Research Survey On Online Books

ctioncommon occurrence among online users with a large
There is considerable evidence to show that epercentage of them focusing their energy and
commerce is the face of the future for numerousattention on the issues that derail them from the
businesses around the world. Consequently, Purpleactual product. (Gray, 2007)Additionally, these online
book stores are preparing to share in the successbooks create an atmosphere in which young people
and benefits that come with online selling. A companyprefer reading unedited information rather that the
such as has paved the way for online book sellingintricately edited published material that comes in the
thus illustrating that online selling provides a lucrativeform of online books.
source of competitive advantage in the industry.16) What concerns you the most about the usability
(Gray, 2007)of online bookskThey are difficult to format k They
The major problem that the research intends tocannot be transportedk It takes too long to
tackle is assessment of the feasibility of online bookdownload kThe available formats are incompatible
selling. Online book selling is an issue that has recentlywith my PC k None of the above
been considered by some book stores. Therefore,There have been a number of complaints about the
the dynamics of this industry are not fullycurrent version of online books that could be
understood. It would be prudent to conductaffecting buying behavior. Most users assert that a
consumer research in order to determine how thisnumber of books are available in the DRM format yet
relatively new industry works so as to enter into thethe books are meant to be used in web version 2.0.
business.This makes it extremely difficult to use the
The research objectives are as followscommodity and consequently, discourages buyers
1) To investigate the size of demand for onlinefrom purchasing the items. Additionally, other
booksconsumers feel that when online books have certain
2) To assess the potential of online businessfeatures such as equations, it may be difficult to
3) To assess the behavior patterns of onlinemagnify (zoom) them or it may be difficult to allow
shoppersusers to view them properly.
The first research objective is to investigate the sizeConsequently, most of them may get discouraged
of demand for online books. This is essential in solvingand go for printed alternatives. In other scenarios,
the research problem because it will determinereaders may want to do some reading in
whether people are actually buying the books and willunconventional places and this so not possible with
therefore determine the overall success of theonline versions of books which rely on availability of a
venture as soon as it commences. The secondcomputer. (Gray, 2007) Consequently, readers looking
research objective is to assess the potential of onlinefor flexibility may be promoted to use another form
business. Since e-commerce is emerging as a majorof a book. All the multiple choices will reflect the
possibility in business, it is essential to ascertainbuying behavior of the consumer and will therefore
whether there are any possibilities for the future ofcontribute towards answering research objective
this business approach. The last research objective isthree (determining behavior patterns of online
to assess the behavior patterns of online shoppers.shoppers)
This is essential to Purple book stores because the17) What features do you like most in online
company can then use the information to map outbookskThey allow formattingk They provide
their distributional, promotional and product designopportunities to interact kOne can search for
strategies.information using search words kone places the book
The research will cover a number of issues some ofin wider academic context kone can determine which
which will be severely constrained by the budget.other readers are accessing the book at any one
First of all, resources will be used in analyzing whattimek None of the above
the potential participants for the survey will be.It is essential to determine the kind of features that
Resources will go into creating questionnaires for alldraw consumers into the online book industry
the participants yet the sample size will be quite large.because through that, then one can assess buyer
Additionally, much attention has to be placed in thebehavior. (research objective three)This will be
distribution of the questionnaires and this will involveessential in mapping out promotional or marketing
transportation, incentives and communicationstrategies for purple book once they go online. The
between the respondents and the researcher. Thecompany will be able to take advantage of the
process of analysis will employ the use of certainknowledge obtained from the research to meet the
software that will need to be accounted for in theprecise needs of their consumers.
budget. The issue of time will also need to be18) What type of books do you read online?kScience
included in the survey owing to the fact that a largefiction kRomance novels kMotivational books k
number of respondents need to be reached and thePrescribed school texts kBiographies kScientific books
questionnaire is quite long; this will affect the nature(genetics, zoology, industrial chemistry etc) kBooks
of questionnaire used.on the arts (law, social sciences, political sciences) k
Questionnaire developmentNone
As it has been stated earlier, the purpose of theThe latter question is essential in assessing buying
questionnaire is to assess the demand for onlinebehavior for online books. This will be instrumental in
books, the potential for online business and thethe research because it will answer research
behavioral patterns for online book purchasers. Theseobjective three and will consequently provide Purple
research objectives will be addressed through a totalbook store with detailed knowledge about the kind
of twenty questions. The latter questions will beof books they need to stock once they choose to
tailored towards achieving the research objectives.go online. (Gray, 2007)
Consequently, each will be related to the research19) Would you read for fun online?kYes k No k Not
objectives.sure
Size of demand for online booksCertain reports indicate that the reading culture has
1) Have you ever read an online book?kYes kNochanged dramatically after the technological era.
