Brick-and-Mortar Booksellers Gained Shopper Traffic in First
Three Months of 2013. Placed Insights, a Seattle-based ratings service for
consumer behavior, has released its findings for consumer traffic patterns in
the first quarter 2013 and the results may come as somewhat of a surprise. In spite of the intense competition from digital book
sellers, bricks-and-mortar bookstores were among the top gaining categories in
shopper traffic in the first three months of the year, behind financial
planning shops and bars. Bookstores as a group experienced a 27 percent
increase in shopper visits during the period and moved up six spots in Placed
Insights’ ranking, to number 46. Barnes & Noble in particular moved up eight spots on the
list of the most visited stores in the U.S., to number 17.
