Marketing and the booksellingbrand

Current strategy and the managersperspective

Audrey Laing and Jo RoyleDepartment of Communication and Publishing, Aberdeen Business School,

The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify current marketing initiatives undertaken by UKchain 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.

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

Findings Focusing on the strategies behind the chains marketing techniques, the paperconcentrates in particular upon the new emphasis by UK chains upon serving a wider clientele andtheir efforts to establish individual identities and be community responsive. This has resulted in are-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 theproliferation of sofas and browsing areas are analysed as to their contribution to bookshopatmosphere.

Originality/value This research is both timely, responding to calls from the trade for research andoriginal, given the dearth of research on the book trade. The findings are examined within the contextof 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 academiccommunity regarding their application and consideration in other scholarly settings.

Keywords Bookselling, Marketing, Brands, Marketing strategy, Lifestyles, United Kingdom

Paper type Research paper

IntroductionThe role of bookshops in UK society has developed dynamically since the early 1980s.Since the inception of the eponymous Waterstones bookshops in 1982, the rise and riseof the new chains with knowledgeable staff and stylish interiors has influenced thedevelopment of bookshops into destination stores. These have taken inspiration fromthe US concept of lifestyle bookselling and all the facilities associated with that term,such as coffee shops and sofas (Kreitzman, 1999; Pennington, 1997). The publicschanging expectations of what a bookshop should be, as well as an economic need forthe chains to attract new markets, has led to a reassessment of the marketing andbranding strategies adopted by chain bookshops. A particular focus on extending thebookshop environment so as to appeal to all sectors of the community has led to manychains tailoring the titles they stock and the publicity material used, in order to beparticularly relevant to their local community. The need to be community responsive isseen as an integral strategy to enable bookshops to appeal to a wider market,particularly those people who may not even have visited bookshops before. Increased

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competition between chains, independents and now online bookshops andsupermarkets has also had the effect of concentrating chain efforts regarding thosebasic qualities integral to every good bookshop, such as range, tidiness and customerservice. The concept of customer service in particular is being stretched to cover newerstrategies such as hand selling the one-to-one service and advice given toindividual customers by booksellers which focuses on individual customer needs andoffers advice and suggestions.

In order to understand in more detail the strategy behind these changes inmarketing, it is important that a more detailed study of marketing and branding in theparticular context of bookselling is undertaken. Key strategies are identified andexamined in the context of established retail theory. This paper includes findings fromin-depth interviews carried out with managers of UK chain bookshops (some with linksto the US) and analyses their respective companies strategies on branding andmarketing.

Rationale and objectivesWhile it is possible to form an overall impression of current strategic procedures withinUK chain booksellers by undertaking a reading of trade journals on the subject, such asThe Bookseller, academic research specifically on the book trade is rather limited(Stallard, 1999; Pennington, 1997; Royle et al., 1999; Royle and Stockdale, 2000).However, research on online bookselling is becoming more established (Hennessey,2000; Gardiner, 2002; Clay et al., 2002).

The lack of research into the book trade can be understood by seeing thathistorically the book trade has been absorbed into the context of the larger retailenvironment. Historically, the book trade has been reactive rather than proactive inmany of its business decisions, but if there has been a lack of clear strategically ledplanning in the past, bookshops would certainly not be alone amongst the businesscommunity in concentrating on other more commercially immediate aspects of trading(Gilbert, 2003). This is gradually changing, due to the competitive nature of the currentmarket; a more professional or commercial approach to bookselling and also becauseof the influx of retail experts to the book trade from other retail sectors which havehistorically been seen as more dynamic. The competitive nature of the book industry asit is currently in the UK has led to the implementation of many of the changes outlinedabove and it has become necessary to respond to the calls from within the trade forresearch (Watson, 2002).