kNot sureThese reports assert that the reading culture has
While a large number of respondents may bebeen affected because now young people can
exposed to the internet, some of them use it toactually consider reading a fun activity. This question
send emails, chat with friends, view magazines andwill be essential in determining what the major
interactive forums. (Gray, 2007)influences are in the online book selling business. In
Consequently, it is essential to find out whetherother words, they will be essential in ascertaining
people actually read online books in light of all thesewhether people actually read books because of the
other alternatives because the answers to thissame reasons. This will go a long way in
question will be a direct response to the firstunderstanding buying behavior thus achieving research
research objective which is to determine the size ofobjective three (assessing behavior patterns of online
demand for online books. If a large percentage ofconsumers)
participants respond in the affirmative, then it will20) Do you think online books offer flexibility as a
imply that there is a large demand for thedesirable trait?kYes k No k Not sure
commodity and that Purple book stores can proceedThis question will provide an avenue to assessing
with the venture.what the potential reasons for purchasing online
2) How often do you read an online book?kdailybooks are for the respective clients. This will reflect
kweekly k monthly k annually k after more than oneupon their buying behavior and will therefore answer
year k neverresearch objective three. In so doing, purple store will
The frequency with which people read online bookshave a basis for setting up their business.
will also be a direct reflection of the size of demandSampling method
for online books hence a direct method of answeringA sample is a representative group of the population
research objective one. (Gray, 2007)If theto be involved in the research. For this particular
respondents read online books frequently, then theyscenario, a sample is necessary in order to minimize
could be buying the books frequently thus indicatingtime and resource wastage. This would not have
that there is a high demand for the product.been possible if everyone in the target population
3) When was the last time you purchased an onlinewas involved in the actual research.
bookk a week ago ka month ago kthree months agoThe first step in questionnaire sampling is determining
ksix months ago ka year ago kover a year ago kthe goals of the research. These have already been
neverstated in the latter sections of the report. The next
The question will contribute towards researchstep is determining the target population. The target
objective one by determining the precise time thatpopulation may sometimes be referred to as the kind
respondents bought online books. Together withof people who will be involved in the survey.
question two, it will be possible to assess theFor this particular research, the overall objective of
frequency of purchase hence demand.the research is to determine the feasibility of setting
4) Do you dedicate more time to print books thanup an online book selling store. Consequently, it would
online bookskYes k No kNot surebe favorable to involve a target population that
Print books are the most direct form of competitionaccommodates this research objective. However,
for online books. Consequently when respondentsthere are instances in which one may select a sample
purchase more of these, then chances are that theythat is self selective, for instance, if the
are more likely to disregard online books. In otherquestionnaires only considered a target population
words, an assessment of demand for competingmade up of people who have subscribed for
products will go a long way in determining the actuale-books, then the research would be biased. This
demand for the actual product which is an onlinegroup would be self selective and would therefore
book.not be sufficient enough to give valid results.
5) Do you have a favorite online storekYes k NoAdditionally, choosing a target population made up of
kNot surepeople who have membership in real libraries may
This question will assist in determining the size ofalso create bias because such persons are also self
demand for online books owing to the fact thatselective. (Leung, 2001)
consumers with a favorite store will most likely beThis research wants to include both online shoppers
devoted online readers. If a large percentageand non online shoppers. This is because in order to
responds positively to this question, then purple storedetermine the demand for online books, then it would
will have higher chances of selling their commoditiesbe necessary to consider those who have used
online than if they were selling only the tangibleonline purchasing and those who have not.
products in a store.Additionally, the research should include different
6) Would you purchase books from a new onlinetypes of readers in order to obtain a fair
book storekYes k No kNot surerepresentation of both online readers and print
In conjunction with question five, this question willversion readers. In other words, the target population
contribute towards research objective one because itis not a clear cut one. It is difficult to trace persons
reflects the degree of loyalty of online purchasers.who use online purchasing services, online books, print
Consequently, it would be essential in determining thebooks, tangible book stores all in one location. The
overall demand for the commodity through amost accurate depiction of such a mixed group would
quantitative analysis of the answers.be a collection of random users. These can be all the
7) What are your concerns about online bookpeople listed in the state’s telephone directory.
