Is Targeting the Consumer Worth It?

After our discussion about the publisher websites in class, it is hard for me to think of a reason why publishing companies still target the end consumer on their sites. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a book for personal or academic use online that wasn’t through Amazon, and I’m fairly certain the average person could say the same. Honestly, the only times I’ve visited publisher websites is when I worked at a bookstore and when I’ve had to explore them for class assignments.

I suppose one of the reasons the websites try to sell their books to the end consumer is simply the fact that if one publisher offers this service, other publishers feel they must do the same. On the whole, I feel that a publisher website serves more as an information base than a place to purchase books. It’s almost like having an interactive catalog of what the company offers. These websites do feature things like articles about authors, upcoming titles, and other extras that Amazon lacks. Some people might enjoy having this additional information, and in the process of seeking it may decide to go ahead and order a book. I’m not sure how often this actually happens, though.


On the whole, I don’t think publishers can expect to see any growth in their website sales. I’d say they would probably see a continuing decline. I would think that this should influence their decision to continue their online selling services, but at the same time I don’t think offering the service really puts them out too much. If they can sell a few books this way, that’s great. I just don’t think they should expect or rely on it much now or into the future.