"As the current crisis continues to deepen and bite, and as a chilling frost starts to look like a long and bitter winter, those initial rapid forays into the online world are now looking like a lifeline. Speaking bluntly, it is difficult to see a bookshop surviving if they don't make online pay.
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"But if we want bookshops to survive, we mustn't fall into the trap of thinking that technology is there to optimize and replace.... So as booksellers, we need to take action now. As painful as it is, as unjust as it appears, and as lacking in confidence as you might be, you need to continue to adopt and adapt technology which takes the essence, character and uniqueness of your shop, and extends it out into your community.
"Take that trusted relationship and digitize it.... Whether they know it or not, the book industry needs physical bookshops. Without them, the ecosystem will continue to shrink.... There is also an opportunity here: to use technology to reach out to members of your community who may never have visited your shop. This was what my entrepreneur friend was getting excited about. Technology can make us inclusive in a way that has never happened before--as long as our technology expands horizons and doesn't shut them down."