Gen Z unlikely high street stores saviour as BookTok trend boosts Waterstones sales

Over the past few years, there have been various retail experts and influencers lining up to tell us that TikTok, Instagram and online shopping are killing physical retail. It’s an argument that picked up steam during the Covid-19 outbreak when many stores were forced to close in the face of lockdowns and e-commerce boomed as a result.

But check out Waterstones and you’ll see that the exact opposite is happening. Turns out that Gen Z actually want to spend less time on their phones, and more time in physical stores browsing and buying books.

The #BookTok trend on TikTok has seen novels, both old and new, going viral thanks to a new wave of book loving influencers discussing their literary picks.

Retailers have been jumping on the trend. Barnes & Noble’s website now has a BookTok page and Waterstones has seen sales rise and is opening new stores in the UK.

A boy must race across the kingdom to warn his ruler of impending invasion in SMALL WONDER, the enthralling tale of determination and resilience out now from Waterstones Book of the Year winner @mossmontmomery: https://t.co/9snGxkypRx pic.twitter.com/082uyktqDn

— Waterstones (@Waterstones) August 27, 2025

“People have come back to reading and buying books in bookshops as we have made a place which is an enjoyable and effective way to buy books,” says Waterstones CEO James Daunt.

He adds that sales revenues are up 5%, about half of which is down to higher prices. The rest is a result of selling “lots and lots of books”, with younger adults being inspired to pick up a paperback by social media and book clubs in real life.

“They want to do something not staring at a screen and relatively inexpensive, and once people start collecting books they just buy more,” Daunt comments. “BookTok is an easy label to put on it, but this is about people wanting to read and talk about books.”

Good old fashioned books and physical stores are the future of retail. Who'd have thunk it?

Retailers are making the in-store experience feel fresh and relevant for a younger audience, which is fantastic to see, but we shouldn’t forget that the technology and post-purchase experience needs to stack up, although we would say that, wouldn’t we?

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.