Research findings from this project have been underpinned and firmly placed in anacademic context by considering theory from the areas of marketing, branding, strategyand consumer behaviour in the specific field of book retailing. Research undertaken inthe context of bookselling has made clear that a sound understanding of these topicswould be essential. Key texts such as Kotler (1996), Gilbert (2003), McGoldrick (2002),Solomon (2002) and Thompson (2001) form part of the foundation for this exploratoryresearch, but perhaps the most crucial aspect of the review of literature is how the twoareas of reading, i.e. trade and scholarly, sit with each other, or how the theory fromestablished writers in the field (such as those above) can be applied and considered inthe context of retail bookselling. Therefore, the key aims of this paper are to:

. establish key marketing and branding tools used in UK chain bookshops;

. determine the strategy behind the implementation of these tools; and

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. consider these marketing strategies in a scholarly context of establishedacademic theory.

Given the dearth of academic research within the book trade, each of these steps isimportant in expanding knowledge of the book trade and is useful for both academicsand practitioners alike.

Methodological approachChain bookshops were selected for the research as it was envisaged that due to thenature of the organisation and internal structuring, these were the UK bookshops mostlikely to have an established marketing history, marketing strategy and future plans.In order to establish current marketing strategy and identify marketing tools used inUK bookselling, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were carried out with variousbook trade experts working in, or for three UK chain bookshops. The four intervieweesselected represented various levels within the selected bookshops (two store managers,one marketing manager and one chain marketing director) but in each case were awareof, current strategic information such as weekly marketing plans, future strategy fordiscussion and current problems. With the exception of the marketing director, eachinterviewee was in a position to facilitate implementation of marketing plans.Therefore, it was felt that they were likely also to be aware of problems arising, sincethey worked closely with booksellers on the shop floor.

The interviews were designed with a view to drawing out information on the keythemes of:

. brand identity of the store in question;

. marketing strategies and tools;

. any recent developments or changes in the branding or marketing strategies; and

. customer experience in store, especially in relation to staff interaction.

The starting points for these themes came from readings of trade commentaries oncurrent issues affecting the trade. Nevertheless an effort was made to keep theinterviews as open as possible, and to engender an atmosphere of openness in order todraw out new, unanticipated information (Creswell, 2003). Two pilot interviews werecarried out (one with the manager of a local academic bookshop, the other with aformer manager of a chain bookshop). Minor changes were made to the interviewschedule before the interviews were carried out. These were undertaken at theinterviewees places of work with the exception of one telephone interview and fullassurances of confidentiality were given. The interviews were tape recorded andpromptly transcribed allowing observations which were still fresh in the researchersmind to be noted simultaneously, since Kvale (1996, p. 160) is of the opinion thattranscription is not a mere clerical task, but an interpretative process.

While inevitable bias occurs while interviewing due to the interviewers ownbackground and experience (Denscombe, 1998), Kvale (1996, p. 287) says that:

rather than attempt to eliminate the personal interaction of interviewer and interviewee . . .[we can] regard the person of the interviewer as the primary methodological tool.

Indeed, Kvale says that familiarity with the environment in which the interviews are totake place, is essential. The researchers own experience within the book trade certainly

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influenced the inception of the research and personal interest, but it is felt that bymaking clear her own background within the trade, as well as many years experiencetherein, the interviews were in some cases made easier, due to establishing mutualrespect and because interviewees were able to use jargon and refer to book trade eventswhich had taken place over the years, in the knowledge that the interviewer wouldrecognise these references. An effort was made to maintain an open, reflectiveapproach to the interview process, in order to allow fresh themes to emerge from theprocess. Indeed, this open, reflective approach led to the topics of third place andcommunity responsiveness emerging from the interviewees, rather than theresearcher.

While transcribing, notes were made reflecting key issues which seemed to beemerging. A re-reading of the transcripts revealed further threads of information andmemos were made, collating themes from the earlier notes. A thorough familiarity withthe transcripts has aided the analysis of the rich interview data and underpinned thesubstance of the emergent themes (Miles and Huberman, 1994).

