One of the world’s largest manufacturers of E-reader landed in Argentina. This is Kobo, which comes from Electro World Group: The company led by Guido Tapicer took over the exclusive distribution activity, with a commitment that also includes sales on-linepresence in Retailer traditional and a local customer service that – they assure – will make the difference compared to non-representative competitors such as Kindle.
The arrival is based on a clear trend: reading remains rooted among Argentines. According to the last census (2022), the country recorded an average of 4.6 books purchased per person and 55% of respondents reported reading more than five books per year. And although paper was ranked as the predominant historical format (48%), readers said it does not replace media, but rather enforces one and the other depending on convenience, availability and price.
“We observed a very active reading community in Argentina and a lack of specialized digital reading offerings. We want to combine this habit with digital reading technology,” said Ana Clara Albert, COO of Electro World Group. Retailer the technical hall, which was built in 2008 and now also shows chairs player Puma.
The alliance with Kobo includes exclusivity for the Sales, marketing and technical service in Argentina. This implies immediate availability, official guarantee and a multi-format distribution channel that brings everything together E-commerce own, Marketplaces -like Mercado Libre and Frávega- and retail physically.
The first models now available in the country are the Kobo Clara in its black and white and color versions Promotional prices of $279,999 and $379,999. There is also the top model Kobo Libra, which is planned for January. The portfolio also includes office cases, pencils and accessories.
Kobo arrived in the country with its own library of more than 8 million titles and agreements with 33,000 publishers around the world. With the introduction it became moreover The company will seek to reach local agreements to expand offerings in Spanish.
The ecosystem works openly: every user can choose where they buy their books and in which format they read them. The content can be obtained via the E-readerfrom the Web or from the app from Kobo, which syncs reading settings between devices. The offering integrates Kobo Plus, a subscription system that provides access to more than 1.5 million E-books and audiobooks with unlimited downloads for a monthly fee.
When analyzing the technical differences, Albert emphasized the visual comfort of the electronic ink screens, the reflection-free reading in the sun, the low emission of blue light, the battery that lasts for weeks and the ergonomics designed exclusively for reading.
For now, all devices will be imported. “Macroeconomic conditions are favorable for technology import, but the most important thing is planning. At Electro World Group we have an operating model that allows us to adapt to the different changes in the market and always guarantee product availability, pre-sales and after-sales service and home delivery, which are among our strengths,” he explained.
And he added: “We aim for progressive and sustainable growth. Our aim is to develop demand and consolidate the category in a sustainable format: although it has existed for a long time, digital consumption is increasing.”
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