sellingkCredit card fraudk it does not provide realThis will reflect the views of almost all the potential
objects kToo distractive k would ruin the bookPurple store consumers. All the users within the list
industryk no concernswill have an equal chance of being chosen for the
In order to determine the size of demand for onlinerespective questionnaire.
books (research objective one), it is essential to findAfter choosing the target population, it is then
out some of the deterrents to online selling. Ifnecessary to determine the actual number of people
respondents choose no concerns as the mostwho will take part in the questionnaire. In other
common option then demand will be high. However, ifwords, this will be the sample size. (Teisman et al,
they choose other responses, then demand may be2004)
low. (Gray, 2007)This question will assist Purple bookSince the target population will be quite large, then it
store in the process of creating a business strategywould be favorable to also have a large sample size
based on the responses given.to increase the accuracy of the results. Experts
8) Do you think digital books are less profitable thanassert that sampling errors increase with sampling
printed books to book sellers?kYes k No kNot suresize, consequently, the bigger the size the lower the
There have been rising concerns that the musicerror. Other issues need to be considered before
industry has been destroyed by online selling. Becausecoming up with the most appropriate size. For
of the cheap accessibility of music CDs online, mostinstance, since the questions in the questionnaire are
entertainment companies are making a little as ninetyclosed, then responses will not vary tremendously
nine cents on each item. These entrepreneurs haveand it can be easy to conduct a quantitative analysis
reported exceptionally low profit margins thus ruiningeven with large sample sizes.
business for them. If Purple store was to go online,However, data will be matched into smaller
they need to consider some of the possible problemsub-groupings in order to come up with meaningful
that may arise in the future. If these low profitconclusions on the research objectives. Consequently,
margins have been reported in the music industry,it will be necessary to determine which samples will
then the same thing may happen to the bookresult in high confidence levels. This will be done
industry thus affecting the potential of the businessthrough the following chart.
in the future (research objective two).The chart is generated by first determining the level
9) Do you think online books will contribute towardsof sampling error that can be tolerated in the
establishing a reading culture?kYes kNo kNot sureresearch. In this case, the sampling errors chosen
The latter questions will be an essential method ofwere + or — 5% and + or — 10%. In
predicting the potential of online business (researchother words, ninety percent or ninety five percent of
objective two). Some experts argue that readingthe time, the results of the survey will represent the
books online is quite difficult owing to the numerousopinions of the overall target population. Thereafter,
distractions that come with videos, pictures andit is necessary to start determining sample sizes and
blogs. (Gray, 2007) As a result, many online readersconfidence levels for different population sizes. It
flip from one page to the other without reallyshould be noted that population sizes are the fixed
absorbing the full message of the book that they areamounts i.e. either 100, 1000, 5000 or any number
trying to read. If this practice continues for years,while the sample size and confidence level are
then such young readers may not develop soundvariables.
reading cultures. The issue of a reading culture isThe point at which the sample size of a particular
essential in assessing the potential of the onlinepopulation corresponds to the required confidence
business because if the nature of the commoditylevel which is 95%, would be the most appropriate
distracts consumers from fully appreciating itssample size, in this case, in order to achieve a
purpose, then it may stop them from understandingconfidence level of ninety five percent, then a
its usefulness. The overall result is that most peoplesample size of 387 will be needed. This is on condition
may not be interested in books some fifty yearsthat the number of people within the target
from today. This could be very detrimental to thepopulation is five thousand. If they are higher than
potential of the business.this number, then a bigger sampling size will need to
10) Do you think that online book publishers arebe chosen depending on the calculations made.