Marketing the brand in bookshopsWhen examining how the brand identity and marketing strategies have evolved in UKbookshops, it is clear to any bookshop customer that display methods, whether inwindows or on tables in store, have become much more stylised and uniform in recentyears amongst the chains. Bookshops are now obliged to take a much more rigorousand professional approach to marketing. According to one manager interviewed,marketing in bookshops is now more robust, more professional, more competitive,less nave. There now exists increased marketing control and increased advicefrom head office as to how bookshops should be pushing the brand. The general shifttowards increased professionalism; greater cohesion across individual chainsregarding marketing techniques; the trend for taking retail experts in from outsidethe book trade and the increase in competition across the chains and fromsupermarkets and online booksellers have helped the UK chains adopt a more strategicapproach as regards marketing and branding.

It is important to bear in mind that an increasingly sophisticated approach tomarketing can be seen across the whole of the retail sector and is partly in response tothe increased sophistication of the consumer (Christopher et al., 2002). Given the newsophistication of many shoppers, the book trade has been forced to undertake a moreprofessional approach to marketing the product. Indeed one manager thought that thebrand for us is personified in how we merchandise the shop. She went on to explainthat the style of display seemed to her to be more representative of the brand identity ofthe chain than the books that were stocked, and was thought to involve moreprescriptive input from head office than even the choice of titles for sale. The newprofessionalism in approaching marketing is evident across most of the UKs chainbookshops, and is referred to time and again by the managers interviewed, as theytalked about the strict set of expectations and guidelines as regards front of shopdisplay and the integral importance of particular areas in store especially front ofshop for many stores, which encapsulates the brand identity of the store in manycases. The new prescriptiveness of book chain marketing departments is notnecessarily perceived as a bad thing by the bookshops concerned, but a side-effectperceived by some in the trade is the resulting sameness across many of the chain

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bookstores: the same books displayed in the same shape with the same posters, nomatter which branch of a given chain you may visit. So, while Kotler and Armstrong(2001) said [Branding is] . . . a name, term, sign, symbol, or design . . . that identifiesthe maker or seller of a product or service, one has to bear in mind that valuesattached to a brand are defined by consumers, not marketers (Hall, 2000) and toexamine these views of branding within a book trade which is becoming increasinglyhomogenous.

The discount-focussed approach and homogeneityThe factors influencing consumer purchase of products, beyond those of utility, aresubtle and multifarious (Gilbert, 2003; Solomon, 2002; Tauber, 1972). In the currentcompetitive book retailing market, the search for distinction in order to gain acompetitive advantage may sometimes seem to have been given a low priority giventhe similarity of the marketing techniques across many of the UK chain bookshops:3 for 2 (i.e. the sale of three books for the price of two); summer readingcampaigns; book of the month; staff recommends, etc. Indeed it is ironic that whilemany of the managers interviewed stated a key aim was to develop individual storeidentity within separate branches and to respond to local needs, they meantime usethe same marketing tools as their competitors. This applies in particular to pricepromotions and staff recommends sections. It also applies to aspects of book displaysuch as having a bestsellers section by the door and having tables of promotedbooks near the entry area to the store. While a competitive advantage can be gainedfrom many different layers of the business within any industry (Porter, 1985) it isstill interesting that UK chain bookshops undertake such similar promotionalcampaigns. Retail analyst Phillips (2003) points out that discounting is the leastimaginative way to sell and is sometimes indicative of a desperate attempt to raisesales. If this is true, it would suggest that a more strategic approach to expandingthe market for book retailers needs to be generated. There are sacrifices associatedwith this kind of promotion, most notably that of loss of margin (net profit) and thisis felt keenly by store managers. It is also important for bookshops to bear in mindthe impact that this kind of price-oriented marketing can have on brand andperhaps most crucially the perception that loyal customers may have of theirfavoured bookshops. As Kent (2003) says:

. . . brand selection is based on experience and expectation; it appeals to a discrete group ofbuyers, indeed to consistently succeed it must maintain an affinity with a defined group.

The one size fits all approach to broadening the market with discounting must betreated by bookshops with care or loyal long serving customers may find themselveswith no chain bookshops left where they can feel comfortable and fit in theirsurroundings (Solomon, 2002; Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004) while looking at books. Theefforts to expand the market and provide a US style bookshop may be attractive tomany people, but if the traditional bookshops were formerly the territory of the bookfiend they may feel displaced by this obvious strategy to expand the market.

