Picodi has released an interesting report on book purchase trends and consumer behaviour in Malaysia. This is based on a survey conducted in March 2019 on 7,800 respondents across 41 countries.
If you think that Malaysians don’t buy and read books, read on and think again 🙂
Book purchase trend by month in Malaysia
Book purchases in Malaysia peak from September to November, on the other hand, it is a slow month during April and August.
- 11% September, October
- 10% November
- 9% March, December
- 8% January, May, July
- 7% February, June
- 6% April, August
Where do Malaysians get books?
More than half of Malaysian respondents prefer to buy books from stores instead of borrowing them from libraries or friends.
- 53% from stores
- 16% from libraries
- 9% from friends
- 22% don’t read
What book format do Malaysians buy?
It looks like audiobook is not mainstream yet in Malaysia as the majority here still prefer paper books either from online or offline stores.
- 54% Paper books in online stores
- 46% Paper books in brick and mortar stores
- 31% Downloading from free sources
- 15% Ebooks in online stores
- 15% Paid subscription
- 5% Audiobooks in online stores
- 3% CD audiobooks
The main factors behind book purchases in Malaysia
Perhaps triggered by the Big Bad Wolf, Malaysians are buying books mainly due to bargain prices, followed closely by friends’ recommendations.
- 53% Bargain price
- 50% Friends’ recommendations
- 37% Own decision
- 29% A movie based on the book
- 28% Bloggers’ reviews
- 11% Book prize nominations
The most popular book categories among Malaysians
Most Malaysians are interested in fiction as opposed to non-fiction books, while only 18% of respondents are buying business books.
- 76% Fiction
- 53% Hobbies & interests
- 36% Non-fiction
- 18% Scientific literature & textbooks
- 18% Business
- 15% Popular science
The most popular fiction genres among Malaysians
As you would have expected, Thriller is the most popular genre of fiction books Malaysians are buying.
- 43% Thriller
- 39% Romance
- 36% Crime
- 27& Comics
- 23% Adventure
- 20% Sci-fi & fantasy
- 13% Historical
- 12% Modern
- 7% Classical
- 6% Poetry
Why do Malaysians buy books?
According to the same survey, Malaysia actually ranked 6th among 41 countries with 76% of respondents bought at least 1 book last year.
- 48% buy books because they love reading
- 20% buy books for studies, work
- 18% buy books as a stress remedy
- 14% buy books as a gift
How often do Malaysians buy books?
Not just 1 book a year, more than half of respondents from Malaysia do actually purchase books a few times a year.
- 59% A few times a year
- 19% Once a month
- 11% Every two weeks
- 11% Once a week
You can also view the full infographic from this Pin here.
