BISG E-Book Consumer Study & Student eBook Usage

BISG released the next edition of their consumer study yesterday and among the findings they reported:

• Power Buyers are spending more. More than 46% of those who say they acquire e-books at least weekly (considered “Power Buyers” in this survey) report that they have increased their dollars spent for books in all formats, compared with 30.4% of all survey respondents. This statistic is important because Power Buyers have proven to be a bellwether of overall consumer behavior by three to six months. 
• Amazon momentum continues. Amazon.com continues to be the preferred source for e-book acquisition (holding steady at 70%) and e-book information (44%). Barnes & Noble comes in second at 26%, with Apple in third. One to watch: libraries, which are on the upswing as a preferred source for e-book acquisition. 
• Satisfaction with e-reading devices is high. Seventy-five percent (75%) of respondents reported they are satisfied with their e-reading device, including more than 38% of respondents who reported being “very satisfied.” Less than 5% said they felt their e-reading device was not a good value for the money. 
• Many barriers to e-book reading are falling. Survey results indicate that concerns about e-book availability are diminishing. And although the cost of e-reading devices remains a reported concern, the single most popular answer to the question of what hinders respondents from reading more e-books was “nothing” at 33% (up from 17.6% a year ago).

The full press release is located HERE

Interestingly, eBrary (which has the same corporate owner as Bowker the BISG partner) also released some findings from their global student eBook survey last week in advance of the Charleston conference: There findings we summarized in a press release:

Key findings of the survey of more than 6,500 students include the following: 

• E-book usage and awareness have not increased significantly in 2011 over 2008 

• Preference for printed books over electronic books has not changed: Both are still equally 
important 

• The vast majority of students would choose electronic over print if it were available and if better tools along with fewer restrictions were offered

• There is a need for reliable social media tools geared toward research 

“These survey results suggest digital content and services providers need to re-think our approach: Until more electronic content is available simultaneously with print, we cannot lose sight of the value of printed books to end-users, who expect to find the most authoritative information at the point of need. To accomplish this we need better integration and tools to increase the availability and discoverability of all types of information, both electronic and print,” said Kevin Sayar, President and General Manager of ebrary. “We do not take data points from this survey lightly, and we thank the library community for working with us to gather important knowledge that will help shape the future of the information industry.”