The argument that chains are often formulaic in their approach to marketing andeven in their stockholding is made by Andy Ross, President of Codys Bookstores inCalifornia, in an article which states the case for independent bookselling. Ross (2002)says:

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The chain stores are mass merchants. They are very good at promoting highly commercialtitles with huge printings and giant promotional budgets.

However, they are as a result formulaic and predictable. The demise of theindependents and their contribution to the breadth of bookselling as a whole wasmentioned with regret by several interviewees. One manager felt that the growth of thechains in fact limited choice for the consumer. His regret at the demise of theindependents contrasted with the fact that he is the marketing manager of a branch ofa large chain is an irony which was not lost on him. He said the whole nature of largeorganisations dominating the whole market is, it limits choice. Nevertheless,co-ordinated promotions are currently an integral part of bookshop life: constantchanging of windows, updating of posters and in-store displays occur to a greaterdegree than ever before. The constant turnaround of promotions and the marketingplans to which all chain bookshops now adhere is a labour intensive system, but whenone examines the perceived impact on the brand, some interesting responses areunearthed. When asked in what way common promotions such as back to university(BTU) and 3 for 2 reinforce the brand, the considered opinion of one manager is, Imnot sure they do reinforce the brand. The reinforcement of the brand may not be theprime intention of these promotions presumably it is to increase sales nevertheless, some impact on brand image might be expected. While one of the statedaims of this kind of price promotion is to demonstrate good pricing and value formoney, thus reinforcing those values and attaching them to a particular brand, thereare reservations about the margin (net profit) which is given away on such promotions.Rather than 3 for 2, one manager expressed his frustration at not being able to sellitems 3 for 3 instead of 3 for 2 i.e. at full price. As for how a promotion such as 3for 2 supported the brand, the same manager made the salient point that every highstreet bookshop now does 3 for 2 promotions and suggested it was an idealopportunity for identity to be stamped on a bookshop by not doing a 3 for 2promotion. As retail analyst Phillips (2003) reminds us:

. . . price is the last resort of the unintelligent, uneducated or unimaginative the easy nobrainer option. In contrast, working out what the consumer really wants and supplying itrequires time, ability and effort.

The similarity of promotional schemes across UK bookshops makes blurring ofidentity a real possibility and also makes competitive advantage more difficult toachieve for the stores concerned (Porter, 1985; Thompson, 2001). This element of doubtwithin stores as regards head office strategy is realistically the kind of tension whichone might expect across any large retail establishment. Nevertheless, it would seem tobe important to investigate the reasons for undertaking such promotions, if somemanagers have doubts about them (De Chernatony and McDonald, 1998). According toseveral of the managers interviewed, a key strategy of these very common promotions(like 3 for 2, or 2 for 10) is to get new people into the stores concerned, so the factthat many stores are sacrificing a large chunk of margin is just one segment of thelarger strategic plan. From a strategic point of view, the marketing director involved inthis research raised the interesting point that the 3 for 2 promotion not only offersexcellent value for money but also gives people the opportunity to expand their literarytastes and genres with which they were familiar, as it affords them the opportunity togamble on the third title. Nevertheless, it is difficult to quantify the direct effect this

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kind of promotion has either on attracting new customers, brand identity or on thebottom line (although research is ongoing in this area). In many ways the rush for thehigh street stores and multinationals to take part in 3 for 2 promotions is indicative ofthe kind of frenzy of discounting that has so defined large parts of the book trade overthe past few years. The substantial discounts which have been applied to what couldbe seen as guaranteed good sellers has been at the heart of much trade discussion andthe effectiveness of such promotions is open to debate (Phillips, 2003). While there isperhaps less talk of loss leaders currently in the trade, there is still a lot ofdiscounting to be witnessed in the chains and supermarkets, and in the currentmarketplace where there is still vigorous competition.

