We’re seeing the impact of the coronavirus outbreak ripple throughout many different types of businesses across the world – where some are having a hard time staying afloat as they rely on the foot traffic of tourism and visitors, and others struggle as event closures force them to adjust periods of time where they would see increased numbers of business – we’re also seeing others manage to thrive and perform extremely well given the circumstances. Some of the more successful ones are the usual suspects – digital media is a huge part of our lives as we are more than ever connected with our mobile devices, whether you’re looking to play at a casino not blocked by Gamstop, or some of the bigger strategy games that are being advertised everywhere right now, but also if you’re looking for somewhere to watch movies or videos – you have an ever growing library of options.
An industry that many may not have thought of as one that would look strong during the crisis however – book sales. As many are asked to stay in an effort to reduce the spread, many are finding ways to distract themselves without the use of their mobile devices and laptops, and as a result we’ve seen an increase of fiction book sales within the UK rise by over 33%. The increase in book sales has also seen an increase in puzzle books, handicrafts and true crime novels also.
As schools have seen closure and children have had to also remain at home, many parents are having to find ways of home-schooling – children’s education books have seen an increase in sales by 234% since lockdowns went into effect in early March.
Now this primary increase may be solely focused within the e-book industry as brick and mortar stores remain closed – and many may be asking what this means going forward. Physical book stores had started to see some recovery through the last couple of years after falling on hard times and many finding closure – but after a change in attitude toward e-books and toward the more traditional paperback, to now having to go through another struggle so soon. With the efforts to keep people indoors seeming to be extended for longer periods of time as numbers grow and concerns grow alongside, it’s likely that we’ll see sales numbers continue to increase alongside them, but can the market remain strong when we return to some normalcy?
The good signs will likely continue for our video media however – Netflix has continued to remain strong throughout as they provide entertainment for the masses, and Disney+ seemingly had a perfectly timed release as it came as the lockdown begun, giving many an option for something new with a huge library to capture nostalgia – many will remain thankful however that our technology and innovations allow us a way to escape from the everyday bleak news around us, and disappear in to a long story to captivate the imagination of millions, and to engage the minds of those stuck at home.