Websites for bookshops
Web design for bookshops: £249.99 to build, then £49.99 a month, no minimum term. You cannot out-stock the internet. Events, recommendations and ordering in are the business.
An independent bookshop cannot compete on price or range, and customers know it. What brings them in is curation, events, and a person who knows what they might like.
Ordering in is also a genuinely competitive service that most customers do not realise exists, frequently arriving as fast as an online order.
What your customers want answered
- Can you order a book in, and how quickly
- What events do you have coming up
- What do you recommend
- Do you do book tokens, subscriptions or gift wrapping
- What are your opening hours
Publish the events calendar properlyAuthor visits, book groups, children's story times and signings bring people through the door and are searched for by name. An events page that is current, bookable and easy to find is worth more than any attempt at an online catalogue.
Building a shop nobody will use
A full online store competing with the major retailers is expensive to maintain and rarely used. A simple order-in request form achieves most of the benefit at a fraction of the effort.
Recommendations and events
Staff picks, local authors, book groups and author events give people a reason to choose you over an online giant. Keep a current list of events with dates and how to book, and update recommendations regularly so the site feels alive.
Order and visit
Explain how to order a book you do not have on the shelf and how long it usually takes. Give opening hours, location, accessibility and whether you sell gift cards or book tokens.
Give people a reason to come back
An independent bookshop's edge is people: staff who read, events with authors, and books chosen rather than stocked by algorithm. Put that on the website. A short staff picks list updated each month, a page for upcoming signings, readings and book groups, and a note on children's sections or reading hours turn a one-off visit into a habit.
Say plainly that you can order almost any book in print and how quickly it usually arrives. Many people do not realise a local shop can do this, and it is the easiest way to win sales back from online giants.
Common questions
- What should a bookshop website include?
- Recommendations, events, ordering, opening hours and location.
- Can customers order books through me?
- Yes, and you should say so clearly. Explain how to order, how long it usually takes and how customers are told when the book arrives.
- Should I list events?
- Yes. Author signings, readings and book groups are a big reason people choose an independent bookshop, so keep the list current.
Other sectors we build for
Tell me about your business.
One message is enough to start. I’ll read it and reply myself, usually with a couple of questions and a clear price.
Liam Tapp, Website Builds