Bookshops and the Lifestyle environmentIt was already clear from discussion within both trade and scholarly literature (Miller,1999; Sanderson, 1999; Smith, 1999) that an increasingly important topic for the booktrade was that of the atmosphere or ambience in bookshops and the role this has toplay in the success of individual branches. This subject area formed an important partof the interviews and was often the area upon which the interviewees placed muchemphasis and importance.

An important force in the refocusing of marketing strategy within chain bookshopshas been the rise of internet bookselling, especially Amazon. The social advantagesthat high street bookshops have over internet bookshops were possibly overlookedwhen the initial fears about internet bookselling were voiced. As one manager summedup:

. . . a big part of the buying decision for books is looking at them and browsing them,comparing them. Maybe going for a coffee or popping in or being brought in so the . . . humanenjoyment of physically going shopping and seeing other people and being seen youllnever compete with that.

This sentiment is even supported by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon (Spector, 2000).Although the field of atmospherics and the add-on value of every retail experience is anestablished field of retail research (Kotler, 1973; Miller, 1998; Woodruffe-Burton et al.,2001) it is only recently that these aspects of the whole shopping experience seem tohave come to the fore within the field of bookselling. They are now understood to beintegral aspects of the whole book shopping experience, thus endowing bricks andmortar bookshops with a key advantage in an area where the online bookshops arecurrently unable to compete. The overall cultural shift within bookshops which hastaken place over the past few years particularly as regards the broader market whichbookshops are now aiming for has seen the chain bookshops moving toward alifestyle environment with sofas and coffee shops. However, the effectiveness orotherwise of this directional shift has not been examined or monitored in any detail. AsGardiner (2002) says:

Their [the bookshops] community-building activities are broad brush to say the least, and itis hard to see how this could be refined or how chain bookshops . . . could find out who theircustomers are, what they purchase individually, as opposed to an aggregate, and how theycould be encouraged to do more of it.

From being an atmosphere of quiet and calm for the most bookish of customers, manybookshops have now moved towards being places of and for the whole of the

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community: a third place (see next section); a lifestyle destination. It is interesting tonote that when the topic of coffee shops was raised with the bookshop managers whowere interviewed, all of the managers felt that having a coffee shop in store contributedin some way to the store identity. Overall, this was felt to be one of the biggestcontributors to the image of bookshops and to add hugely to the atmosphere, ambianceand the feeling that bookshops can have a meaningful impact on the local community.However, although all of the managers interviewed felt that having a coffee shop instore contributed to the brand, there was a general inability to say definitively whetherthe addition of a coffee shop made any meaningful contribution to sales of books.Furthermore, there was no real knowledge of whether the coffee shop customers are aseparate clientele or the same customers who already buy books. It is therefore clearthat the benefit to bookshops of having a coffee shop is made harder to assess if it is theexperience that is enhanced rather than having a direct, immediate benefit to thebottom line. Nevertheless, while the common use of coffee shops within bookshopsmay have the effect of obscuring distinctions between the product (or service) and storeimage (Corstjens and Corstjens, 1995), this blurring of distinctions can be viewed as apositive step in so far as it might encourage the accessibility of bookshops beyondwhat has in recent years been the habitat of socioeconomic group ABC1 (Mintel, 2003).

Many bookshops have introduced coffee shops in store over the past few years andwhile they are part of a strategic move by bookshop chains to expand their client base,they also satisfy a lifestyle choice which more bookshop visitors are making. If thewhole aim of having coffee shops in bookshops is to enhance the book shoppingexperience rather than the bottom line, this represents a change of focus in bookshopmarketing in the UK. Even in the stores which are too small to have coffee shopsinstalled, one manager referred to the Costa bambinos which are now in place insome of the smaller stores in her chain. These are trolleys from which staff can servecoffees to customers and is further evidence of the element of lifestyle which isseeping in to almost all chain bookshops. This theme, of customers harbouring theexpectation of a coffee shop within a bookshop (Sanderson, 1999) was picked up andextended by one manager when commenting on in-store seating. Making the point thatcustomers like to know there are seats around, but that they may not sit in them, shethought this was evidence of another part of the lifestyle aspect of the bookshop as aplace of comfort and relaxation. She went on to suggest that in a similar vein,customers wanted to know that big authors were to visit the store, even though theyhad no intention of attending the event themselves. The topic of the lifestyle store ismentioned with increasing frequency in relation to bookshops and illustrates how thepublics expectations of bookshops has changed beyond all recognition over the pastfew decades, and most markedly in the past ten years.

