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Online bookstore Targeting overseas customers By Irene Chow |
 http://www.chinesebooks.net |
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Overseas Chinese Though there are hundreds of online bookstores, Miss Leung finds that none of the other services cater to Chinese readers’. “It is costly for overseas Chinese to drive to their local Chinatown and buy one or two books,” she said. “The prices are often twice or three times higher, and the selection is limited, too.” “We now have 6,000 registered customers, and half of them are from overseas.” CyberStore predicts that three quarters of their customers eventually will be overseas Chinese. Advantages Some shareholders of the CyberStore are celebrities. This garners a bit of publicity and assures better relationships with writers and publishers. Compared to ordinary bookstores, CyberStore has the advantage of low overhead. There is no need to pay the rent of a store — nor for numerous staff. “We only need a few staff and a server. We do not even need stock. We simply call publishers whenever there is an order,” said Miss Leung. As a result, they can invest more in providing special services and information such as book reviews and authors’ news. “We want our information to be engaging and interesting. Then people will be more interested in browsing our website, and we can make more profit,” said she. In order to attract customers, they also have organised competitions and lucky draws, and they provide discounts. Specialisation One of the special services provided is the Rare Book Search. Customers can use the service to search titles for highly specialised topics. “One of our customers is very interested in tortoises. We have contacted publishers in Taiwan and China for related books. Whenever we find them, we will contact him,” said Miss Leung. The CyberStore also plans to offer personalised services that Miss Leung says traditional bookstores cannot provide. “We provide reading suggestions based on the customers’ interests and the books they have read before,” said Miss Leung. Eventually people will be able to browse authors’ biographies on the website. A question and answer section will open, and a fan club might be organised. Competitions Some predict that buying books online will increase because online bookstores seem to be more competitive. Mr. Wilson Kan, feature writer for PC World magazine, expects keen competition among online bookstores. However, with such a specialised target market, Miss Leung does not necessarily agree. She even thinks that online bookstores will not compete directly with traditional bookstores. “Many people, like me, seldom go to bookstores because they don’t have time or they simply do not like to do so,” said Miss Leung. “ But it does not mean they do not read books. Online bookstores can then ‘create’ their demand and extend the market.” Owners of some local traditional bookstores also do not regard their online competitors as a threat yet. Miss Lorna Lai, programme coordinator of Joint Publishing Company Limited, is confident about the future of the company. “We sell all kinds of books, including many highly specialised books. It is an attraction to our customers,” said she. Mr. Ma Chak Tai, owner of Learner’s Bookstore, a second floor shop in Mong Kok, thinks that online bookstores suit foreign countries more. “Hong Kong is a small and crowded city, and bookstores are easily available. People need not buy books online,” Mr. Ma explained. He also pointed out some limitations to online bookstores. “It takes time for the delivery, and there is a risk that the book ordered may not be available,” he explained. Mr. Ma’s confidence in his business is also based on its 25-year history and the discounts he provides. “My store cannot be replaced by online bookstores, nor by those large ones,” he said confidently. Mr. Tin Tsui, who has been a customer of Mr. Ma’s shop for 20 years, said that he felt good going to second floor bookstores. To this kind of person, the fun of buying books is most important. Mr. Wong Sheung Wai, owner of Greenfield Bookstore, said shopping for books was part of the pleasure. “People may not know which book to buy. They may have to glance through a book or turn the pages before they buy it,” said he. He said that when buying books online, people only know the name or other details of the books. The fun of choosing books is then reduced. Limitations Miss Alice Leung said that CyberStore never gave their customers false expectations. The waiting time for delivery is stated on the book list. “Many customers know that the books they have ordered are rare. They understand that they have to wait,” said she. But she admitted that traditional bookstores have the advantage that customers can glance through the books before buying them. Owing to the copyright rules, CyberStore can post only up to 10 percent of the content of every book online. In this early stage, there are many areas in which CyberStore could make improvements. Mr. Kan of PC World suggested that the website be bilingual and the layout more spacious and systematic. Said Miss Leung: “We hope to maintain the most updated book list, information and the most advanced technology.” There are also plans to sell products other than books, such mouse pads and stamps. CyberStore also has launched a banner exchange programme with some other web sites. When people visit these web sites, they can see CyberStore’s banner and open CyberStore’s site by simply clicking on it. Mr. Sydney Pun, editor in chief of PC Home magazine, believes that lazy customers or loyal readers may benefit most from online bookstores. The services are most useful to them. He suggested that traditional bookstores offer more comprehensive services in order to survive. “They should try to enter the world of the Internet. Creating their own websites might help,” said he. Although Mr. Pun thinks that the development of online bookstores in Hong Kong is not yet mature, Miss Leung is still optimistic about the future of CyberStore. “There are 55 million overseas Chinese, excluding those in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. “They are all our potential customers,” said Miss Leung. |
Side bar: Some other online bookstores
Orchestral music
December 1997
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