"Bricks-and-mortar retailers are looking to bring their offline skills and experience to the Internet before they miss out entirely, and are finding that they are being joined by their suppliers and publishers."

Books have led the way as the product that brought e-commerce and Internet purchasing to the consumer market. Whilst online book purchasing represents less that 10% of the total UK market, it is the pace and potential of future impact that is significant. The speed at which the Internet is moving has ushered in a whole new scale for measuring industrial change. Will current offline business models cease to be viable? The ubiquity of the Internet removes much of the value from the distribution function, as consumers now have access to dozens of suppliers and their huge catalogues from their homes. As books have enabled consumer adoption of the Internet, will the influence of the Internet help the book industry to embrace digital technology in the shape of the e-book electronic book format? Has online serialisation - as in the case of Stephen King for example - given rise to a new age of digital publishing? Is Internet usage really a factor beyond booksellers' control? As the value shifts from distribution to content in all aspects of business, brand loyalty is being built on customer service and security of purchase. With a lack of brands at retailer level in the book industry, is the present a time of major re-marketing potential for the industry?

"Bricks-and-mortar retailers are looking to bring their offline skills and experience to the Internet before they miss out entirely, and are finding that they are being joined by their suppliers and publishers."

Books have led the way as the product that brought e-commerce and Internet purchasing to the consumer market. Whilst online book purchasing represents less that 10% of the total UK market, it is the pace and potential of future impact that is significant. The speed at which the Internet is moving has ushered in a whole new scale for measuring industrial change. Will current offline business models cease to be viable? The ubiquity of the Internet removes much of the value from the distribution function, as consumers now have access to dozens of suppliers and their huge catalogues from their homes. As books have enabled consumer adoption of the Internet, will the influence of the Internet help the book industry to embrace digital technology in the shape of the e-book electronic book format? Has online serialisation - as in the case of Stephen King for example - given rise to a new age of digital publishing? Is Internet usage really a factor beyond booksellers' control? As the value shifts from distribution to content in all aspects of business, brand loyalty is being built on customer service and security of purchase. With a lack of brands at retailer level in the book industry, is the present a time of major re-marketing potential for the industry?

Has the Internet made the book industry a higher priority for consumers' disposable income?

How far can technology lead the industry - will books eventually be printed individually on demand?

Would the consumer rather buy direct from the publisher, or even the author?

This report gives an in-depth analysis of online book retailing in the UK, with particular emphasis on the consumer. Original research has been conducted among Internet users that covers book buying activity, site visiting as well as attitudes towards online book buying. Looking at issues of security, piracy and rights issues that other digital businesses are already dealing with, Book e-tailing assesses the cost and success of promotion and infrastructure development, and forecasts anticipated market share up to 2004.