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May 27, 2008
Online Bookstore Drama
Borders, as we've noted, has been grasping at new strategies to keep it afloat. The latest is to ditch its long-standing relationship with Amazon to open its own online bookstore. Can Borders possibly gain ground on Amazon? I tend to agree with this sentiment: "'Amazon just dominates,' said Fred Crawford, managing director at turnaround consultant AlixPartners who has studied consumer attitudes toward major booksellers. 'Amazon is nearly unassailable.'"
Amazon, meanwhile, is looking to reinvent book retailing once again with the Kindle. The Kindle has been both praised and reviled - guest contributor Buzz penned a worthwhile take on the initial mania that surrounded the reading device's release last year. A few months on, rhetoric from Amazon continues to suggest that the company sees the device as a game changer and positive reviews are trickling in. Perhaps more importantly, Kindles are back in stock after a long hiatus, and they are now sporting a slimmer price, slashed 10% to $359.
What happens next? It would be foolish to predict, but don't be surprised if a few months from now we have one fewer big bookstore chain. And don't be surprised if, a few years from now, Amazon is still rolling out new mays to sell books.
- C. Max Magee @ 8:51 PM ~ comments: 1 ~ Links to this post
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I understand the romance of paper books, but from a practical point of view, I have 3,000 books and hopefully several decades of book-buying ahead of me. Something has to give or I will have to buy a second home just to hold my books. I'd much rather buy books for the Kindle than cease buying them altogether.
Gayla @ May 28, 2008 6:19 AMSponsor:
