Improving Discoverability in the eBookstore Environment
Perhaps I’m biased having been a founding member of WOWIO, one of the earlier eBookstores back in 2006, but for how quickly the eBook space has grown, and the warp speed development of web and mobile products, I’m surprised at how simplistic many eBookstores still are. Discoverability remains the #1 challenge in this space, yet there are many ideas being used by other retail sites with deep inventories. These could be easily employed now, while larger and more effective initiatives are worked out, namely a book genome similar to Pandora’s Music Genome Project. A girl can dream right?
I realize that a book genome is neither a new idea, nor is it a trivial undertaking. Pandora’s team started working on the idea back in 2000 and it still is not automated. Every song is listened to by a music analyst who outlines 300-500 musical characteristics/genes, giving each song an in-depth profile. This takes about 20-30 minutes per song. Add to that the fact that 10% of songs are then analyzed a second time by another technician to ensure consistency across the collection. No wonder it works so well. If you consider the complexity of a song versus the complexity of a book, as well as how long it would take to read each book, it’s clear that this is not going to happen in short order. So until someone has the gumption and the resources to undertake this massive project, we have to find more manageable solutions for improving discoverability now. Here are two very doable ideas.
1. Give readers the reigns – Every reader has their own unique set of interests that cannot be defined by the pages they have clicked on or the books they have purchased (ie. data and code alone will not solve this challenge). Although there are some things one can glean from this data, it does not give a complete picture of that user’s ever evolving interests. So why not give them the controls? Let readers outline what categories, sub categories, and topics interest them most, so online booksellers have a shot at serving up titles on a personalized homepage and digital newsletters that will peak their interest. Think of it like walking into a bookstore and all the books on the front tables are from the categories and on the subjects that interest you most. Think of the time you’d save and the titles you’d discover.
2. Handselling online – We all lament the loss of independent bookstores. As a reader they are magical places that can make one completely loose track of time, and very often result in discovering an exciting work because of the carefully curated collection, or because of a recommendation from another customer or shop employee. As a publisher, these shops are a vital part of getting lesser-known titles in front of readers so their loss has had a deep impact on a their bottom line. Replicating this environment online is difficult to say the least.
One way to introduce a handselling element would be to ask publishers to provide a 1-2 minute script/pitch about a book that can be produced in a short video, similar to what Zappos is doing (click here). To be clear, this is not a trailer. For most of their products, Zappos employees show viewers a product and talk about its features. In the first year they implemented these videos (2009) they saw a 6-30% increase in sales!
There are no silver bullets here; improving discoverability requires a collection of tools that readers can use to filter the hundreds of thousands of titles (and growing) online. Not only does each reader have a unique collection of interests, but how they search is a fluid process that takes unexpected turns. Having a variety of tools in which to sort the collection is an essential component of being able to lead readers to unexpected delights!
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