Innovation in the Cultural and Creative Industries

2Omnichannel Innovations in the Bookstore Business: The Case of the Libraires Ensemble Group

2.1. Introduction

“Fnac ejected from the top 3 most visited e-commerce sites in the second quarter of 2018”¹. This was the headline presented by the magazine LSA in its article on the latest e-commerce figures released in September 2018 by the Fevad (e-commerce federation and distance selling) and the Médiamétrie barometer. The Fnac-Darty group’s site was overtaken in this ranking by Vente-Privée, which took third place, behind Amazon and Cdiscount.

Beyond this announced underperformance, it is striking to note that among the best audiences, there are sites where books occupy an important place. Amazon made its debut in e-commerce in 1995 in the United States by selling books and has since then continued to develop in this sector with e-books through Kindle and the publication of authors via its dedicated platform. Fnac is obviously not to be outdone, since it was ranked as the leading specialist chain by the magazine Livres Hebdo with book sales of more than €500 million in 2017 generated by its online sales site and its 165 stores. Together, Amazon and Fnac account for nearly 90% of online book sales. What about independent booksellers who position themselves in the book trade primarily through their physical stores?

To avoid losing customers or appearing commercially obsolete compared to other brands, self-employed people are developing their online presence and increasingly connecting ...