Website Closers® presents a 10-year-old Amazon eCommerce Brand that operates as an Online Book Seller, with additional growing shops on eBay and Walmart. With a stunning catalog of 1.5 million best-selling books and the ability to add many more, this Brand has enjoyed incredible growth in the last 3 years. Operating on three platforms that attract millions of consumers, the business has expanded sales well beyond individual buyers, and its Amazon store is enjoying rising sales from public schools, government agencies, hospitals, and students who need particular books for their studies.
Having a vast selection of not just books but toys, video games, movies, and compact discs available, the business has a distinct competitive edge over rival booksellers. The company has also outrivaled competitors by developing propriety software that manages orders on its three storefronts. Regardless of whether a customer purchases one of their books on Amazon, eBay, or Walmart, their software sends the order directly to the supplier, which Dropships the product to the buyer. The software also enables the business to monitor pricing to remain competitive and to maintain communication with the supplier as the order gets processed. It’s a significant cost savings to the business, which doesn’t need to invest in costly inventory or managing a warehouse.
The company enjoys a high level of customer satisfaction since buyers can easily find whatever book they’re looking for and get it shipped to them quickly, which encourages them to keep visiting one of the company’s three storefronts for new orders. Because the business has been able to rely on the internal marketing available on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart to put their catalog in front of buyers, the owners have managed the business successfully without a marketing budget, which opens up enormous possibilities for an investor eager to scale this profitable operation.
Even with the rising popularity of audiobooks and eBooks, traditional hardcover and paperback novels continue to bring in massive sales. In 2023, 767 million print books were sold in the U.S., and print book sales consistently surpass 700 million each year, with print remaining the most popular book format. The global print book market is expected to reach $70.75 billion by 2029, and there has been a significant resurgence of independent bookstores in recent years. By developing such an extensive catalog, this online bookstore is operating now in the same way that Amazon started when it first launched and sold mostly books before expanding.
The continued popularity of print books ensures this business will enjoy plenty of future success. This business provides a clear opportunity for a U.S. Buyer to acquire this company and scale it quickly. Adding new and trending best sellers to its catalog would be a good starting point, and so would adding sales to the company’s underutilized website. That would enable a new owner to add a new sales channel, start collecting emails for an email marketing campaign, and have the website fully optimized for popular SEO keywords to drive sales higher. There are also plenty of opportunities through a vibrant social media marketing campaign.
Business Broker Takeaway
We are excited about this business for 3 important reasons:
1. Strong Sales Platforms. Because Amazon, eBay, and Walmart are used by millions of consumers daily, the business has been able to enjoy high sales without doing any marketing. Amazon has been their top-selling storefront, making up 74% of sales compared to 24% at eBay. Their newest store, Walmart, is also enjoying rising sales. Each platform attracts unique demographics. The Amazon store attracts schools, businesses, and government offices, while eBay and Walmart are most often used by regular customers looking for specific books. Sales remain steady throughout the year, while the business enjoys a holiday rush of sales since buyers see their books as great gift items.
2. Lean Operations. With most daily tasks being handled by Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, the company’s biggest focus has been on maintaining its unique software, which ties into the three marketplaces, allows for price monitoring, and connects directly with suppliers to automate the sales process. The current owner has a full-time IT software engineer who manages this system, including regular upgrades. The current owner now works 20-hour weeks focusing on answering customer inquiries, troubleshooting order issues, and exploring growth opportunities. The business is working with Amazon to become a main supplier of books for Chicago Public Schools. The business is 100% remote and can be operated anywhere. Their Dropping method means the company can continue to expand its hefty catalog with minimal overhead costs.
3. Zero Marketing Budget. Some of the biggest growth opportunities for this company come through marketing. The company’s impressive growth in the past 3 years has come about without any direct marketing plan, and sales could skyrocket with the introduction of popular digital marketing tools such as email and social media marketing campaigns, video marketing on sites such as TikTok and YouTube, and directly marketing to schools, universities and the students attending them. Since no sales are being pushed through the website, this is another large opportunity for a new buyer.
Conclusion
In the past decade, this company has successfully used three of the most popular eCommerce platforms around the world to develop a reputation as a reliable, affordably priced, and competitive online space for more than a million print books. Sales have grown well beyond individual buyers to include businesses and public institutions that still rely on print novels for a variety of purposes.
With its proprietary ordering software application and cost-effective Dropshipping method, the company has enjoyed higher sales without costly overhead – including for advertising and inventory. For a new owner, this is a lean operation with strong recurring revenues and brand recognition that could easily be scaled to become a far more significant player in the online book vertical.
