The trend of shopping online over the last decade has continued to see strong gains, with global online sales growing at an annual rate of 17% by some accounts and much higher for the Asia-Pacific market. Total online spending is expected to reach $3.5 trillion worldwide by 2019, or about 12.5% of total retail sales, according to some estimates.
When I look at my own purchasing habits and those of my family, I can certainly see why the growth has been strong over the recent years and why it will continue for some time into the future. Often times I find myself looking for that one specific item; perhaps it’s a part for the faucet I need to fix or some snorkel gear for a Caribbean vacation, or a unique light fixture for a home renovation project. My wife, on the other hand, enjoys the selection and ease of shopping right from our own home. For her, time is very important as she manages a busy household, and the ability to not always have to visit the store is invaluable to her. Not to mention, she loves being able to order several sizes with the convenience of returning the ones that don’t fit!
Over the past few years and particularly the last year, we have seen an increase in the volume of sales through our website, www.bookdepot.com, as more and more of our customers realize the benefit and convenience of shopping online for bargain books. Below, we’ll explore a few of the advantages together.
It’s often said that in order to find the best books, you have to visit our warehouse. Although we would certainly encourage all our customers to do so regularly to spend time in our showroom and see the beauty of the Niagara Region, the fallacy of this thinking is unless you are physically searching through our warehouse every day, you can never see the full breadth of what we have to offer. Each day we are adding hundreds of new titles to our inventory and the easiest way to keep track of them is by viewing our new arrivals online. You can sort the new arrivals by date, price, quantity, and a host of other filters. Those of you who actively shop this section know that the great titles go very quickly. Here’s an insider tip: we upload all our new releases at 8:45 PM EST, so make sure you’re ready to fill your cart and check out quickly in order to get what you want.
Shopping at our warehouse can be overwhelming and time consuming, but with shopping online you can use our powerful search engine to narrow down and search for exactly what you are looking for, which can save you valuable time. Obviously the convenience of shopping online is a huge factor; not only is it easy, it’s cost effective as well since your travel costs will be non-existent. You can even shop for bargain books in your PJs while enjoying your morning coffee!
A large factor in the overall rise in online sales has to do with the growth of mobile networks and the use of tablets and smartphones for shopping. With the advancement of technology and the increase in screen sizes, it’s easier than ever to place orders online while on the go. At Book Depot we’ve also made shopping online even more straightforward; just over two years ago we completely redid our website, which now features a fully responsive design that adjusts to the device you are using. Now, regardless of whether you are shopping on your mobile, tablet, or PC, you will be able to experience the same great features. With the site relaunch we are seeing an increase in orders being placed from something other than their PC. Here’s another insider tip about shopping our website: consider adding titles to your cart throughout the day from your mobile or tablet when you have a few spare minutes, or as you think about some product you need to fill holes in your store, then at the end of the day take some time to review your cart, add some more titles, and check out. Keep in mind that orders are not confirmed until submitted so it is possible some titles will be sold out by the time you check out.
In addition to some of the benefits outlined above, our website has many other helpful features, such as our Wishlist and Favorites tools. You can use your Wishlist to create a list of the books you are looking for that we don’t have in stock. If we receive a book on your list, you will be notified by email, at which point you can add it directly into your cart. The Favorites section is a great place for keeping track of in-stock books that you want to purchase at a later time. Through the website you can also review your previous orders and check on the status of recently-placed orders. Click here for more information on how to get the most out of Book Depot’s website.
We encourage you to send us your feedback on your experience shopping online for bargain books. You have our commitment that we will always seek out new ways to better your shopping experience by consistently improving our platform and offering the largest selection of bargain books anywhere on the internet.
