Readers increasingly prefer to shop for books online
KUALA LUMPUR: Family plays a crucial role in instilling the reading habit among the young.
A book enthusiast, who wished to be known only as Azizah, said she picked up reading as a child by observing her mother, who loved to read English novels.
“For book lovers, the habit doesn’t really go away, even if the number of books read every month or year may be greatly reduced due to cost and lifestyle change.
“I, for one, have not been to a book shop in a while. Instead, I would look for books by my favourite authors at online stores as it is more convenient to have them delivered to my doorstep,” she said, saying that she last bought a novel last year.
She said some bookshops stood the test of time for their innovative solutions by leveraging online platforms to offer more services and interesting merchandise for customers.
“Instead of wallowing in uncertainty, we should find ways to encourage people to read, regardless of the medium,” she said.
For Shreya Menon Krisnan, nothing beats the joy of holding a book to read.
The 25-year-old content writer is an avid reader and has recently developed an interest in business-related books.
However, Shreya admitted that she prefered to purchase books online, especially after the Covid19 pandemic.
“Prior to the pandemic, I used to visit bookshops and browse through their collections, shelf to shelf, before buying books.
“The last time I bought a book physically was at the Big Bad Wolf book fair in 2019. Now, I prefer to search and buy books online.
“In fact, I believe it’s high time that bookstores went digital. As a writer working in digital marketing, I strongly feel bookshops would greatly benefit by taking their business to digital platforms, especially social media,” she said.
A Universiti Malaya research conducted last year found that “more and more people are using the web and wireless services to satisfy their information needs”, which may have affected the reading habit and attitude towards printed materials.
The study suggested that policymakers come up with innovative solutions to encourage students to continue reading after completing their studies through lifelong learning initiatives.