Local bookstore website

[dthomsen8]

Is there any reason to believe that a local bookstore can compete with Amazon or Borders by offering a large selection of books with a shopping cart on a website, however well done?

It seems to me that a local bookstore has a natural market with its neighborhood and regional market, but competing with the bookstore giants on their own turf is unlikely to succeed. The website can promote foot traffic, but not the purchase of books online for customers far away.

What do you think?

[LoisWakeman]

I agree. Stores like that need either to trade on their location or by selling niche books or having specialist expertise - I don't think they can hope to compete with Amazon or the like for mass-market general items. It's all about USP.

[ktinkel]

Hard to see how, unless they have a solid niche in some category with fans. Nowadays, you can get almost anything from Amazon or Barnes & Noble online in two days, at a discount, possibly postage-free.

In fact, what local dealer would want to try to compete with the big guys?

[Michael Rowley]

KT:

what local dealer would want to try to compete with the big guys?

The local bookshop has one advantage over people like Amazon: it's local. That means that people can read before they buy. If the shop stocks what people tend to buy locally, that can be a big advantage, for of course it can't compete on the range of books available. A lot of Amazon's books sell at no, or little, less than a good local bookshop can sell it at, and often when postage is charged it costs more from Amazon & co.

[ktinkel]

Originally Posted by Michael Rowley

The local bookshop has one advantage over people like Amazon: it's local.

Ah, but that was not the question.

[Michael Rowley]

KT:

Ah, but that was not the question

But it suggested the answer to it: by all means advertise your service on a Web site, emphasizing your ability to supply any book in print and your strong lines, but don't try to set up a mail order delivery service.

[ElyseC]

If they can offer online order for in-store pick-up same day, then they might have something to offer — to local customers.

I could see myself using such a service. There are times I've wished for it. BestBuy.com does that for many items they sell, but the reason I've never bought from them that way is because their online prices haven't reflected in-store sale prices whenever I've checked. IMHO, the price has to be the same whether purchased on line or in the store. Also, the transaction should be absolutely complete on line, so that the trip into the store means simply showing the transaction's printed receipt or giving an order number, then being handed the bagged product, nothing left to do but walk out the door.

[Michael Rowley]

the trip into the store means simply showing the transaction's printed receipt or giving an order number, then being handed the bagged product, nothing left to do but walk out the door

Oh, Elyse! Only charity prevents me from calling you a philistine! Half the charm of buying books in a bookshop is that you can browse through a dozen books and not buy any of them; on the other hand, you might go into a shop meaning only to buy one book (perhaps a must-have dictionary) and end up with four.

[ElyseC]

Originally Posted by Michael Rowley

Oh, Elyse! Only charity prevents me from calling you a philistine! Half the charm of buying books in a bookshop is that you can browse through a dozen books and not buy any of them; on the other hand, you might go into a shop meaning only to buy one book (perhaps a must-have dictionary) and end up with four.

It is charming to get to browse leisurely and definitely what I want to do when I have time. When I know exactly what I want, however, and don't have time to sink into shopping (which is the usual state of affairs), I want to get what I want and get onto the next task. Bookstore browsing with a six year old active son is not my nor his idea of a fun time. The books I'm interested in are located far from the children's section and I'm not about to let him wander out of my sight, even if we do live in a less crime-ridden area of the country.

Now, eight or so years down the road when he's at least 14, it'll probably be a different story. My husband and I, before parenthood, used to spend hours at a time browsing bookstores.

[terrie]

elyse:If they can offer online order for in-store pick-up same day, then they might have something to offer — to local customers.

I think it's a great idea too...with the caveat that the pricing be the same...

I ran into that with Books A Million.

I had an American Express gift card and wanted to buy a book. I did a shopping search looking for the best price and BAM had it at a good price (online) and I remembered that there is a BAM store quite near me so went over and they didn't have it in stock but would order it for me and it would arrive in a couple of days.

They let me know it had arrived and I went it and handed them my gift card and she says I owe her more--the gift card was for $50 and the book was supposed to be $23-$25--and I said what the book was supposed to cost and she said, that's the online price.

I was really pissed and told them I didn't want the book if I had to pay twice the price that I would have paid had I ordered it from THEM online.

Supposedly they credited the gift card but when I tried to use it 20 minutes later at another store, the card didn't have any funds on it.

Took 3 weeks!!! to get the card value restored...

I've never shopped at BAM--either online or locally--since...

Terrie