As per a report in the Hindu, sales of books online have increased in India: Oxford Bookstore claims that online sales via its site are almost doubling every year. Apparently, a book sells every 18 minutes on eBay India. Landmark, which has a tie-up with Sify, is working on its own portal. Orient Longman has a tie-up with Indiaplaza.
To be honest, I’ve never purchased a book online (I enjoy the process of looking over a stack of books almost as much as reading), but I know a few people who do. Reliability of the service and speed of delivery remain key differentiators, and they don’t mind paying the extra buck for an assured delivery. The other thing is, people tend to compare prices across online retailers, even if they end up buying from a retailer that they’re used to. Still, I wonder if there’s a model there for a comparative shopping portal, focused largely on Indian publishers.
Also, do read up some on some distribution issues that were mentioned at the IAMAI E-Business Summit last year - here and here.
Related:
—Indiaplaza Tries ‘Double The Difference’ Promotion