In this post Markus Fertig, PR Manager at MVB, introduces us to the Reading Rationals. A new standard in the book industry that consciously appeals the subconscious for customers to always find their perfect match among thousands of possibilities in the book market.

A new approach: Thinking from the customer´s point of view

In the Möbius project, we have the consumers of book publications and their requirements firmly in mind. This is about the conscious needs of the customers. The counterpart to this is the new classification standard Reading Rationales, which the German book industry has developed. This describes the unconscious motives that make people buy books, based on the neuroscientific Limbic® method. The Reading Rationals have opened up the third dimension of customer appeal. It combines the tried and tested classifications according to logistical and content-related aspects with the motives that decide purchases. Thus, for the first time, our industry is really thinking from the customer’s point of view. Knowing the unconscious customer needs, gives us the opportunity to trigger these motives consciously in marketing.

The perfect combination of metadata and artificial intelligence for a better customer centricity

For a quick market penetration of the new standard, the Reading Rationales have been available since October 2021 in the central metadata database Verzeichnis Lieferbarer Bücher VLB, German books in print, which is operated by the technology and information provider MVB. The artificial intelligence (AI) of the start-up QualiFiction evaluates the metadata of the listed books on a daily basis. It calculates the shares of the defined customer needs and assigns each title to a Reading Rationale. This information is on display for all users. By combining it with other parameters such as product group, content categories, publication period or price, relevant title sets can be compiled that provide clear orientation to the customer. Of course, further services can also be built up on the specific Reading Rationales. For example, in cooperation with the start-up READ-O, MVB offers a recommendation algorithm that suggests new/additional books based on common customer needs, among other things. This offers more orientation than the previously widespread approach of recommending titles based on sales statistics, i.e. according to the principle “customers who bought this book also bought that one”.

A great potential…also for Möbius

If the findings from market research on which the Reading Rationales standard is based are applied consistently, there are potential fields of action along the entire value chain for publishers and bookshops alike. This is because the clear addressing of a customer need can already be taken into account in the editorial and manuscript work and extends to omnichannel presentation in the trade. The aim of working with Reading Rationales is to raise the right expectations in the customer in order to satisfy him in the best possible way and thus stimulate the desire for more. The better and clearer a book serves a Reading Rationale, the better and more sustainably it can be sold. Reading Rationales are thus an unconsciously conscious form of customer centricity. They could also help to promote the Möbius Book.

Further information

Markus Fertig, PR Manager at MVB