Bookshop.org, an online platform which financially supports independent bookshops, officially launched to British customers this week.
Over 150 British bookshops have already signed up to the site, which says it gives customers the power to support the local high street when they buy books online and offers an “alternative” to Amazon.
Bookshop.org is an online marketplace which reports to give independent booksellers the full profit margin (30 per cent of the cover price) from each sale generated on the platform. Books are offered to consumers at a small discount and delivered within 2-3 days.
The site has been welcomed by independent booksellers after the site was opened to them just over two weeks ago. UK publishers which have already signed up to the site include Picador, Faber & Faber and Atlantic Books.
Bookshop.org first launched in the USA in January and says it has already raised over $7.5m for independent bookshops in the States. Bookshop.org has brought forward its UK launch in response to the significant impact of the pandemic on independent retailers, which the company says has seen Amazon “enjoying an even greater advantage over the high street”.
According to Bookshop, the platform offers independent bookshops another revenue stream, without any financial investment on the bookseller’s part, as all customer service and shipping will be handled by Bookshop and Gardners book distributors.
Bookshop.org customers will also be able to browse book recommendation lists created by authors, influencers, publishers, journalists and bloggers, with anyone able to create a book recommendation page to share suggestions. Non-bookshop affiliates that create their own pages on Bookshop earn 10 per cent of the RRP for every book purchased through Bookshop, with independent booksellers receiving 10 per cent.
Bookshop.org founder and CEO, Andy Hunter, said: “Bookshops are essential to a healthy culture, and online sales are vital to safeguarding their future. We can’t afford to lose them. COVID-19 has added further urgency to the need for bookshops to compete for online sales. Bookshop.org’s mission is to empower customers in supporting local, brick and mortar bookstores, providing book buyers with an easy way to shop online while continuing to support their local high street.”
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