Todos Tus Libros, a platform for bookstores, unites against Amazon

The Spanish Confederation of Booksellers Guilds and Associations (Cegal), which brings together 789 bookstores in Spain, launched the platform Todos Tus Libros. Together, they want to unite against e-commerce giants, such as Amazon. The independent sellers seek to gain a foothold in the online books market.

Delivery within 24 to 48 hours

Users visiting the website can use the search engine to find the book they are looking for. After clicking on the “Where to find it” button, users are able to either order the item or to reserve it and pick it up at their favorite bookstore. Books will be delivered at home within 24 to 48 hours.

The platform was originally launched in 2011 as a material exchange forum for booksellers. Plaster is what it was until three weeks ago, when the work of a couple of years saw the light, accelerated by the circumstances of confinement and the pandemic. In fact, losses in the sector due to the COVID-19 outbreak stand at 22.55 percent.

The platform was born in response to a need

“New bookstores are joining every day,” he says Alvaro Manso, spokesman for Cegal, who is optimistic about the start. “On October 20 there were 25,000 users and today, about 40,000, and we have 2,500 orders that are growing exponentially.”

This platform was born in response to a need because independent bookstores are the most important physical point of sale in Spain. However, they have a very small representation on the internet. Alvaro Manso is aware that Amazon is competition, but not a direct competitor since Todos Tus Libros offers more things.

The first, put the reader in direct contact with the bookseller, so that they buy from the bookstore. “Without intermediaries, the platform is simply a tool.” In addition, the reader, when they register, has access to recommendations and synopses of the volumes produced by booksellers, to leave reserved books, to create his own bookshelf, to select his favorite bookstores, to access the funds of all member establishments, to leave comments, announce activities or send a book as a gift. Furthermore, the book search is carried out in a maximum of 72 hours and the delivery of 48. “This requires a series of technical requirements and also a follow-up, it is a requirement to offer what we offer.”