The books market in India (non-academic) is estimated to be INR2,000 crore (INR20 billion, USD362.98 million), of which around 15 percent is from organised retailers. Key leading organised retail chains include Crossword, Odyssey, Reliance Time out, Landmark, Om Book Shop etc. More than 75 percent stores of these large chains are in top eight cities. Besides this online channel is also significant with players like Flipkart, Indiaplaza, Infibeam etc.
Books are among the first categories to get impacted by the online channel since this category has high product standardisation, low ticket value and low risk associated with product damage/ obsolescence. The price advantage offered by online retailers makes this a lucrative category for online shoppers. This is already visible globally, and similarly in India, the books category has seen the emergence of many online retailers, which has affected traditional booksellers’ sales with several of them estimated to have seen decline in their sales.
(Source: Business Standard)