Bookshop.org enables independent bookstores to sell e-books
Launched in January 2020, Bookshop.org says it has raised more than $35 million for independent bookstores in the U.S. alone. As a certified B Corp, Bookshop.org allocates more than 80% of its profit margin to over 2,200 independent bookstores in the U.S.
"Many of our customers use e-books for their accessibility, especially for folks with low vision," said Cierra Cook, owner of Spoke & Word Books. "Having an alternative to Amazon is groundbreaking."
Bookshop.org is providing independent bookstores this new digital capability as an analysis of holiday shopper behavior from Nov. 24 to Dec. 28 from AI-based insights platform Pass_by indicates that brick-and-mortar bookstores are making something of a comeback.
Bookstores were the top retail category during that period by spend (up 13.29%), with overall data showing holiday shoppers spending more during fewer visits to stores.
However, San Leandro, Calif.-based Books Inc., which operates 11 stores in the Bay Area and an e-commerce site, recently filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.
[READ MORE: Bay Area book retailer Books Inc. files for Chapter 11; closing store]
Bookshop.org is a certified B Corp, carbon-neutral, mission-based business.