Hugendubel: How A Bookstore Takes Off On TikTok

Your employees often answer personal questions about books on TikTok. Why is this so successful?

Sarah Orlandi: Our approach with the TikTok channel is to offer entertainment and at the same time transfer the personal advisory skills of our employees to the digital world.
into the digital world. This provides our followers with real added value and strengthens the Hugendubel brand at the same time.

A book community has formed under the hashtag #BookTok. Is the digital-savvy generation closer to the printed word than you thought?

Sarah: The pandemic has changed a lot in the book industry. Thanks to TikTok and the #BookTok community, reading not only became the perfect hobby in times of isolation, #BookTok also ensured that people could share books together thanks to the large, international community. This has remained to this day and has even grown further. Reading has become an attractive hobby, especially among Gen Z, and buying and collecting books is more popular than ever.

TikTok account creates trust in brand

It is often said that content is more important to the TikTok community than brands. Do you feel that your presence on TikTok makes the Hugendubel brand more present among young people?

Sarah: Hugendubel has always been a strong love brand. We communicate very authentically with our customers across all channels. This also applies to TikTok: The community notices our humorous and approachable content, appreciates its authenticity and the expertise of our booksellers. This creates trust.

Interaction on social media is one thing - but people are not yet in the store. Does your channel motivate people to visit the store?

Sarah: Absolutely! By filming TikToks in our bookstores, we can show and present our locations, but also our work as booksellers. This makes people curious to visit our stores and also makes us interesting as an employer.