E-textbook study in the UK finds that bundling print and digital increases textbook sales

Recently, John Smith & Son, an academic and professional bookseller in the UK, conducted an e-textbook study with multiple sales models for e-textbooks including: bundling print and digital, discounted e-textbooks, point of sale add-on, and full-price e-textbooks. According to an article from Book Business, the results showed that bundling e-textbooks with the print version was the most successful model and sales increased by 25 percent. Additionally, when digital textbooks were available, used textbook sales decreased considerably with some sales decreasing as much as 68 percent. John Smith & Son anticipates that their e-textbook program will continue to grow as publishers recognize the opportunity to drive revenue growth with digital content. Already, the company has increased their e-textbook sales over 20 times last year’s units.