Sale’s B For Butterfly Books among independent bookshops to share £3 million profit generated by online bookshop

Sale’s B For Butterfly Books is one of the 570 independent bookshops to share in the £3m profit generated since the launch of Bookshop.org, the ethical book-buying alternative to Amazon.

B for Butterfly Books is located inside Emporium M33 © B for Butterfly Books

The news comes as a new survey from the Booksellers Association (BA) sheds new light on the digital footprint of independent bookshops in the UK, which Bookshop.org is set to expand even further over the next few years. The BA and Bookshop.org will be conducting the survey on an annual basis, to report on the development of indie bookshop online sales in the UK.

The survey finds that for independent bookshops in the UK online sales make up a total of seven per cent of their overall revenue, with over half of them (52 per cent) reporting that they are either somewhat or very dissatisfied with their online business, and express aspiration to grow their online sales by over 20 per cent in the next year alone. The survey reports that the main obstacles that stand in the way of the indies doing more online business are lack of time and knowledge.

Since the pandemic, the book industry has seen remarkable growth in online sales – 60 per cent of books are now bought online (source: Nielsen BookData 2023). After generating £3 million for independent booksellers, Bookshop.org’s goal is to increase online sales for the indies by five times by 2028, helping them fulfil their e-commerce potential. 

To achieve this, they are asking customers to support independent bookshops like B For Butterfly Books through online sales – whether the shop’s own e-commerce platform or via Bookshop.org – to bolster the indies’ portion of the online book market.

Michelle Crosby, owner of B For Butterfly Books, said: “With 60 per cent of book sales taking place online, it’s an area we simply can’t afford to ignore! Partnering with Bookshop.org has allowed us to offer a broad selection of books to customers who choose to shop online, whilst focusing on offering a curated selection of books and gifts in-store, as well as an events programme for our local community.”

Independent booksellers are vocal about how their presence on Bookshop.org supported their in-shop efforts, and not merely by bringing in incremental financial revenue. In addition to the commission generated by online sales, their presence on the platform contributed to important new customer streams, gave them access to learning opportunities, and enabled them to invest in their local communities and staff, as well as upgrading their premises and funding special author events.

As part of Bookshop.org’s mission to allow independent bookshops to thrive in the age of e-commerce, last year they secured a partnership with TikTok, as the social media platform grew its role in influencing book-buying trends. Thanks to the partnership with Bookshop.org, independent bookshops have easy access to a way of selling books through their social media, thus reaching an important portion of the online market. 

The next step for the ethically conscious retail website is its expansion into the audio and eBook market. For the first time, independent bookshops in the UK will be able to offer audiobooks and eBooks to their customers, all available on one easy-to-use platform. 

As well as a great user experience, seeing audiobooks, eBooks and physical books all sold on the same platform, Bookshop.org will apply the same business model as their physical book sales, offering independent bookshops a more generous cut than other affiliate-based retailer platforms. UK bookshops will be able to keep the full profit margin of any eBooks or audiobooks they sell, while all other sales will generate 10 per cent for the profit pool.

You can find B for Butterfly Books at Emporium M33, or visit bforbutterflybooks.com.