The extent to which bookshops use direct marketing tools: the case of bookshops in Nairobi

Abstract

The study was aimed at studying the direct marketing tools used by bookshops, the extent to which they use direct marketing tools and the problems if any experienced when using these tools. The rationale of the study arose out of the fact that booksellers are facing stiff competition from hawkers, students selling books to their colleagues, and parents selling books after their children graduate to the next grade. As a result, bookshops are now trying to adopt direct marketing tools to enable them reach their customers directly, and in the shortest time possible. The study was a survey of all the bookshops in Nairobi. Data was collected using both closed and open-ended questionnaires. The questionnaire was given to the person in charge of the marketing department in the bookshop, and for the bookshops that never had a marketing department; the questionnaire was given to the shop manager. Data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics, aided by statistical packages for social science (SPSS). This research revealed that direct marketing tools are used to a small extent in bookshops, whereas some of tile tools, for example, video text and vending machines are used to no extent. Of the forms of direct marketing tools studied, telemarketing was found to be the most commonly used tool, as all bookshops used it, whereas online marketing was not common among the bookshops studied. Tile respondents said that they do not use direct marketing tools to large extents because it is expensive, customers view it as lack of individual privacy, as in the case of telemarketing, and telemarketers do not respect individual privacy of the customers There was also a problem of lack of security, which was a major hindrance. Security should therefore be improved to avoid outright fraud. The research findings also revealed that, consumers' are not willing to place orders without seeing the actual product, although they may see a picture of it, and this has also affected tile extent to which direct marketing tools are used. Mcearthy (1996), and Pierre (2000), also observed that, consumers must place orders without seeing or trying the actual merchandise, and they say that to offset this, direct marketers must offer liberal return policies. The researcher suggested that further research should be done singly on each of the factors considered important in the successful usage of direct marketing tools, and also that, further research should be done in different sectors, to see the correlation of these findings with those obtained in other sectors.