How many online booksellers got into the business, simply to open up some shelf space? My guess is that there are quite a few… Those who love books and have previously piled them near high in their homes, garages, and attics, now have a productive and fruitful way to rid themselves of unwanted titles. For bibliophiles, the most rewarding piece of this may be the opportunity to connect a great book with an interested party. Here as an interesting profile about related parties.
Every so often I get an email from some B&M owners asking about bringing their store online (on their own independent site). In every case, I give them an unqualified DO IT!
Now, the key is HOW. For some stores, it makes absolutely no sense to go beyond a basic site with information about the store (hours, location, history, etc). For others, it may be a different story. The cost-benefit analysis for an advanced site is something that should be measured very carefully. The key question will be how are you going to get people to your site and how many will you actually get to visit.
The first question you will ask yourself after you decide to go forward, with any type of site, is what will the design look like and who will do it. To that point, Entrepreneur has posted a nice “starter” article to get you thinking about the subject.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Barnes and Noble CEO, Stephen Riggio, discusses the strength of the book industry, e-books, and the company’s online strategy (without mentioned used book sales). Read NYT article.