Bookshops in the communityWhile exploring the brand identity of chain bookshops in the UK, there is considerableoverlap in the qualities which managers hope they are conveying to their customers.One of the most pervasive themes is that of the community and how many bookshopsaim to appeal to the whole of their respective communities. This theme of inclusivenessand endeavouring to serve the whole community is certainly part a strategic plan toexpand the market rather than simply an altruistic aim. However, regardless of themotivation behind this strategy, it carries broad social implications. Community

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outreach and community spirit are qualities which are perceived by the managersas being integral to the brand identity of many UK chain bookshops, along with theaspects of the store which one might more readily expect to be mentioned, such asknowledgeable staff and a good range of stock. At least one chain is actually referringto some of its own branches as lifestyle stores. While exploring the theme of servingthe community and the atmosphere of bookshops, one manager introduced the termthird place which describes a place of or for the community which is free or cheap toenter and where people can find companionship, conversation, partake in thecommunity and perhaps eat or drink (Nozzi, 2004). The term third refers to the factthat it comes after ones home and ones place of work, to provide a place of relaxationand social interaction with no pressures attached (Oldenburg, 1997). The bookshop as adestination or lifestyle choice is a topic which has been referred to before, both intrade writing (McCabe, 1998; Sanderson, 1999) and in academia (Miller, 1999) and isbecoming more prevalent with the current expansion of large chain bookshops whichhave cafes, sofas and enough room for a consumer to spend a considerable amount oftime there without being explicitly encouraged to buy any goods. Of course, the retailenvironment as a place of leisure and pleasure is not a new concept (Satterthwaite,2001; Nava, 1996; Miles, 1998), but, vitally, it has not been considered before in thecontext of the UK chain bookshop. Indeed, if one is familiar with Waterstones at itsinception, it is clear that in 1982, this chain was most definitely an environment for thewell-read few, rather than anyone venturing into a branch for the first time. Thisprojected brand identity has most certainly changed.

The relaxed atmosphere of many large bookshops was felt by many bookshopmanagers interviewed to play a primary role in attracting and keeping people in store.One manager specifically mentioned the freedom which customers were given tobrowse, have coffee and roam around. While store layout and design is undoubtedlypart of what makes shopping in any given store more attractive (Miller, 1998;Satterthwaite, 2001; Underhill, 1999), it is often difficult to be exact about whatindividual consumers mean when they use the terms atmosphere or ambiance.Many of the managers interviewed referred to the frequency with which customersreferred to these terms in the context of the respective stores, and how these qualitieswere what they liked most about shopping there. Gilbert (2003) refers toatmospherics as:

The changes made to the design of buying environments that produce special emotionaleffects that subsequently enhance the likelihood that a purchase will take place.

Kotler (1973, p. 129) originally defined atmospherics as the conscious designing ofspace to create certain effects in buyers. His description of atmosphere is broken downcategorically into visual, aural, olfactory and tactile dimensions. It is interesting to notethat Hoffman et al. (2002) compare the terms atmospherics and servicescape (coined byBitner (1992)) and suggest they are interchangeable. I.e. the manmade, physicalsurroundings as opposed to natural or social environment (Bitner, 1992). However, itis important to note that the social environment is vital when considering the role of thebookshop in local communities, as well as the qualities which bookshop usersexperience when using bookshops. In this context, the term atmospheric orservicescape arguably falls short of what is present in the atmosphere of manybookshops. For instance, there are frequent mentions of one bookshop (a large US/UK

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chain with several floors, coffee shop and sofas) in the I saw you section of the Listmagazine. This is a classified section of a local events magazine which is subscribed toby a largely youthful population. The I saw you section works like any otherclassified section dealing with relationships but also concentrates on where theinterested party saw their potential partner. This clearly extends the social element ofthe bookshop to another level. That bookshops are now accepted as a place to meetprospective partners illustrates how far the image of the bookshop has come even inthe last 20 years.

