Bookstores to Promote Their Japanese Manga Selections

BY Rachel Cagle
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"Although it’s been growing by leaps and bounds, many readers in the United States are still unfamiliar with a popular style of series-​driven Japanese comic books and graphic novels, called 'manga.' In fact, manga is currently one of the fastest growing areas of comic books and narrative fiction, according to global information company The NPD Group."

"Based on NPD Bookscan information, book sales in the manga subcategory in the retail trade channel grew 16% from January 1, 2019 to May 11, 2019, exceeding the 5% growth of the total adult-​comic/​graphic-​novel category. This channel includes stores like Barnes & Noble and Powell’s, as well, as major retailers like Target and Amazon, but not specialty comic stores. The manga category is expected to grow at a seven-​year compound annual growth rate of 8% through 2019."

"Recent manga book category growth came primarily from brisk sales of 'My Hero Academia' titles in March 2019, which were bolstered by related anime episodes also streaming on Hulu. 'The Life-​Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story,' a graphic novelization of Marie Kondo’s popular tidying method, also enjoyed a sales spike earlier this year, driven by increased interest in Kondo’s ideas on the heels of her popular Netflix series."

"In the emerging market for manga in the U.S., sales are driven primarily by younger consumers. In 2016 and 2017, 76% of manga buyers were between the ages of 13 and 29. While men were more likely to purchase manga (56%), women were 16% more likely to choose manga titles over other comic books and graphic novels. 'Manga is one area of the U.S. book marke that catching fire with a whole new set of younger and more diverse book buyers, especially those with a special interest in Japanese content across many platforms, including collectible toys, gaming, books, and video,' Kristen McLean, books industry analyst for NPD, said."

"There is a strong correlation between the manga series that are growing quickly in the U.S. and the availability of related Japanese anime on video streaming (SVOD) platforms, like Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu. 'Watching anime is a discovery mechanism for the related manga,' McLean said. 'Once the major platforms made a commitment to anime, manga purchasing really took off. It’s been a very exciting trend to follow.'”

More than 44% of Comic Book/​Graphic Novel Readers own Smart TVs/​streaming devices, according to AudienceSCAN. It's likely that these audience members are familiar with the anime available on streaming services. Knowing that a book form that extends a favorite show's storyline could pique interest and generate sales. Luckily, they can be targeted on streaming sites as they are 52% more likely than others to take action after seeing pre-​roll video ads. No matter where Comic Book/​Graphic Novel Readers may be watching anime (TV, online, etc.), retailers can target them with ads on these channels.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on car washes and auto service centers, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.


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