How we're falling out of love with downloads: Young adults fuel boom in sales of books, records and DVDs

  • Sales of books, records, DVDs, CDs and video games are seeing a resurgence
  • Sales of eBooks are expected to fall this year, down from £339million in 2016 
  • The figure for physical books is expected to rise 6 per cent to some £1.7billion 

A generation raised on apps and digital downloads is turning back to real things you can touch, smell and show off.

Sales of real books, vinyl records, DVDs, CDs and video games that come in a box with artwork are seeing a resurgence.

More than half – 52 per cent – of Britons prefer to buy physical books, music, films and video games over digital media that only exists on a computer chip or in a virtual cloud.

Sales of eBooks are expected to fall this year, down from £339million in 2016, while the figure for physical books is expected to rise 6 per cent to some £1.7billion 

Sales of eBooks are expected to fall this year, down from £339million in 2016, while the figure for physical books is expected to rise 6 per cent to some £1.7billion 

Sales of eBooks are expected to fall this year, down from £339million in 2016, while the figure for physical books is expected to rise 6 per cent to some £1.7billion.

The revival of vinyl records has seen the likes of John Lewis start selling record players again.

The demand for real, tangible products is particularly noticeable among young adults, so-called ‘Generation Phygital’, who have been raised in a digital, download culture.

For example, some 83 per cent of those aged 18-24 have bought an item of physical media in the last year rather than a digital version.

The revival of vinyl records has seen the likes of John Lewis start selling record players again

The revival of vinyl records has seen the likes of John Lewis start selling record players again

As many as one in four of these young adults have bought a vinyl record in the past year.

The research was commissioned by eBay for its Guide to Physical Media, which is released today. (mon)

It said: ‘Nearly two thirds of 18-24 year olds have bought a real book in the last year, 56 per cent have bought a DVD and just over half have bought a video game.

‘Our research reveals that the fundamental appeal of physical media is emotional. We like the way physical media makes us feel.

‘Some 70 per cent of shoppers simply like the look and feel of physical media items, such as hardback books or vinyl records.

‘Whilst 65 per cent see it as a way to devote time to themselves and 62per cent use it to disconnect from the online world.’

Ironically, it is the rise of selfies and Instagram that has fuelled a desire among young adults to collect real things they can show off.

A spokesman for eBay said: ‘Instagram culture – epitomised by the rise of the ‘shelfie’ as a means of proclaiming our intellectual allegiances and cultural loyalties plays a role in the popularity of physical media amongst young consumers.

‘A quarter of ‘generation phygital’ would buy books to display them, while 17 per cent would buy records to show off on their shelves.’

The auction and shopping website has analysed search trends to predict physical items that sell well at Christmas.

On books, it found that dystopian fiction is back, with Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale ranked as the third most popular fiction over the summer. Orwell’s 1984 and Golding’s Lord of the Flies were also highly sought after.

With music, classic albums on vinyl have been in high demand, led by The Beatles, David Bowie and Pink Floyd.

In terms of DVD and Blu-ray, the fantasy phenomenon as typified by Game of Thrones has been popular. Christmas classics, such as A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, and even the festive episodes of Only Fools and Horses always sell well.

Vice president at eBay UK, Rob Hattrell, said: ‘In today’s digitised world, physical media has an emotional and social cache that appeals to our desire to own the things we love, as well as our penchant for status and showing off.

‘Our Guide to Physical Media delves into why Brits love it and what’s behind the 830 million searches for physical media on our marketplace over the last year.’

The company has responded to the trend with the launch of The Entertainment Shop, a one-stop shop for sought-after books, film, music and games. 

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