eReader Holiday Outlook: Forrester Ups Its Projections By 50%

The eReader market is growing faster than expected: Forrester published a report in May, “How Big Is The eReader Opportunity?”, that pegged 2009 US eReader sales at 2 million. Our new report ups that projection by 50% to 3 million for 2009, with 30% of 2009 sales occuring in the holiday season of November and December, and Amazon.com leading the ereader market.

There are a number of reasons why eReader sales are growing faster than we had expected, which we detail in the report, including falling device prices, more content availability, better retail distribution, and lots and lots of media buzz.

All these dynamics will compound to fuel more growth next year, and we expect more changes in the market that could push eReader sales beyond 6 million in 2010, bringing cumulative US sales to 10 million by year-end 2010.

With Nook & Sony readers out of stock, we can say next will be a Kindle Christmas.

Source: Forrester.

Kindle breaks monthly sales record again

U.S. Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday that its Kindle sales have already broke a monthly sales record, barely halfway through the month of December.

Amazon says the Kindle was the most wished, the most gifted and the #1 bestselling product across across the retailer’s site.

Amazon also announced yesterday it would sell Kindle (Global Wireless) with free expedited shipping — a contrast with its competitor Barnes & Noble, which has suffered delays in getting its Nook electronic reader into customers’ hands.

Kindle has best sales month in November

November was the best sales month ever for the Kindle e-reader, even before traditionally heavy sales on Cyber Monday, Amazon.com said early today.

“Kindle is a great gift for anyone who loves to read and it’s flying off the shelves faster than any other product Amazon sells,” said Ian Freed, vice president of Amazon’s Kindle division.

The latest Kindle generation, released in October, sells for $259 and is available for immediate shipment, Amazon.com said.

The fact that the Kindle device is shipping immediately may be Amazon.com’s main reason for making today’s announcement, drawing attention to Kindles remaining in stock compared to e-readers from other device makers that are sold out.

For example, the $259 Nook from Barnes & Noble Inc., was due to hit bookstores today after several weeks of pre-sales, but was recently reported out of stock, with deliveries starting after Jan. 4. Sony also said on Nov. 18 that its Daily Edition e-reader might not make it to buyers before the end of the year.

Source: Computerworld.

1.2 million e-readers for next Christmas holidays

 

Sales of electronic books jumped 68.4 percent last year and skyrocketed 177 percent to $96.6 million for the year through August, according to the Association of American Publishers. That's not counting the millions downloaded for free at public libraries, where e-books are fast becoming one of the most popular features. And Amazon has said that its e-book reader, the Kindle, has become the best-selling product on its Web site.

But despite the staggering growth, e-books remain just a sliver of the overall publishing industry, at 1.5 percent of the $6.8 billion in sales this year -- about on par with audiobooks. And some experts believe that the $200-plus price tag for e-book readers will keep the market from exploding the way MP3s did.

Holiday hopes

This holiday season will be a crucial test of whether e-books can cross over from geeky novelty to mass-market must-have. Major retailers are pushing the format -- and, of course, the gadgets they've developed to display it. Barnes & Noble unveiled its first electronic book reader last month, with access to all of the retailer's titles and then some. Amazon and Sony, which make the two best-selling e-readers in the country, have introduced new versions just in time to stuff your stocking. And this holiday, for the first time, Best Buy is devoting store space to educating shoppers about e-readers.

All told, about 1.2 million e-readers are expected to be sold in the last three months of the year -- roughly 40 percent of the entire year's stock. By the end of 2010, industry experts predict, 10 million people will be carrying e-readers. As for the number of e-books that people have read, they've lost track.

If you want a Kindle or want to gift a Kindle this Christmas, maybe you’d better get one now before the Kindle went out of stock.

Read more: The Washington Post.