E-Readers

by | Sep 10, 2019

E-Readers

62.8% of respondents have never owned an e-reader (e.g., Kindle, Nook), representing the fourth largest untapped market of any of the 16 devices studied in a Researchscape study of 1,000 consumers.

Purchase Interest

32% of respondents were “very interested” or “extremely interested” in purchasing an e-reader. People interested in e-readers are most likely to also be interested in digital photo frames (0.292 correlation), digital cameras with video (0.280 correlation) and—surprisingly, given that the two devices would seem to be competitive—tablet computers (0.225 correlation).

E-readers are a category that benefits a bit from device substitution: 2.7% of respondents would replace a broken device from a different category (such as a portable DVD player or a handheld game console) with an e-reader.

18.7% of respondents without an e-reader said it was the device they didn’t own that they were most interested in purchasing. Of all respondents, 12.5% identified e-readers as the device they were most interested in purchasing, for the second highest interest level of the 16 devices studied. Reasons for interest include convenience, reading a lot, saving space over physical books and that digital books are cheaper.

  • Convenience (mentioned by 24 respondents):
    • “I think it would be more convenient to download and read books while I’m waiting for things (such as waiting at an appointment). It would be lightweight, so easy to read in the park or in bed. I’m just waiting for prices to come down.”
    • “I have a large library of books and am frequently acquiring more, and it would be extremely convenient to have access to my books when traveling.”
    • “Convenient way to transport and hold a lot of books at once.”
  • Saves space over physical books (mentioned by 12 respondents):
    • “It just seems like a space saving benefit in my apartment, and easy to always have a book available.”
    • “Being able to download e-books. Running into space issues with all of my read books and comics.”
    • “So I can own a ton of books without dedicating space to them.”
    • “I’ve moved to a smaller apartment and don’t have room for a physical book collection.”
  • Read a lot (mentioned by 11 respondents):
    • “I like to read a lot.”
    • “I read a lot and would like to see what reading on a Kindle is like.”
  • Digital books are cheaper (mentioned by 10 respondents):
    • “I do a lot of reading and I think that this would save money over time.”
    • “I’d like to be able to read new releases for less money than purchasing a physical copy of the book, plus it’d be nice to not waste paper.”
    • “I love reading but books are expensive. I am a fast reader.”
  • Portable (mentioned by 9 respondents):
    • “I really want to buy an e-reader as they are quite useful and portable.”
    • “Portability and a wide array of capabilities.”
    • “I need a portable device for reading books.”
  • Want to read more (mentioned by 8 respondents):
    • “I think it would make me read more often.”
    • “Because there are more and more books I am interested in reading.”
    • “I am interested in an e-reader so that I can read more and download reading material easily. I like to read and I think that this device would enrich my reading experiences.”
  • Great for my commute (mentioned by 7 respondents):
    • “I have a long commute and would like to be able to bring lots of books / long books with me. Also, it would be easier to check out series with long wait times from the library.”
    • “I read a lot and also travel. I think it’ll be convenient when I’m on my train rides to carry a slim tablet to read. Instead of a clunky book.”
    • “I could really use this because I commute to work by train and bus, and I’d like to be able to read in the morning and evenings.”
  • Lighter than real books (mentioned by 7 respondents):
    • “I love reading, but hate lugging around books.”
    • “I am interested in this device because I don’t like carrying around books. They are heavy and inconvenient to lug around.”
    • “I hate having to hold a heavy book.”
  • Like to read (mentioned by 7 respondents):
    • “I love to read and think I might like having one.”
    • “I like to read and it would make it easier.”
    • “I am interested in an e-reader so that I can read more and download reading material easily. I like to read, and I think that this device would enrich my reading experiences.”
  • No need to go to a store (mentioned by 7 respondents):
    • “It would make getting books a lot easier, better variety and not needing a place to keep them.”
