Experts have been suggesting that the line between in-store and online shopping is blurring more and more for a few time now, and Amazon isn’t the first tech giant to be experimenting with physical stores: Google opened its first physical shop on Tottenham Court Road this spring. Amazon said its e-book sales are doing well, but a physical bookstore could be a way to hedge its bets in case consumers do actually prefer the traditional, physical book experience. A few of the titles are favorites of Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chairman and CEO. That means you’ll also be able to walk in and try out Amazon’s Fire Tablets, the Echo smart speaker, and the Fire TV. Prices will match those on Amazon.com.
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Two decades after launching their web store dedicated to books, Amazon is taking their retail game offline.
But Amazon’s move into actual bookstores isn’t good news for Barnes & Noble, the US’s last remaining national chain after Waldenbooks, B. Dalton, and Borders went out of business in recent years.
The store, called Amazon Books, looks a lot like bookstores that populate malls across the country.
The store will have 6,000 titles based on customer reviews, pre-orders and sales on Amazon.com, according to the Associated Press. Most of the books have received a rating of four stars or higher on the site.
The books are displayed face-out, and under each one is a review card with the Amazon.com customer rating and a review.
Amazon said prices will be identical online and at the bookshop, and it encouraged customers to use its mobile application to read reviews and get more information about items. The bookstore will be unveiled on Tuesday, and the name of the store is Amazon Books.
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Amazon has been talking about venturing into physical shop-floor space for a while now, though I don’t think anybody envisioned them to start with a bookstore.
