Stores seek new roles as computer age poses fresh challenges

Wang Yue, manager of The Tintin Shop Shanghai, led a group of readers to "revisit" the Belgian cartoon character's adventures in the city by introducing them to the comic book The Adventures of Tintin on June 23.

At the Jic Bookstore in Shanghai, the readers were shown a documentary and attended a lecture as part of events organized by the store under the theme "Visiting Shanghai".

Faced with a challenge from online retailers, bookstores in China are looking for new roles.

In April, the Jic Bookstore opened its seventh branch, in Beijing's central business district, with a total area of 2,000 square meters. Some 60 percent of the space is occupied by bookshelves, and there is a 200-sq-m coffee area and a space for hosting events.

Zhang Quan, Jic Bookstore deputy general manager, said, "Unlike traditional bookstores, we are like a cultural space and we are also selling cultural and creative products.

"As for selection, our chain focuses more on biography than other categories. Even though biography is a small category, we think it can inspire people.

"Biography usually comprises 5 percent of a bookstore's stock, but at Jic Bookstore this figure has doubled, and includes biographies of writers, artists, historians and businesspeople."

Jic Bookstore has some themed collections to enable readers to find different books on the same topic. "Our team has a book selection meeting each month, and every staff member can recommend good books that they think are suitable for our readers," Zhang said.

Offline events are another key part of Zhang's work, as Jic Bookstore hosts localized cultural activities at each branch, aiming to provide more interaction with readers.

"For example, in Shanghai, we invite professors to speak about the folk customs and history of the old city. It's not always about promoting books, but to add a cultural atmosphere to the bookstore. We are also building up a social circle for our readers with the same interests," Zhang said.

Dai Ligen, 52, joins the event hosted by the Jic Bookstore in Shanghai each week. "The professors at the event will recommend some books for the audience, usually on biography, philosophy or psychology, which happens to be type of books that I want to read," Dai said.

While modern bookstore chains are busy examining how they can increase their engagement with readers, smaller, independent stores are taking on the role of book selectors for their customers.

Qing Song, owner of the discount Douban bookstore, which occupies just 68 sq m in Beijing, stocks books he thinks are important for readers, regardless of whether they are popular or not.

In 2009, Qing once stocked more than 2,000 copies of Key Economic Areas in Chinese History by historian Ji Chaoding. The books finally sold out only recently.

"That book is a very important work on the economic history of China, even though it was published a long time ago," said Qing, who likes to stock old books he thinks are worth reading.

Opened in 2006, Qing's bookstore was popular for the first two years, and he even launched two more branches. However, online bookselling had an impact on his business, and now only the original store remains open.

He recalls that in 2010, when online retailer JD launched the first of its annual sales in June, even his own employees ordered William L Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany from JD, which was offered at a 50 percent discount.

Now, Qing also sells his books on WeChat, recommending several each day on WeChat Moments.

"It helps, as this way of selling can now cover half of our rent for the bookstore. It can also take the books I select to readers across China," Qing said.