read books. Once the novelty wears off, the traffic of the influencer bookstore will be greatly reduced. On the other hand, influencer bookstores are expensive to operate. In order to create a unique space design and provide a diversified consumer experience, online celebrity bookstores need to invest a lot of money. In addition, online celebrity bookstores also need to pay high rent, employee salaries, and other expenses. These high operating costs make it difficult for online celebrity bookstores to survive in the face of reduced customer traffic.
Third, the reference significance of overseas small and medium-sized bookstores. Unlike domestic online celebrity bookstores, many overseas bookstores do not pursue that kind of lofty scenery. Often a small bookstore on a street corner can survive for many years. The core reason for the long-term survival of these small and medium-sized bookstores is that they focus on content depth, atmosphere creation and community building, and build a unique cultural ecology.
In terms of depth of content, small bookstores overseas tend to carefully select books and focus on a specific field or genre of books. For example, some bookstores specialize in literary books, while others specialize in books in the fields of art and history. The owners of these bookstores usually have an in-depth knowledge and love for books, and they will recommend suitable books and provide professional reading advice to customers.
In terms of creating an atmosphere, small bookstores overseas focus on creating a comfortable and quiet reading environment. They usually don't have too loud music or too harsh lights, but instead allow customers to read a book in a peaceful environment. In addition, these bookstores also host a variety of cultural events, such as reading sharing sessions and author talks, to attract readers.
In terms of community building, overseas small bookstores have built a close community of readers by establishing readers' clubs and holding member activities. These reader communities not only bring a steady flow of customers to the bookstore, but also provide valuable advice and support for the bookstore's growth.
These advantages are more or less lacking in online celebrity bookstores, these small and medium-sized bookstores by building an emotional bond with customers, beyond the book itself, to provide emotional experience and value recognition, this model in the impact of e-commerce, but highlight its unique charm.
Fourth, where should online celebrity bookstores go in the future? For the current market, the reshuffle of online celebrity bookstores will be the general trend. Internet celebrity bookstores that sell beauty are not the essence of bookstores, only by grasping the spiritual core of bookstores and allowing bookstores to provide more additional value in addition to appearance, can they truly continue to survive. For influencer bookstores, there are a few things you can try:
First, online celebrity bookstores should pay attention to the holding of social and cultural activities. Through the holding of reading sharing sessions, writers' lectures, cultural exhibitions and other activities, readers are attracted to participate. These activities can not only increase the popularity and reputation of the bookstore, but also provide readers with a rich and colorful cultural experience.
Second, online celebrity bookstores should build a highly sticky user group. Improve the stickiness and loyalty of readers by establishing readers' clubs, holding member activities, and providing personalized services. These user groups can not only bring a steady flow of customers to the bookstore, but also provide valuable advice and support for the growth of the bookstore.
Third, online celebrity bookstores should return to the essence of bookstores and pay attention to the sales and promotion of books. Although online celebrity bookstores have attracted a lot of traffic with their appearance and diversified consumer experience, the sales and promotion of books are the core business of bookstores. Internet celebrity bookstores should strengthen the procurement and management of books, provide high-quality books and services, and let readers truly feel the joy of reading.
Therefore, the future of bookstores is not to become a simple place to sell books, nor is it just a background for social check-ins, but also to become a carrier of real cultural value. Only those bookstores that can deeply understand and meet the spiritual needs of customers and provide unique cultural experiences can be invincible in the market and truly become a brand that can build a lasting business.