Eslite Spectrum Corp (誠品生活), which runs the Eslite bookstore chain, department stores and other businesses, yesterday launched a new Web site and mobile app to expand further into the e-commerce market.
The new Web site, eslite.com, took three years of preparation, Eslite chairwoman Mercy Wu (吳旻潔) said, adding that it would boost customer experience and convenience.
“The Web site integrates a new mobile app, which will boost online sales by many multiples as they gain popularity,” Wu told a news conference at the bookstore chain’s branch in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義).
Photo: Chang Hui-wen, Taipei Times
More than 2 million books in Chinese, English and Japanese constitute the main items on the Web site, in line with the company’s mission to promote reading and integrate the humanities, arts and creativity into life, Wu said.
The company is offering free gift wrapping until Dec. 20 for items purchased as holiday gifts, she said.
Wu did not set growth targets for the Web site, but voiced confidence that business would pick up by double-digit percentage points each year and grow by many multiples.
The company has no intention of abandoning physical bookstores after shutting down several unprofitable outlets this year, she said.
Instead, the company is soon to open many small outlets at the community level to meet the needs of customers, Wu said, adding that she would disclose more details in the middle of next year.
In 2022, the group would open a large Eslite bookstore covering 18,000 ping to 20,000 ping (59,504m2 to 66,116m2) in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店), on a lot owned by Yulon Motor Co (裕隆汽車), Wu said.
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