The role of the bookshop in the community is perhaps relatively new in this country(Smith, 1999) but has long been familiar in the USA where there is a strong placeoccupied in the community by many bookshops (Miller, 1999; Oldenburg, 1997). Miller(1999) points out how this contribution to the community is different depending onwhether one considers independent bookselling, which is sensitive to local tastes andsupports the community in a cultural sense . . . and in an economic sense or thechains, which provide large public spaces for the community to come together. Thepotential for bookshops to play a role in the local community is arguably more overtlyobvious in the large chains which have enough cash and space to install coffee shopsand sofas. Judging by the interviews undertaken with various trade experts, it is clearthat this mantle of community awareness is one which the chains are keen to take on.To be identified as serving the community, being community responsive and in onecase being an independent within a chain are all goals as far as the UK chains areconcerned. In many ways, they seem to be cherry picking the skills traditionallyassociated with independent bookshops, and implementing these skills in each branchof the chains. The community role played by bookshops is also clearly a commercialadvantage welcoming all people but also obviously hoping they will spend and isseen as a sound long-term marketing tool. In many large chain bookshops, some peoplemight pop in just to purchase books, but others see it as somewhere to read or study orjust relax and have coffee, again underlining the freedom that people now have inmany chain bookshops. This multi-layered branding means that one bookshop mightbe many things to many different people. Indeed, this is one aspect of being a thirdplace providing a safe place to go, but not putting pressure on people to behave inany particular way, other than being socially responsible (Oldenburg, 1997).

While there are obvious commercial advantages in promoting the community roleand partaking in all of the community outreach activities, nevertheless somebooksellers feel there is still an altruistic aspect to it all. As one bookshop managersaid, it is one of the good things that bookshops are able to do. He continued, Peoplecome in not just to purchase books or . . . whatever. They come in because it is alifestyle choice. Indeed, in his store which out of the ones in question possiblyconformed most closely to that ideal of third place, bookshop visitors wereencouraged to walk around the store with coffee, sit at tables, do work or read and heconfirmed that there would be no pressure put on them to purchase anything. As heput it, were not just there to take your money from you; . . . were there as part of thecommunity. This assertion of serving the community is strengthened by thecommunity outreach activities which selected ranches of this particular chainundertake. These include support of charity reading campaigns for theunderprivileged and outreach work with schools. According to the marketingmanager interviewed at one branch, some of the people coming to the store for school

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visits and talks have never been in a bookshop before. To then be given a voucher tospend on goods of their choice in that bookshop sends a powerful promotionalmessage, hopefully reinforcing the profile of the bookshop in question but also of booksin general.

Findings and conclusionsAlthough the interviews were carried out with bookshop managers across threedifferent UK chain bookshops, the degree of overlap regarding marketing tools usedand underlying marketing strategies (Table I), were considerable.

The key marketing tools used by UK chain bookshops were identified as follows:. special offers;. personalised service;. bookshop identity;. community responsiveness; and. bookshop as a lifestyle destination.

It is ironic that in the face of a desire to develop individual identity amongst stores inan effort to be seen as community responsive, most chain bookshops persist in usingexactly the same marketing tools as each other. (Ongoing research will examine howwell consumers can distinguish between chain bookshops in the UK). Price promotedtitles such as the ubiquitous 3 for 2 offer or books of the month are still very much atthe fore of marketing and seem to be integral to the strategy of most chain bookshops,signifying their desire to widen the market and appeal to the whole of the community.The realisation by many chain bookshops evidenced by the interviews undertaken that they need to be community responsive has driven the desire to establish individualbranch identity. Whether or not this has been successful, bookshops recognise thatalthough they are part of a chain, the individual needs of their own communities may

Marketing tool implemented Strategy underpinning this tool

Special offers (3 for 2, 2 for 10) Primarily to attract new customers intobookshops, as well as the need to compete in adifficult market

Independent within a ChainAn effort to develop individual identity for shopsdepending on their locale

