Sales of e-books to smartphones, tablets and dedicated e-readers are on pace to reach $9.7 billion worldwide by 2016, up from $3.2 billion this year, according to a new forecast issued by Juniper Research.

Mobile devices will generate close to 30 percent of all e-book downloads by 2016, Juniper anticipates, crediting increasing tablet penetration as well as the introduction of branded applications like Apple's iBookstore and Amazon.com's Kindle. While smartphones presently generate the majority of e-book downloads, fueled by manga downloads within the Japanese market, Juniper states that mobile handsets are not a primary reading device in other international regions. With storefront operators synchronizing e-book content across multiple devices, however, users will turn to their phones when their e-readers and tablets are unavailable.

Moving forward, Juniper expects that larger bookstore chains will increasingly seek to fuse their digital and physical content sales efforts. "The Barnes & Noble model has been to use its own brand e-reader--and its tablet application--to act as a bridge between online and in-store purchases," report author Dr. Windsor Holden said in a statement. "The other chains are picking up on that, launching their own devices, offering digital coupons to be redeemed in-store, reinforcing the relationship with the consumer."

Juniper adds that the adoption of the EPUB3 standard should create new opportunities for rich media titles and enhanced content across dedicated e-readers. The firm also expects e-book subscription pricing models to proliferate across corporate/educational content.