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More than £3.3m worth of electronic gift cards have been sold since they launched in February, with comparative value sales up 10%–15% year on year.
Commercial director at Book Tokens Alex de Berry said almost 250,000 NBT gift cards have been sold so far. He added it is difficult to make direct comparisons because paper tokens are still being sold as they are gradually phased out. However, he said sales were up between 10% and15% year on year.
De Berry added: “This is in line with expectations and bearing in mind both TCM and especially GRM figures, we feel our sales are strong.” De Berry said 97% of its UK customer base are now able to use the system with numbers improving every month since launch.
Peter Donaldson, owner of the Red Lion Bookshop in Colchester, said: “We have been pleasantly pleased. We had a slight concern when the launch came that a significant amount of our customers wouldn’t take them, but that hasn’t been the case.” He added: “The response from customers on the whole has been very positive and they see them as more flexible and a better product.”
Nicki Thornton, co-owner of Mostly Books in Abingdon, said while the system had taken some getting used to, customers were enjoying them.
However, Sheila O’Reilly, owner of Dulwich Books in London and longstanding critic of the scheme, remains unconvinced about the system. “We keep them well hidden under the counter . . . they are low-margin business for us and we don’t want to increase it.”
Matthew Clarke, owner of The Torbay Bookshop in Paignton, said he was “very nervous” about the practicalities of the system during the busy Christmas period due to having to use a computer to process transactions. “I fully understand we have to move with the 21st century but my whinge is that is causing log jams and stress points.”
The next stage of the campaign is the launch of the Student Book Card in August and the launch of the system in Ireland next year.
De Berry added: “We do not anticipate any significant changes to the system this year. However, we continue to work on minor improvements and on ways to deliver more options for independent booksellers.”