Latest Updates

Many physical bookstores choose to break through social media by shooting videos, doing live broadcasts, and posting book lists

 

【 New Landscape of National Reading ③ 】 Online drainage, searching for expressions that belong to this era

 

Reading prompt

 

When online book purchases impact physical retail, many physical bookstore owners choose to "switch" to social media, shooting videos, doing live broadcasts, distributing book lists, selling blind boxes... Social media accounts are becoming the online "facade" of physical bookstores. Can traffic be converted into real passenger flow? The screen is lively on the other end, can it still maintain the temperature between the pages? The reporter visited multiple bookstores to explore the social media breakthrough path of physical bookstores.

 

At 8 pm, there is a bookstore in Aishang, Yizhuang, Beijing, and the door has already closed. Bookstore manager He Xia is still editing the video of the "Yizhuang Yaji" event held in the store during the day, while facing the computer.

 

This is the daily routine of many physical bookstore owners, including He Xia. As the price advantage of online book purchases continues to impact offline retail, digital reading gradually becomes a daily routine for the public, and physical bookstores were once labeled as a "sunset industry", with sparse customer traffic and difficult profitability becoming the norm in the industry. However, the rise of social media platforms has opened up a low-cost survival channel for physical bookstores.

 

A reporter from the Workers' Daily found in an interview that many bookstore operators have seized the opportunity to shoot videos, create book lists, and conduct live broadcasts, in order to find new possibilities for the survival of physical bookstores in the new dissemination soil.

 

Social media accounts are the online 'facade'

 

It is a consensus among most bookstore operators that opening a bookstore is difficult. It's no longer the era where bookstores can be fully operated solely offline, "said He Xia.

 

The convenience and low prices of online book purchases have almost undermined the retail advantage of physical bookstores. Guarding the store and waiting for natural foot traffic is like 'sitting still and waiting for death,' "He Xia bluntly stated. For most small and medium-sized independent bookstores, without strong funds and mature channels, starting from social media is the lowest cost and most direct path to break through the situation.

 

What content does the bookstore's social media account post?

 

One type is activity previews. In order to increase foot traffic and make full use of space, many bookstores will hold book clubs, handicrafts, painting and other activities irregularly. Customers buy tickets to participate in the event, and tickets are currently our main source of income, "said He Xia. She will carefully create posters and post them on the Little Red Book account of the bookstore, using the platform's "Nearby" feature to attract nearby residents to participate in the event.

 

The rest is the daily routine of the bookstore. This type of content needs to create a feeling of 'peaceful time', such as which new books have arrived in the store, which drinks have been served, and which corner of the bookstore is the best to see the sunlight shining on... The likes and collections of this type of content are often relatively high, attracting readers to check in at the store, "said He Xia.

 

There are also different operational strategies for different platforms. "On the Tiktok and video numbers, we invited writers, screenwriters and other guests in the cultural and publishing fields to talk to each other and share their stories with books and bookstores; Xiaohongshu continued the humanistic tone of bookstores, combined with social hot spots, organized relevant book list recommendations around topics of public concern, and responded to current problems with books." Sanya, the head of Xiaohongshu operation of Fengru Pine Bookstore, told reporters.

 

Some bookstores also choose to start by leveraging social media operations. In the view of Li Nan, the manager of Xuannan Bookstore, a bookstore's social media account is equivalent to its online "storefront", and it is not easy to create a high-quality account that fits the bookstore's temperament. Therefore, in the initial stage where I was not fully confident, I chose to utilize existing resources and invite local lifestyle experts who already have a certain number of fans to check in at the store. This would achieve a better effect of attracting traffic than starting from scratch. When the bookstore system is mature, I will then form a team to specialize in operation

 

What can be brought about after drainage

 

The simplest purpose of taking the path of social media is to attract traffic to bookstores, "said Li Nan frankly.

 

After putting in a lot of effort into content and operations, can traffic really turn into tangible customer traffic and revenue?

 

Doing it is better than not doing it at all. Nowadays, many regular customers in the store are attracted through promotional activities on social media accounts, which has a certain drainage effect. "He Xia gave a positive answer. She said that simply making activity previews and daily bookstore activities may be difficult to generate explosive traffic, but it can attract some like-minded old customers with real content and accumulate a loyal readership for the bookstore.

 

In contrast, the social media layout of Fengrongsong Bookstore has shown a more significant commercial conversion effect. Sanya told reporters that the bookstore has set up a dedicated team to operate social media accounts, and the results brought by the online layout are basically in line with expectations. In addition to achieving considerable sales conversion, various platforms have also accumulated a stable fan base.

 

In the eyes of some practitioners, opening social media is not only a helpless move to keep bookstores alive, but also a positive attempt to explore more possibilities for bookstores online.

 

We have launched a 'feminist blind box' on the Xiaohongshu platform, selling feminist related books in the form of blind boxes that young people like in their offline shopping carts, and have achieved relatively ideal revenue performance. Sanya said that online traffic is nourishing offline, and many readers have learned about the bookstore through online content and specifically went to the store to check in, and the customer flow has gradually stabilized.

 

But beyond attracting traffic, He Xia also has some regrets: "My ideal bookstore is a space for everyone to sit together and chat about books and literature, where ideas collide. Social media can attract some customers, but it is difficult to achieve such an 'ultimate dream'." Although the bookstore regularly holds cultural activities such as book clubs, she found that even readers who buy tickets may not have read or want to read this book, they just want to 'quickly understand'.

 

The value of a bookstore lies in connecting people to books and people to people

 

In the process of running a bookstore, I have encountered many interesting customers. I want to use the bookstore account to tell their stories and let everyone know our bookstore from the stories of people and books. "He Xia said that the original intention of working in this job was to make more people interested in books and bookstores. All online operations are just to continue this initial experience.

 

Associate Professor Sun Lijun from the School of Journalism at Renmin University of China stated that in addition to displaying and selling books, bookstores also need to establish connections with readers and build bridges between readers, scholars, and authors. In the current fast-paced lifestyle, what bookstores should do more is to create an atmosphere that allows people to calm down and read, think, and communicate, "he said.

 

This is also the consensus of all the defenders.

 

Li Nan wants to turn the bookstore into a relaxed and comfortable cultural space. People who come can read books, chat and drink tea, or just sit down and feel the cultural atmosphere of the bookstore. The role of social media is just to let more people find here, enter here, and continue the culture

 

In the current era of rapid changes brought about by technology, the on-site experience is even more precious, "said Li Suwan, the manager of CodeWord Bookstore." The uncertainty of the scene, the creativity inspired by real-world experiences, and even the mistakes made on site are all beautiful and precious. Physical bookstores have the scarcity of the scene and can become an outlet for emotional relaxation in this rapidly changing era

 

No matter how the media changes, the value of bookstores always lies in connecting people with books, people with people, and we are willing to use a more open-minded attitude to find expressions that belong to this era. In Sanya's view, online explorations derived from books such as live streaming and short videos are never meant to replace books, but to allow books to continue to exist and pass on good books to more people.

 

Reporter Qin Yishu

 

(