    • “I am an avid reader, and it’s so much more convenient to have them readily available to download when I want than having to go to the store and find a book! Saves space too! Also, I just really like technology and am itching to get one.”
    • “I love reading but books are expensive. I am a fast reader and would like more variety without having to go to a bookstore.”
  • For textbooks (mentioned by 6 respondents):
    • “Carrying a lot of books is cumbersome at college, and an e-reader would allow me to bring pleasure reading and textbooks around much easier.”
    • “Makes reading portable/light and I can put textbooks on it. I can also search the text for school.”
  • To read in bed (mentioned by 5 respondents):
    • “I could read them in bed much more easily than a regular book.”
    • “Could use one, reading books on a computer isn’t as comfortable as in bed.”
    • “I have been looking to get a Kindle Fire. I read at night and it would be nice to read without keeping the light on.”
  • Easier on the eyes than other devices (mentioned by 4 respondents):
    • “Because it’s easier on the eyes than a tablet.”
    • “Because I like to read, but regular screens hurt my eyes after a while.”
    • “Would love to use a Kindle to read content, mainly because of the e ink screen the Kindle has, unlike the iPad which can hurt my eyes after a few hours of reading.”
    • “Reading on a laptop or desktop is simply not an option due to the light conditions. An e-reader that had good light contrast would likely get me to start reading again.”
  • Better than reading on a cellphone (mentioned by 3 respondents):
    • “I read books on my phone and feel I would get a lot of use out of a Kindle.”
    • “It is a lot easier than carrying around a big book when I am going somewhere where I will be able to read. I would also like one with Internet access because the screen is bigger than my iPod or phone.”
    • “It makes reading books much simpler than the app on the iPhone.”
  • For a gift (mentioned by 3 respondents):
    • “My girlfriend likes to read a lot.”
    • “This would be a gift for my wife for her birthday. I don’t let her use my iPad.”
    • “I’m shopping around for my sister who I think would love a Kindle.”
  • No need to go to the library (mentioned by 3 respondents):
    • “I would like to read books on it because it is easier than going to the library to get books.”
    • “I need to read more, and I can’t get a library card.”
  • Surf the Internet (mentioned by 3 respondents):
    • “It can surf the Internet like a laptop.”
    • “So I can read more books. The Kindle seems like a pretty good device for books and other things like accessing the Internet.”
  • Current model is outdated (mentioned by 2 respondents):
    • “I would love to have the Kindle Fire. I currently have an older model.”
    • “I’d like to upgrade my Kindle to a Kindle Fire.”
  • Have all my books in one place (mentioned by 2 respondents):
    • “I like to have all literature in one place.”
    • “I would like to have all my favorite books on one small device, which I could read anywhere.”
  • Other noteworthy comments:
    • “It’s a faster way to get books then by mail, and although I’m somewhat reluctant to give up holding ‘real’ books, I think it would be a positive change for the environment and something I would eventually get used to.”
    • “It seems like more and more authors that I like to read are publishing e-book only formats or e-book novellas.”

Regarding mind share, 15 respondents mentioned Amazon Kindles – only two respondents mentioned Barnes & Noble Nooks.

Current Ownership

33.4% of respondents currently own an e-reader, the 7th lowest ownership rate of the 16 devices studied.

8.9% no longer use the device, giving it the 12th highest rate of lapsed usage (compared to an average of 16.3%). Conversely, e-books had the 7th highest rate of frequent use: 65.9% of owners reported using their e-reader frequently.

In a separate survey of 400 consumers, we asked respondents a hypothetical question: which devices would they purchase if they had lost all of their devices in a robbery and new purchases were covered by insurance? 55.7% of current owners were “very interested” or “extremely interested” in repurchasing an e-reader, the 7th highest interest level in repurchasing.

E-readers are the 5th most valued of devices: 8% of owners said it was the device that they were least interested in replacing if it broke.

Past Ownership

3.8% of respondents have owned an e-reader in the past but no longer do so, the 3rd lowest rate of past ownership. This represents 10.2% of the group of current and former owners.

See Also