High-level Findings on Children’s Market Trends from the Bowker® Market Research Ongoing Bi-annual Study Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer in the Digital Age by Kristen McLean, Project Editor, and founder & CEO of Bookigee, Inc.
For more information on the study, sponsorship, methodology, or to purchase a report, please e-mail MarketResearch@bowker.com.
The children’s market is very stable compared to other segments—changes are incremental, not exponential. When we first started this study, we had no idea how quickly forces such as the shift to digital, the rise of social media, and ereading devices would change the landscape of the children’s market.
After two years of data, we can now say with some certainty that the core drivers of choice in the kid's market—recommendations by trusted sources of local information, the high perceived value of books against other kinds of media, parental emphasis on the quality of product, and the important role bookstores and libraries play in discovery across all categories—have remained remarkably consistent.
The exception to this has been the increasing rate of adoption (in all age groups) of devices such as e-readers, smartphones, and tablets—particularly Apple products—in these households.
However ebook & -reader adoption rates, even in the YA segment, are still well below the highest segments of the adult market. We believe print and digital will live side-by-side for the foreseeable future in the children’s market, and that quality of content and familiarity with series/author will still be incredibly important, at least among committed children’s book consumers.
Bottom line: The drivers of choice and influence remain the same, even if how the book content is being consumed is shifting and diversifying. Marketing and audience development efforts should be focused on “reach,” rather than a shift in core messaging.
High-level Findings on Children’s Market Trends from the Bowker® Market Research Ongoing Bi-annual Study Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer in the Digital Age by Kristen McLean, Project Editor, and founder & CEO of Bookigee, Inc.
For more information on the study, sponsorship, methodology, or to purchase a report, please e-mail MarketResearch@bowker.com.
Children’s market trends
The children’s market is very stable compared to other segments—changes are incremental, not exponential. When we first started this study, we had no idea how quickly forces such as the shift to digital, the rise of social media, and ereading devices would change the landscape of the children’s market.
After two years of data, we can now say with some certainty that the core drivers of choice in the kid's market—recommendations by trusted sources of local information, the high perceived value of books against other kinds of media, parental emphasis on the quality of product, and the important role bookstores and libraries play in discovery across all categories—have remained remarkably consistent.
The exception to this has been the increasing rate of adoption (in all age groups) of devices such as e-readers, smartphones, and tablets—particularly Apple products—in these households.
However ebook & -reader adoption rates, even in the YA segment, are still well below the highest segments of the adult market. We believe print and digital will live side-by-side for the foreseeable future in the children’s market, and that quality of content and familiarity with series/author will still be incredibly important, at least among committed children’s book consumers.
