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The Impact of the E-Book Reader
An E-Book reader is defined as “a portable electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital books and periodicals. The main advantages of e-book readers are better readability of their screens especially in bright sunlight and longer battery life. This is achieved by using electronic paper technology to display content to readers. Any device that can display text on a screen can act as an e-book reader, but without the advantages of the e-paper technology” (Wikipedia, n.d.). E-books are a new category computing devices that are gaining appeal to the mass market. The e-book entered the market in 2007 and started to gain notice in 2010. It is only gaining more leverage as this new technology gains ground and growing competition. The main focus of e-readers is entertainment. With nearly one in five American adults now owning a tablet according to a new study from the Pew Research Center. A paperless future might be sooner than we expect. So what does the macro environmental trends show for the e-reader’s future in five years?
The macro trends, for short can be divided into six major components: demographic, socio-cultural, economic, technological, regulatory, and natural environments. So what does this all have to do with e-readers? It allows marketing managers and strategists to see what trends are influencing demand in the market of interest, whether favorably or unfavorably.
Demographic environment is related to population and population mix. It is the people who make up the market. Therefore we must see who it is that is accessing the e-readers and who may be interested in them. According to Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, they show demographic differences. “There has been an increase from six to twelve percent of all adults in the U.S. to own an e-reader from Nov.2010 to May 2011. There was considerable growth in e-reader ownership among college graduates, one-fifth of who now own these devices. Similarly, ownership grew across all adults with household incomes of at least $30,000 annually”(PewInternet, 2011). With the rising numbers of e-readers we the marketer can assume the need and want of these will not be diminishing any time soon.
The Sociocultural & Natural Environment component of the marketing environment has a significant impact on businesses because it helps shapes the beliefs, values, and norms that define the individuals in a given society. “New study finds that e-readers could have a major impact on improving the sustainability and environmental impact on the publishing industry, one of the world’s most polluting sectors”(Cardwell, 2012). With a rise of awareness on the environment and more individuals leaning towards going ‘Green’, this is an awareness marketing can capture selling to the consumers two-fold.
“Among the most far-reaching of the six macro trend components, is the economic environment. When people’s incomes rise or fall, when interest rates rise or fall, when the fiscal policy of governments results in increased or decreased government spending, entire sectors of economies are influenced deeply, and sometimes suddenly”(Mullins & Walker, 2010,p.77). With the prices of e-readers still be lower than the media tablet (I-pad), it is still monetarily in reach even with lots of people having to scale back in there wants. For an avid reader this may be a save in the pocket book. No driving to the bookstore or library, therefore saving on gas. Being able to borrow books from other e-readers will be a savings of not purchasing books. Also a lot of deals are given for purchasing e-books over traditional paperback books. An example is a lot of colleges are going to e-books to defray the out of pocket expenses to the student. For a person on a budget this could be a selling point if the economy stays down.
Lastly we have to look at the outside environment in retrospect to technology. Since the first e-reader has come out the price has dropped significantly. We once had cassettes but due to online downloads of music the cassettes are obsolete and CD’s are not carried in bulk like the past. This is the trend we can see is happening with the technology of e-readers and other media devices making it convenient for the marketed consumer. Technology has led to advances in the weight of the product, size, cost, and ability to get products without leaving the comforts of your home. “Technology developments are having a profound impact on all aspects of marketing practice, including marketing communication, distribution, packaging, and marketing research”(Mullins & Walker, 2010,p.80). Technology is even allowing writers to that once before could not bind books to at least write and publish unbound books with little expense compared to traditional publishing cost.
Without looking to future macro trends, it is hard to predict what the future holds for markets. It is looking into the six major components to seek out what “trends are out there that are a potential to influence demand in the market of interest, whether favorably or unfavorably”(Mullins & Walker, 2010,pg.74). Macro trends can and will influence the success of any business. The key is to identify these trends early, and use them to analyze how possible scenarios could affect the company financial, operationally, strategically, and overall reputation. Constant evaluation of the macro-environmental trends is the key to the success of the e-reader’s future.
Reference
Cardwell, Diane. Are E-Readers Greener Than Books?. (August 31,2009). Retrieved on January 23, 2012 from http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/are-e-readers-greener-than-books/

Mullins, J. W., Walker, Jr., O. C. (2010). Marketing management: A strategic decision making approach (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Purcell, Kristen. E-reader ownership doubles in six months. (June 27, 2011). Retrieved on January 22, 2012 from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/E-readers-and-tablets/Report/Demographics.aspx

Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. (n.d). Retrieved on January 22, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book_reader

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