Bowker, a book market research firm, announced today, October 12, at the Frankfurt Book Fair, that it was launching a massive, international study of e-book adoption and consumption habits.
The study will begin in January 2012 and repeat annually, allowing comparisons between e-book markets in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South America, all of which are experiencing different growth patterns.
“Being able to track the growth rates of e-books on a global level as countries make the shift to digital books is significant,” said Kelly Gallagher, vice-president of publishing services for Bowker, in a press release. “This landmark effort will provide the international publishing industry with key metrics in understanding digital opportunities as they emerge.”
According to the press release, the project will map e-book use around the world, creating a benchmark for subsequent studies. The research will target the U.K., U.S., Germany, France, Spain, India, Australia, Brazil, South Korea and Japan. Consumers will be surveyed on their purchases of digital content versus traditional formats in multiple settings and contexts. The study will also explore the use and ownership of devices.
The project will include international publishing industry participants, who will collaborate on the creation of the survey and interpretation of the results. The participants includes A.T. Kearney, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), Pearson and Tata Consultancy Services.
Bowker and BML Bowker (in the U.K.) will release an executive summary and white paper of findings in March 2012.
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