This semester our retail marketing consulting project revolved around the topic of reading and books. Our semester partner, the Main Association of Austrian Book Trade, wanted to check the relevance of book stores for digital natives. After an extensive desk research, an explorative brainstorming and an online survey of 772 participants we were ready to present our insights:

When it comes to reading, traditional values are still important in a digital world. Bricks-and-mortar bookstores remain the most important distribution channel for books. A good selection, the touch and feel of the books at the point of sale, and the expertise of the sales staff are highly valued qualities of a store. Digital services, like QR codes, interactive screens or click & collect, can add to the experience if they are tailored to the needs of the individual target group.

We thank our semester partner for an interesting research question and our students for their motivation and drive. Congratulations on a very successful project!