When it comes to the web and the general consumer, all signs seem to keep pointing back to convenience. It’s not a user-friendly interface or personalized suggestions based on previous purchases that keep us going back to Amazon for more. Instead it’s one-click ordering, 24/7 availability, and the ability to order that book you’ve been wanting while you order clothes for your mom’s birthday, DVDs for your dad’s, and the tent you need for camping next weekend for yourself.
Publishing companies have not yet faced this reality when designing their websites. Perhaps direct online sales were a potential market when the internet first became a phenomenon, but today’s reality is clear: Amazon rules.
Amazon holds convenience, selection, and is well known and easy to locate. It is a household name, unlike the majority of publishing companies. Most average consumers probably know at least one or two publishing companies, likely big ones, such as Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, or Penguin. Aside from avid readers, publishers, and niche-specific readers, it is probably safe to assume that a majority of book consumers do not pay attention to the publishers of their books.
When an Amazon transaction can be completed in five clicks and three minutes, few consumers will venture to Google to locate a publisher’s website, click over to the website, find a particular book, and finally click over to purchase. It’s just not realistic in today’s age of convenience.
Unless you are a business lucky enough to not be featured on Amazon, your likelihood of turning much of a profit with direct online sales is slim.
So why are publishers still directing their websites towards an unresponsive audience? I think they just aren’t sure who to target. They’ve realized that it’s essentially a requirement in our internet-savvy culture to have a business website—but that’s as far as they’ve gotten. Unless a company has a very specific niche or a particular deal available to consumers who purchase their books though their website, it seems highly unlikely that online direct sales will ever generate any significant income for companies.
Instead of pumping marketing dollars into creating fantastic websites for selling books, publishing companies need to use their marketing budgets to reevaluate the audience and best use for their web presence.
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2 comments:
great post! yeah, ideally, if niche publishers could hire a search marketer and web designer with an information architecture background, that would be helpful.
traffic + usability + effective marketing = conversion. conversion in the sense of a visitor buying something on a publisher's site.
easy to state, tough to do.
thanks for your post. it's a very nice read!
-Steve @ fluxlife
P.S. when you get a chance, give us a follow back at the fluxlife blog. we'd love it! thanks!
I'm not sure publishers expect a significant amount of direct sales from their websites. They don't expect a significant amount of direct sales from author appearances, either.
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