Buying a book once involved flipping through the pages and smelling the aroma of print and paper. With e-books, things have changed. And now with CU Virtual Bookstore, purchasing books has become even more convenient.
CU Virtual Bookstore is, as the name suggests, an extension of Chulalongkorn University Book Centre. The electronic "bookstore" is a 46-inch multi-touch screen installed now at the physical branches of the centre, but will soon become available in public places, such as BTS stations. Right now, over 300,000 titles are available.
Using the large screen, readers can search for the book title they want, and order then pay for it at the same time.
The virtual bookstore supports paper and e-books, said Kriengsak Hunsawek, deputy manager of CU Book Centre.
Once readers search for the book title on the screen, it will show the book cover and description of both the paper book and the e-book.
If you want to make a purchase, you can do it via the CU-eBook Store mobile app or by QR-code scanning. For e-books, the display will show the QR code so customers can scan it and complete the transaction. The e-book will then be transferred to their handsets.
In the case of paper books, after the customers fill in their email address or telephone number, the call centre will contact them for a delivery address.
Initially, the CU Virtual Bookstore will be installed at 10 branches of CU Book Centre and its network in Bangkok and upcountry, including in Phitsanulok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Naresuan University and Burapha University.
"In the future, people will see the CU Virtual Bookstore existing at public places such as Bangkok skytrain stations and department stores," said Kriengsak, who added that this helps encourage people to read more.
In the virtual bookstore, some 200 e-books are available for readers to download free of charge to both smartphones and tablets.
CU Book Centre pioneered online bookstores in Thailand in 1997 by offering a complete service including book purchasing, payment and delivery, and has expanded to mobile commerce. Last year, the centre introduced the CU-eBook Store mobile app allowing customers to purchase both paper and e-book versions via smartphones anywhere at anytime. Online sales are relatively small, consisting of about 5% of total sales at CU Book Centre.
Kriengsak said that the CU Virtual Bookstore is another channel encouraging people to read books because many Thai people barely read, and most only read text on social network sites. The lack of bookstores available is another factor, said Kriengsak, and most are located in the primary business locations such as in department stores.
While the bookstore to population ratio in developed countries is approximately 8,000-20,000 people per shop, the ratio in Thailand is far greater at 80,000 people per shop.
