As retail textbook prices continue to take a significant bite out of students' and parents' budgets, leading internet book marketplace Biblio.com has seen a substantial increase in students purchasing textbooks online this back-to-school season. This August and September, textbook sales were more than 400% greater than the same period just two years ago.
Asheville, NC (PRWEB) September 20, 2007 -- As retail textbook prices continue to take a significant bite out of students' and parents' budgets, leading internet book marketplace Biblio.com has seen a substantial increase in students purchasing textbooks online this back-to-school season. This August and September, textbook sales were more than 400% greater than the same period just two years ago.
The textbook buying season began a week earlier than typical, and seems to have stayed strong further into September than is typically seen. "This indicates a trend towards the popularization of buying textbooks online, as students increasingly incorporate online textbook shopping in their back-to-school preparations, rather than making an ad-hoc purchase because someone mentions something to them on the first day of classes," says CEO Brendan Sherar.
Biblio.com conducted a shopper survey throughout the back-to-school season, and notes some interesting facts and trends in buying habits and demographics among textbook buyers. Women, for example, represented almost 70% of all textbook buyers, while in terms of ethnicity, nearly 50% of all buyers represented minorities. Parents of college students seem to be taking an increasing role in helping their children shop for and purchase textbooks online.
Not surprisingly, when asked the importance of various factors towards their ultimate purchase decision, 98% of students cited price considerations as important. The reputation of the site they ordered from was considered important to 92% of buyers, with 64% of buyers calling it "very important".
The savings in purchasing textbooks online are not confined to higher education. "Teachers and administrators in the primary and secondary classrooms," notes Allen Singleton, COO of Biblio, Inc, "are increasingly aware of the deep savings available online for textbooks. We've seen a large increase this year in these organizations buying used textbooks to expand their budget for other classroom programs and projects."
About Biblio.com
Biblio.com is one of the world's leading sources for textbooks, used books, and rare books. Established in 2003, Biblio.com has grown to become one of the largest global book marketplaces, with over 50 million books for sale from 5500 bookstores and booksellers in countries around the world. Biblio.com is wholly owned and operated by Biblio, Inc., a privately held company with a commitment to a triple bottom line, through its work with Biblio Charitable Works, Inc.
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