Marketing and the bookselling brand: Current strategy and the managers' perspective

The purpose of this paper is to identify current marketing initiatives undertaken by UK chain booksellers and analyses them in the context of established retailing and marketing theory. Thus, established scholarly theory is being examined in a novel research setting.

The paper includes evidence and findings from semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with various book trade experts working at different levels within the trade.

Focusing on the strategies behind the chains' marketing techniques, the paper concentrates in particular upon the new emphasis by UK chains upon serving a wider clientele and their efforts to establish individual identities and be “community responsive”. This has resulted in a re‐emphasis both upon customer service and on the relationship between bookseller and customer. New developments in the facilities to be found in chain bookshops, such as coffee shops and the proliferation of sofas and browsing areas are analysed as to their contribution to bookshop “atmosphere”.

This research is both timely, responding to calls from the trade for research and original, given the dearth of research on the book trade. The findings are examined within the context of academic theory in related fields, such as retailing, marketing and consumer behaviour. As such, findings from this highly original research are relevant both for the trade and for the wider academic community regarding their application and consideration in other scholarly settings.