responding to your demand for books?kYesk NoPopulation size 5% error 10% error
kNot Sure100 80 49
Many publishing companies have not been responsive200 150 67
about the availability of their books online. While other500 217 81
industries have been rushing towards online business,1000 278 88
book makers have been doing the opposite. Most of5000 357 95
them are stepping up their copyright laws andThe method of sampling chosen for this particular
intellectual property laws. Publishers are yet to warmresearch is simple random sampling. This is the type
up to this kind of business approach. This question isof sampling in which the chances of getting a
crucial to answering research objective two i.e.representative are equally distributed. (Leung, 2001)
potential of online book selling. Publishers are theIn this regard, the members that will participate in the
major suppliers of books to any book store.survey will be determined by random numbers that
Consequently, when they have not embraced thehave been laid out in a computer. This particular
issue of online selling, then they may not cooperatemethod was chosen for the research because it is a
with online retailers such as Purple store. (Gray, 2007)form of probability sampling. The major advantage
Purple store needs to know whether there is awith this method of sampling is that there are minimal
future in this industry by analyzing the behaviorbiases. Since the sample selection is done through
patterns of their suppliers; the publishers. (Researchrandom numbers on a computer, then there are no
objective two)interferences by external parties and participants
11) Are online books more applicable now than printhave high chances of representing the actual target
versions?kYesk No kNot Surepopulation.
This issue will reflect on the potential of the bookSimple random sampling is less susceptible to bias
selling industry because it will indicate whether thethan stratified sampling. Stratified sampling is normally
respondents believe in online books more than thedone by taking parts of the target population with
available versions and this can then be projected intosimple characteristics and then choosing random
the future. (Research objective two)samples from each sub group. This kind of sampling
12) Where do you see online books twenty yearstechnique would not have been wise in this case
from now?kBeing the most lucrative businessbecause it would interfere with the some of the
approach for selling books k It will performresearch objectives. For instance, one of the
moderately well compared to other modes of sellingobjectives is to determine the size of the demand
booksk It will not be an important approach to sellingfor online books. This can only be possible when all
booksmembers of the target populations are equally
This question will assess consumer’s viewsrepresented and not when they are divided into
about the potential of online book selling hencegroups.
achieving research objective two.Additionally, this research did not employ another
13) Would you read books from a digital librarykYestechnique such as snowball sampling. In snowball
kNo kNot suresampling, participants are usually requested to give
The latter question will be important in assessing thethe names of other people they know who would
behavior patterns of online shoppers. Through thistake part in the survey.
question, it will be possible to answer researchThis heavily biases the outcome because it is likely
objective three because it will be possible to assessthat one’s friends usually hold the same
the style that online readers use to access booksopinions as the original respondent. Also, convenience
online. (Gray, 2007) Digital libraries normally offer thesampling was not chosen for this particular research
same features that actual book stores offer such asbecause it is one of the sampling techniques that lead
borrowing books, bookmarking, purchasing booksto high sampling errors. If this research was to
among others, it is necessary to determine whetheremploy convenience sampling, then respondents
there are a number of people who would go for thewould all come from a certain bookstore or they
idea. Additionally, this also represents the potential ofwould simply be internet users. This would heavily
online business because through scanning book pagesbias the results because most of the respondents
and making them available though digital libraries, awould indicate that they purchase online books yet
wide array of consumers can be reached.this may not necessarily be the case in the real world.
14) Do you think print books are old news?kYes kNo(Teisman et al, 2004)
kNot sureQuota sampling is also another alternative. Here,
This question is essential in answering researchpersons chosen for the survey are the ones that
objective three which seeks to find out the behaviorclosely match the target population as much as
patterns of online shoppers. Through this question,possible. Usually, a certain category of people may be
one can ascertain whether or not online books arefound in the target population. Consequently, the
considered the new wave in the book industry orsame number may be sought continuously in the
whether consumer patterns are geared towardssampling strategy until it has been found. However,
another direction.this kind of criteria does not suit the research
15) What do you prefer doing online?kWatching abecause no particular demographics were being
You Tube video on a book k reading a book onlinesought in the process.
kviewing blogs on certain book topics kNone of theConclusion
aboveThe major objective of the research was to find out
A number of experts claim that most people usingwhether online book selling is feasible. The research
the internet are more interested in using blogs orquestions were designed in a manner that would
watching videos about certain books rather thanachieve this overall objective. Simple random sampling
actually reading them online. The responses to thiswas chosen as the sample selection technique
question could be essential in determining the overallbecause it would ascertain an unbiased sample and it
potential of online book selling because it will be anwas also compatible with the research objectives.
avenue for determining competition for theReferences
commodity. This will go a long way in ascertainingGray, J. (2007): The E-book journey-Current paths
whether people will actually buy the commodity givenand future roads, Springer Publishers, p 46-98
the fact that there are others products thatLeung, W. (2001): How to conduct a survey; Student
compete directly with online books.BMJ, 9, 12, 143-145
It has also been asserted by a number of readingTeisman, L.
experts that online blogs have become such a