While other retailers launch competing sales around Amazon’s Prime Day in the hopes of riding the ecommerce giant’s coattails, for Bookshop.org, Amazon’s annual sale event highlights bigger existential concerns. The platform’s sole mission is to keep independent bookstores alive amid the threat of digital convenience instigated by Amazon itself.
Despite expanding well beyond its early niche in books, Amazon still captures more than 50% of book sales in the U.S., and many readers will flock to Amazon later this month to get bargain prices on their favorite titles during Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale. But Bookshop.org, which was founded as a “bulwark against the erosion of book culture by Amazon,” is hoping to lure a few of those consumers its way with its own anti-Prime Day promo.
From July 15 to July 17, 2024 (the same days as Prime Day) Bookshop.org will offer free shipping on all orders, and customers with purchases over $100 also will receive a free tote bag.
“In the early days of trying to fundraise for Bookshop, I heard from investors over and over again that the American consumer only cares about speed and price, and ‘if you can’t beat Amazon on speed and price, you’re doomed,’” said Bookshop.org Founder and CEO Andy Hunter in a previous interview with Retail TouchPoints. “But I knew it wasn’t true, because I pay extra money every month for clean energy and organic produce. I try to shop local when I can, and I know I’m not the only one.
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“I truly believed that there were a lot of socially conscious consumers out there, especially in books, because people who read are smart, critical thinkers,” he added. “Our pitch now is that sometimes there are more important things than money and speed. We want to preserve a world where in 50 years you and your kids can still shop at your local bookstore, and the ecosystem around books can still be strong and thriving and balanced.”
Since its debut in 2020, Bookshop.org has raised $31 million for independent booksellers through its unique profit-sharing retail model, with 80% of profits given to the nearly 2,000 bookstores in its network.
