The undeniable growth in the number of Italians who have started to buy online has not, however, decreed the death of bookstores, far from it.
Also according to data collected by the Italian Publishers Association and the Mibact Center for Books and Reading, in fact, in October 2020, 67% of readers said they continued to frequent the bookstore . This figure is slightly lower denmark mobile database than the previous year (74%), but it is a clear recovery compared to the 20% in May 2020.
Also at the end of 2020, 23% of readers chose other physical stores , especially supermarkets, while in 2019 the percentage stood at 21%.
41% of Italians have rediscovered titles from the home library and library loans (as well as loans and gifts from relatives, acquaintances and friends) as a source of reading.
In particular, bookstores have proven to be essential in choosing what to read: 33% of readers, in fact, choose which titles to buy once they enter the bookstore . In contrast, 23% rely on information found online , while 21% rely on traditional media .
So e-books and audiobooks are growing , as well as the e-commerce channel in general. Despite this, the physical channel (bookstores or mass distribution) and paper books are not only not declining, but are returning to attract customers almost to pre-pandemic levels.