![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/www.retailpro.com\/News\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/amazon-is-one-of-the-few-large-retailers-to-grow-faster-than-_16000653_800818468_0_0_14055257_300.jpg\")
<\/a>Amazon is one of the few large retailers to grow faster than smaller merchants.<\/p><\/div>\n
So far, only one book store has opened its doors, at that\u2019s in Seattle. Most of the news reports have mentioned the store\u2019s unconventional way of displaying books: front cover outward. That, of course, lessens the number of books on display, but online shoppers are accustomed to being \u201cgreeted\u201d by a book\u2019s cover, rather than its spine. It makes sense to me there might be a correlation between seeing a cover and buying a book.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not a new idea; independent booksellers have \u2014 and do \u2014 display books that way, but it does limit how many books can be kept in stock. But criticizing Amazon for making such a \u201cretail newbie\u201d mistake, as some have, is ridiculous. Only 5,000 to 6,000 books will be sold at Amazon Books, a small number compared with other bookstores. But Amazon seems to be using the stores as a physical implementation of \u201csuggested for you,\u201d as it offers 32.8 million books for sale in varying formats: paperbacks, hardcover, Kindle, audio CD, board books and audio books. Clearly, it via its omnichannel strategy, it can provide any book desired.<\/p>\n
Indeed, some of the criticism seems petty, but booksellers are smarting from 20 years of online competition for which it was unprepared. Some suggest there\u2019s not much new going on in the stores, citing, for example, the brief recommendations from Amazon reviews on cards by each book (hand-scripted employee selections are staples in independent bookstores).\u00a0Seems to me that\u2019s simply implementing a best practice of making a personal connection using a low-tech method. As author Charles Caleb Colton said, \u201cImitation is the sincerest form of flattery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others have suggested the store set-up is not conducive to shopping, noting, for example, the tables were placed too close to the entrance, discouraging browsing. But most people don\u2019t go to the bookstore for a quick hit \u2014 it\u2019s generally a destination. That doesn\u2019t mean shoppers want to play hide and seek. Allowing customers to find a book quickly makes them happy, and should not dissuade them from shopping further.<\/p>\n
In fact, reports on the stores seem to indicate Amazon is attempting to put the customer first. Making the atmosphere appealing with books easy to find, and at prices in line with those online seems to add up to a positive customer experience. A bit of the fault-finding is unsubstantiated, like the inference the stores will not have knowledgeable staff members. Take the comments of John Mutter, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the book industry newsletter Shelf Awareness in GeekWire:<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be interesting to see how the book retailer that relies on algorithms and readers\u2019 recommendations and cold sales metrics will do in a brick-and-mortar space, where customers are used to dealing with booksellers who love books and have a lot of personal knowledge of the kind that is opposite of Amazon\u2019s corporate approach.<\/em><\/p>\n It will also be interesting to see how brick and mortar responds to Amazon\u2019s algorithm of customer service, price and selection, this time in \u201creal life.\u201d After years of missed opportunities to engage customers, perhaps it is this push by an online giant, which heavily relies on business\u00a0intelligence, that will spur booksellers to try and to implement new ways of delighting their customers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Online retail giant Amazon recently opened a brick and mortar store. The ecommerce behemoth has ventured into territory where others have failed to trun a profit \u2014 RIP Waldenbooks and Borders. But what if the stores aren\u2019t aiming to make … Continue reading