After 2 Years of the Pandemic, Annual Readers of 100 Books Have Greatly Increased

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] Although the national reading rate continues to decline, the number of readers who purchased more than 100 books at Kyobo Bookstore has been increasing every year. In particular, the number grew by 17.9% in 2020, a year when the world faced difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased by 9.5% in 2021 compared to 2020.

The number of books purchased by these readers increased at a greater rate than the increase in the number of readers. The average number of books purchased per reader who bought more than 100 books rose by 21.8% in 2019, 19.8% in 2020, and 16.1% in 2021 compared to the previous year, indicating that avid readers are buying even more books. The number of purchase days through online and offline channels also increased from 55 times in 2019 to 59 times in 2020 and 65 times in 2021, showing that since 2019, these readers have visited and purchased books more than once a week.

Since book purchases are inherently linked to reading, it is reasonable to consider this as an indicator of reading rates. Even if books are often purchased by families, the increase in readers who buy 100 books a year, or about two books a week, is an encouraging trend.

Examining the characteristics of readers who purchase more than 100 books a year, there is little difference in gender compared to all purchasing readers, but the age group tends to be somewhat older. Among all purchasing readers, those in their 20s accounted for the largest share at 29%, followed by those in their 30s at 26.1%, and 40s at 23.8%. However, among readers who purchased more than 100 books, those in their 40s made up 39.7%, 30s 25.5%, and 50s 17.2%.

The main genres of books they purchase include self-development, humanities, novels, economics and management, study guides, and children’s books. Especially during the two years since the start of COVID-19, purchases in categories such as infants, children, adolescents, and children’s study guides have significantly increased. This is likely because many readers who buy over 100 books are family units and purchase books for their children.

Following the trend of increased purchases by those who know the joy of reading, the proportion of premium members compared to all Kyobo Bookstore members has also been rising annually. Kyobo Bookstore’s premium members are customers who visit at least once a day on average per month and purchase more than 300,000 KRW annually. As of 2021, they account for 6.3% of all Kyobo Bookstore purchasing members, roughly one in every 15 members.

The top-tier premium members, called ‘Prestige’ members (who purchase more than 2 million KRW annually), purchase an average of 351 books per person per year, making them voracious readers who read almost one book a day. Prestige members at Kyobo Bookstore can access the exclusive Prestige Lounge, an online and mobile members-only space, and receive a welcome gift that includes a picture book for adults and merchandise.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.