The Bookworm's Hangout

With the publishing market expected to grow by 19.2 billion dollars during the period 2021 – 2026 and TikTok announcing their own ‘Book Club’ we delve into the bibliophile’s dream - the world of books - to show how this category is one which has huge innovation and opportunity.

TikTok, especially are never ones to miss a trick and with 65 billion views, #BookTok has seen an exponential rise as book lovers eagerly share their love of reading with friends and followers.

The platform itself has launched its own official TikTok Book Club and has selected five #BookTok Laureates who will guide readers through a new book every month, starting with a Jane Austen classic. At the end of each month, the laureates will host a joint TikTok live session to discuss the book.

A dedicated book lover’s hub within the app will help readers find the month’s title and share their own thoughts and reviews.

But it isn’t just the online space where books are taking over – the retail world in this space provides a smorgasbord of innovation and inspiration.

So, what are you waiting for reader? Grab yourself a book, get comfy and immerse yourself in the magical world of bookshop retail.

Wutopia Lab

This store is the perfect spot to settle down with a book – the space features quiet reading corners with seating and potted plants dotted around a series of interconnected rooms, each designed slightly differently.

An overlapping white quartz stone panel structure at the entrance of the store (which also doubles as a bookshelf) and a triangular room with a circular window, inspired by traditional Chinese gardens.

 

 Yangzhou Zhongshuge Bookstore

This showstopping 49,000 sq ft bookstore houses a cinema, café, reading hall and events space all under one roof.

The surreal, low-lit space features floor-to-ceiling pyramidal bookshelves repeated infinitely in a mirrored ceiling, plus a spectacular, 10m-high arched hallway leading shopper from the shop floor to the cinema.

 

& finally...Common Reader

This bookstore and café exude the nostalgic ambience of traditional libraries. Books are nestled on dark cherry shelves and tables recessed to present each like an exquisite specimen, while green velvet curtains, sunken reading nooks and antique style reading lamps wrap the space in quietude.

 

We often speak of experiential as being key to driving footfall into store, and when it comes to creating almost fictional style experiential worlds – the book sector is a step ahead of the rest.

Take inspiration from the flexibility of space, use of art and use of colour and fabric to create atmosphere for customers to dwell and unwind.