For the past year, PlayCollective and Digital Book World have tracked the steady growth of e-reading among families with children 2-13, and parents’ increasing belief in the beneficial power of ebooks. PlayCollective has also watched the growing intersection between physical and digital in education, helping parents, educators, and content providers understand the evolution of kids as digital learners. How are parents’ attitudes changing toward e-reading and mobile devices for kids? What trends and themes in the broader education ecosystem do digital publishers need to integrate into development and marketing plans? Alison Bryant, CEO and Chief Play Officer of PlayCollective, will present findings from the third round of research DBW research and will tie that into her insights into learning across platforms – delivering a byte-size overview of kids, e-reading and learning

1. FROM PAGE FLIP TO SCREEN SWIPE:
10 KEYS TO EBOOKS AND
LEARNING

2. 1
Kids’ e-reading continues to grow
• In 2013, the percentage of active e-reading kids 13 and
under increased from 54% to 67%.
• This extrapolates into a consumer base of approximately
36 million US children.
What percentage of children read ebooks?
• A generation of avid
child e-readers is
finally among us!

3. 2
Kids now e-read with greater frequency
• Not only has weekly e-reading increased, but daily ereading has increased across all ages as well.
• 50% of e-reading 2-5 year olds are now enjoying digital
reading daily, and 44% of older kids are doing the same.
How many children use e-readers at least once a day?

4. 3
The gap between print and digital is narrowing
• Parents still show a marked
preference for print books,
especially when co-reading with
their kids.
• Children, however, show a
strong and growing preference
for digital books over print
books.
Do parents prefer print books or ebooks?

5. 4
Tablets remain the preferred e-reading device
• Tablets continue to reign as children’s primary digital
reading platform, and ownership of these devices has
increased over the past year (82% vs 72% in Q4 2012).
• However, access to dedicated e-readers has shown a
material increase (from 41% to 64%).
Which of the following do parents have in their house?

6. 5
Dedicated children’s devices make a strong
showing for the youngest e-readers
• For children 5 and younger,
dedicated children’s e-readers
are a popular choice, with 78% of
this age group indicating that
such a device is preferred.
• These numbers seem to be
driven by ownership levels, as
38% of 2-5 year old e-readers
“personally own” such devices.
Which devices do 2-5 year olds read
ebooks on at least once a week?

7. 6
Parents believe in the positive potential of ebooks
• Parents feel that ebooks can make their children more
interested in reading (85%), more motivated to read or
better readers (80%), and improve their children’s reading
abilities (78%).
How much do parents agree that ebooks have the following impact?

8. 7
Parents remain willing to pay for content
• Parents expressed continued willingness to purchase quality
full-price ebooks and subscription plans, now opting slightly
less often for free versions and library rentals.
How likely are parents to adopt these purchase models for ebooks (scale of 1 to 10)?

9. 8
Children are the primary driver of parental
consideration
• Although parents are still the
primary purchasers, they are
more likely than ever to
follow their children’s desires
in selecting what to read.
• Consequently, even when
parents are buying ebooks
alone, their children’s
preferences are by far the
top factor in selecting an
ebook to purchase.
How do parents typically select a new ebook
for their children?

10. 9
But price, reviews and past experience are the top
factors in parental purchase decisions
• Price is the number one factor in driving purchases, with
positive reader reviews and previous experience with an
author rounding out the top three factors.
What factors are important when deciding whether to pay for an ebook?

11. 10
Increased pricing power reflects the overall
positive trends in the kids’ e-reading market
• On average, parents now pay
$7.00 for a children’s ebook, a
marked increase over the past
year (from $5.37 in Fall 2012).
• However, this is still $2.00 to
$3.00 less than what parents
will spend for print books.
• Parents seem most comfortable
purchasing ebooks priced
between $3.50 and $9.00.
How much do parents expect to pay for
children’s apps and ebooks?

12. THANK YOU!
Questions? Contact: Alison@playcollective.com and
Paul@playcollective.com
Full report is available for purchase at
Store.DigitalBookWorld.com: http://bit.ly/1kxOIjd