Amazon Opening Up To 400 Brick And Mortar Bookstores
Have you ever tried to pitch the merits of an ebook reader to a book lover who wants nothing to do with digital print? To them, it's the dead tree model or bust, and for various reasons—it could be the feel of the book or the smell of the papers, or even just an aversion to electronic devices. Whatever the case might be, paper bound books are still popular among many folk, and Amazon may try to capitalize on the trend by opening up brick and mortar book stores.
Nothing is carved in stone, but according to a person who's supposedly been briefed on the plans and spoke with The New York Times on the condition of anonymity, Amazon was encouraged with its sole bookstore in Seattle and is now looking at opening up several hundred physical book stores.
The source's knowledge was corroborated by Sandeep Mathrani, chief executive of the mall operator General Growth Properties, who spoke with analysts about foot traffic earlier in the week. According to Mathrani, Amazon's goal is to open "300 to 400 bookstores," though he didn't elaborate or say where he heard about those plans.
Amazon's sole bookstore in the University Village shopping mall in Seattle is home to thousands of books, which is just a small fraction of how many Amazon sells on its website. They also tend to be the more highly rated books with customer ratings of four stars or higher.
Assuming Amazon uses the same model for the stores it plans to open, prices of books will be the same whether purchased in a brick and mortar location or on the company's website. Where it gets tricky is with the ever changing prices on Amazon's website, though visitors to a retail location will be able to use a mobile app to scan a book and make sure it matches up in cost with its online equivalent.
Nothing is carved in stone, but according to a person who's supposedly been briefed on the plans and spoke with The New York Times on the condition of anonymity, Amazon was encouraged with its sole bookstore in Seattle and is now looking at opening up several hundred physical book stores.
The source's knowledge was corroborated by Sandeep Mathrani, chief executive of the mall operator General Growth Properties, who spoke with analysts about foot traffic earlier in the week. According to Mathrani, Amazon's goal is to open "300 to 400 bookstores," though he didn't elaborate or say where he heard about those plans.
Amazon's sole bookstore in the University Village shopping mall in Seattle is home to thousands of books, which is just a small fraction of how many Amazon sells on its website. They also tend to be the more highly rated books with customer ratings of four stars or higher.
Assuming Amazon uses the same model for the stores it plans to open, prices of books will be the same whether purchased in a brick and mortar location or on the company's website. Where it gets tricky is with the ever changing prices on Amazon's website, though visitors to a retail location will be able to use a mobile app to scan a book and make sure it matches up in cost with its online equivalent.