The desire to establish a distinct identity forindividual branches of chain bookshops

Community responsiveness A need to serve local markets and to be seen to berelevant for the local community

Lifestyle qualitiesThe introduction of coffee shops, sofas andbrowsing areas. A focus on the importance of thebookshop atmosphere

The development of the bookshop as a destinationstore; lifestyle choice, or even a third place.Ultimately to attract new bookshop users and toentice them to stay longer. To make the bookshopseem like a more desirable place to linger

Personalised serviceTechniques such as hand selling, staffrecommendation

The need to compete with supermarkets, onlinebooksellers

Table I.Matrix of key marketingtools and strategies

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necessitate significant tailoring of stock profiles. The individuality of the differentbranches can in this context be seen as a strength rather than a challenge to brandintegrity, so that the individual personality of (or personalities in) a branch can be usedto the advantage of certain stores. Despite the fact that this research focuses on chainbookshops, the branches themselves seem now to be focussing upon the kinds of skillswhich could be said to have traditionally been the territory of the independents, i.e.personalised customer service and an awareness of the local community. Although themodern chain bookshop Waterstones being a prime example has always beenforthright about the kind of service it gives and the knowledge of its booksellers, theemphasis on extending this personal service and serving the whole community seem tobe newer strategies.

Strategic efforts to make bookshops welcoming, accessible and non-threatening areall part of the concerted effort to make bookshops viable destinations for all sectors ofthe community (communities). The refocus on customer service and a reassessment ofwhat that term can really mean, has turned the emphasis onto the bookseller andrecognises their central role both in driving sales and in customer satisfaction. The keyterm hand selling sets out the model for a customer-bookseller interaction as beingindividually tailored rather than dealing with just another customer buying a book.However, perhaps the most resonant aspect of bookselling as it is currently is the wayin which most of the chains have adopted aspects of lifestyle bookselling and howthese have become central to what customers now expect of bookshops. Coffee shopsand sofas are becoming the norm in chain bookshops now, but it will be interesting tomonitor how far bookshops go in adopting more meaningful aspects of truecommunity bookselling as exists in the USA (Miller, 1999). Should bookshops adoptthese far-reaching, socially influential roles? It will be interesting to monitor how theplace of bookshops within their respective communities develops over the followingmonths and years. They certainly have the potential to become third places in thetruest sense of the phrase and while the advantages to the stores concerned may not befinancially immediate, their influence over the wider community has the potential tobecome very strong.

References

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Further reading

Spillane, M. (2000), Living the brand, The Bookseller, No. 4939, pp. 23-5.

About the authorsAudrey Laing is a PhD research student and ad-hoc Lecturer within the Publishing Departmentat The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. Her thesis, entitled Bookselling culture& consumer behaviour: marketing strategies and responses, in traditional and onlineenvironments emanated from many years spent working in the book trade. It aims to explorehow bookshop users respond to current marketing strategies being followed by UK chains,focusing in particular upon newer US inspired initiatives such as coffee shops and browsingareas. The research funded by The Robert Gordon University Research DevelopmentInitiative goes on to examine how the strategies used are adapted to suit an online booksellingenvironment. Audrey has previously published on the subject of the UK book trade and thechallenges they face with regard to expanding the market. Audrey Laing is the correspondingauthor and can be contacted at: prs.laing-a@rgu.ac.uk

Jo Royle is Senior Lecturer and Subject Leader for Communication and Publishing within theAberdeen Business School at the Robert Gordon University and is Undergraduate ProgrammeManager in the field. She lectures on electronic publishing and consumer publishing at bothundergraduate and postgraduate levels; and has supervised and carried out research in theseareas, and gained related external funding from sources including the Arts and HumanitiesResearch Board and British National Bibliography Research Fund. In particular this researchhas focused on the role of branding for consumer publishers on the internet and changemanagement issues associated with multimedia publishing for children. She recently gainedinternal funding from the RGU Research Development Initiative and it is from this that theresearch on branding and the community in bookselling is progressing. She was previouslyEditorial Manager of an independent consumer publishing house.

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