ABA, APA launch #ShopEarly #ShopLocal Christmas campaign
The Australian Publishers Association (APA) and the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) have partnered on a new campaign encouraging Australians to do their Christmas shopping early ‘to avoid disappointment when shopping for books this season’.
For the past four years booksellers have consistently reported that the Christmas rush was later than the previous year, but the #ShopEarly #ShopLocal campaign is intended to prevent a late rush in 2020, telling consumers to buy, order and pre-order books in October and November. In a joint statement the industry bodies said that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, supply shortages are already in effect and the global supply chain is under immense pressure, ‘and not just for books’.
‘Importing any goods by airfreight will not be an option for most retailers this year, putting pressure on sea freight with congestion in Singapore already causing considerable delays for imported books,’ said the statement. ‘Publishers are printing as much as they can locally, but Australian printers are either at capacity or soon will be. A particular issue will be printing colour books.’
‘Strong consumer demand for books this year and a shift to online shopping, coupled with a disrupted supply chain has made it challenging for publishers to accurately forecast bookseller and consumer demand,’ said APA CEO Michael Gordon-Smith. ‘We’ll be encouraging our members and partners to include the #ShopEarly #ShopLocal messaging in all their promotional efforts through to Christmas.’
ABA CEO Robbie Egan said, ‘This Christmas is vital for the survival of Australia’s incredible network of local bookshops, who have done a wonderful job of getting books out to their community through the Covid-19 pandemic. Readers have responded with amazing support, but this Christmas will be different as we manage increased hygiene measures and social distancing in our bookshops.
‘Increased online sales will place enormous pressure on Australia Post and other delivery services, so to ensure we all get the books we want for Christmas, support your local bookshop. But don’t leave it too late, because for Christmas 2020, October is the new December.’
Category: Local news
