Mobile phones, and digital cameras in conflict with bookstores

Bookshops are upset - upset that there are users, or visitors that use their mobile phone to take picture from books, instead of buying books - in Korea, books victimized are those that are expensive, such as those books on architecture or design, or those wit fast-moving contents, such as computer or education books . More and more bookshops across the region start to put up signs saying that it is forbidden to use a mobile phone in the stores.

The article quoted says that it is possible to take 100-200 pictures at a time and that the bookshops would occur a loss due to this. Now - let us think through the argumentation. First - we believe that the memory of such a mobile phone must be huge to be able to take 100-200 pictures. My own mobile phone starts complaining about lacking memory the moment I hit 60 pictures - but this is just a matter quantification and since the memory of phones become larger, it might be or will become a valid argument. The same can be said for the quality of the pictures. The picture quality in mine is not the best, even so I have a Sony Ericsson, which is suppose to have a better camera - but the quality of cameras in mobile phones is improving all the time anyway (and might soon threaten digital cameras).

But there are a couple of arguments that need to be considered in favor of the users that take pictures. Books, at least in some countries, are pretty expensive, even for those in the "working population". So it might be a problem of pricing and re-evaluating duties or taxes of books in general. And politicians complain frequently, that the "youth" is not reading anymore but only engaged in computer "toys" - well, may be the computer provides the possibility to access material that is too expensive elsewhere - in books in stores for example.

There is one bookstore that allows users to browse, and probably copy or print content. Amazon.com lets browsers scan the contents of a book, before purchasing. It is easy to copy a couple of pages and print them out - recipe books is a great example for this - but Amazon makes it convenient for users, and their business is growing rapidly, despite this service, and other, price-decreasing services offered by them, like the free shipping offer.

Now let's look at a solution.

Marketing of products and services in general becomes increasingly difficult - the flood of advertisements, promotional campaigns and new products drowns consumers' attention - and they become increasingly unreachable and withdrawn. Now, as a bookstore, if you have a consumer in your shop you have someone who intends to read! This is your target group - and surprise, surprise - they are in your shop, where they actually might want to buy something. Treat them well. How often will they come back to take pictures of a book? May be 5, 10, 20 times? Okay, this is a loss, if you multiply it, but how many books will they buy, if the service targeting their interest is there - where is the calculation about the lifetime value of a customer? If a student who graduates remembers how the bookstore treated them when they were a student - criminalizing them, or treating them well?

But one question is there that we need to ask in favor of the bookstore - how can it be that someone who can afford to buy a mobile phone with a camera - which is not that cheap - have no money to buy a book? Did they spend all the money to buy a mobile phone and than have nothing left to purchase the book? Endless discussions!