For bookshops

Browsers become
buyers

sortYa Books gives every customer the experience of talking to your most well-read staff member — finding the right book from your actual shelves, every visit.

A tablet kiosk on your shop floor. We handle everything — setup, stock connection, the kiosk itself. You don't touch a thing.

Request a free trial See how it works

The problem

Hundreds of spines.
No way in.

Bookshop shelves packed with hundreds of books

A customer walks in open to something new. Faced with a wall of spines — no covers, no blurbs, nothing to grab onto — most feel lost. They browse for a while, default to something familiar, or leave empty-handed. The right book was there all along.

~40 min

spent browsing — yet most leave with a book they already had in mind

Placer.ai foot traffic data

39%

of readers know the genre they want — and most don't know where to go from there

Statista, US book purchasing survey

1 in 4

purchases comes down to an author they already know — not a new discovery

Nielsen Books & Consumer Survey 2024

"It's not that the right book isn't in the store. It's that there's no way to get to it without already knowing what you're looking for."

Why it matters

What changes when every browser
finds their book

A customer who finds something they love doesn't just buy it — they come back, and they tell people. That starts with getting them to the right shelf.

For your store
📖

Browsers become buyers

Most people who leave empty-handed weren't looking for something you didn't have — they just couldn't find it. sortYa closes that gap.

For your store
🎓

New staff, deep knowledge — from day one

A new bookseller can't have read everything on your shelves. With sortYa, they don't have to — every customer gets a recommendation as good as your most well-read person.

For your store
✦

Your passion, always present

Independent bookshops win on curation and expertise. sortYa puts that expertise in front of every customer — not just the ones who catch you when you're free.

For your store
📡

Know what your customers want

When people ask for authors, genres, or titles you don't carry, you'll know. Real demand data — in plain language — to inform your buying decisions.

For your store
↗

More returning customers

A customer who discovers something unexpected — a book they'd never have found alone — remembers where they found it. That's the kind of loyalty big chains can't buy.

For your customers
🙌

Help when it's busy

No waiting for a free staff member. Customers get a thoughtful recommendation the moment they want one, however busy the shop.

For your customers
🔓

A way in, not just a wall of spines

Mood, pace, what they loved last time — simple prompts that make a huge selection feel navigable rather than overwhelming.

For your customers
✨

Discovery they wouldn't find alone

Customers leave with books they genuinely love — titles they'd never have pulled off the shelf themselves. That's what makes a visit memorable.

"The right book was there all along — sortYa just makes sure every customer finds it."

The sortYa Books promise

What it does

Your most well-read staff member,
for every customer

Via a tablet kiosk on your shop floor — customers type freely, recommendations come from what's actually on your shelves.

📖

Recommends from your shelves

Not a bestseller list — sortYa pulls from what you actually stock. Every recommendation is a book a customer can pick up right now.

✦

Guided by mood and taste

Simple prompts — pace, mood, last book they loved — narrow the whole shop down to a handful of right answers for that specific customer.

↗

Captures what customers ask for

Every session is a data point. Titles, authors, and genres people request — including things you don't carry — logged and readable at a glance.

The trial

Zero risk. Real results.

We're running free trials with a small number of independent bookshops. Here's how it works.

✓ Completely free

No cost for the full trial period

Zero financial commitment — we absorb everything while you evaluate.

✓ No disruption

Works alongside your existing setup

No changes to how you run your store. The kiosk slots in, nothing comes out.

✓ 4–6 weeks

Full before-and-after report

We agree on your baseline before we start. The report is yours to keep, whatever you decide.

✓ Your data stays yours

We know books. Not your business.

Sales, stock, customers — none of it leaves. Ever.

Get in touch

Request a free trial

We're onboarding a small number of bookshops at a time — no cost, no lock-in, and a full before-and-after report yours to keep.

● Trial spots are limited — we're onboarding a handful of stores at a time.

Have a question?

contact@sortya.com.au