Purchasing iPad Books: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo

Last week I reviewed alternative approaches for managing iPad book collections.  This week I evaluated the book shopping experience on iBooks, Kindle, and Kobo.  Some observations:

• Aside from instant gratification via download, the eReader book shopping experience doesn’t significantly improve upon the web book shopping experience.  In fact, the web is arguably better since more book information and search options are available.
• All of the eReaders provide a “one size fits all” shopping experience.  There are no personalization features though I’m sure this will change over time.
• Kindle and Kobo take the user out of context during the purchase process which could lead to drop-offs.  For obvious reasons–App Store Integration–iBooks is the only eReader that keeps the user within context.

Read below for more details on the following areas: Finding Books, Learning about Books, Buying Books, Accessing Account Info, and Getting Help.

Finding Books

All of the eReaders reviewed let users search and browse for books.  Kindle provides the richest set of options but users must access them via Safari. Going back and forth between the app and Safari is seamless as long as the user stays on track.  If Kindle users wander into the sea of Amazon links, they may have to quit Safari to find their way back.

Kindle Store (full-size image)

iBooks and Kobo let users search and browse for books within their apps.  Search is prominently displayed, however, the browse features are somewhat difficult to find.  iBooks browse options are included in the tab bar along the bottom which blends into the device.  Kobo’s browse options are accessed via the “Jump to” button in the upper left.  This is a shame since the categories and lists are a great resource.

iBooks Store (full-size image)

Kobo Store (full-size image)

Learning About Books

Since Kindle is part of Amazon, the amount of book information (and number of books!) is leaps and bounds ahead of its competitors.  They have extensive reviews, richer author pages, and much more.  However, as previously mentioned, the user must leave the app to access this trove of information.

Compared to Kindle, iBooks book information is limited, containing ratings, reviews, publish date, publisher, seller, category, length, language.  Kobo provides even less information: synopsis, genre, publisher and ratings.

One nice feature available in all three apps is the ability to download sample chapters.  It’s a great way to encourage purchases–worked for me!

Buying Books

Kobo and Amazon users must provide their credit card information–or sign into existing accounts–the first time they purchase books via their respective eReaders.  The process is very straightforward and only occurs once since the information is stored for future purchases. iBooks has a clear advantage since the user’s credit card information is already associated with their iTunes account.

Purchasing books on the iBooks and Kindle apps require five steps minimum from start to finish.  Kobo takes six steps since they show an overlay warning users that they are leaving the app to go to Safari.  (See slides below for the flows).  Hopefully all iPad eReaders–not just Apple’s–will be able to seamlessly integrate payments in the future, without having to cede 30% of revenue.  Better integration will make some of the extra steps obsolete, e.g., warning when launching Safari.

Accessing Account Info

All three apps have different approaches when it comes to accessing account information; iBook’s account information is most integrated.

• iBooks let users access relevant account information from the Store screens; the user stays within the app the entire time.
• Kindle users can access their account information only when they are on the Amazon site.
• Kobo doesn’t appear to provide access to any account information from within their app.

Getting Help

All three apps also approach support differently.  iBooks links off to their support web site in Safari, Kindle provides basic support content within the app (an overlay with web content), and Kobo has nothing!  None of these approaches are ideal.

A few recommendations…

Personalize the shopping user experience. The eReaders reviewed can provide a much more personalized shopping experience, tapping into past purchases but also into what I’ve read, what I’m currently reading, my location, and so on. (Of course privacy issues need to be addressed, as this data must be anonymous).

Consider what other types of book information can be captured and shared via the iPad. For example, it could be interesting to know how many people are currently reading book X or how many actually finished reading book X.  (Again, privacy issues must be addressed.)

Develop alternative ways to present book information. The lists offered on the eReader bookstores are great but perhaps there are other, more visual, ways to present books.  One of my favorite ways to explore books in a real bookstore is to scan the tables laid out with the newest books.  Is there a way to incorporate that concept on the iPad?  Information for individual books could also be improved.  For example, the previews are wonderful but it would be helpful if users could see a few pages before adding books to their library.

Lastly, keep the user within context as much as possible. It’s jarring to move from the app to Safari, Mail, or other applications.

Want to read more?  See my other review about managing personal book collections on the iPad.