Brick & Mortar Books Dead?

• Posted by ToddSullivan
• on July 7th, 2009

Saw this and thoughts it was very interesting given the talk out there of the “demise” of brick and mortar book retailers especially as it related to both Barnes and Noble (BKS) and Borders (BGP).

From Media Bistro

After just one week in the Apple App Store, the brand-new Barnes & Noble iPhone app has grabbed the number one slot on the “Top Free Apps” list in App Store’s “Books” category–unseating two Amazon digital reader applications from the top spots.

With the new Barnes & Noble app, readers can shop, read reviews, and explore web-only extras via smartphone. While these rankings are constantly shifting, the new app has overtaken both the Amazon Kindle (AMZN) for iPhone (AAPL) and Amazon-owned Stanza e-reader in popularity–perhaps a good omen for Barnes & Noble’s future in the smartphone market.

Here’s the most geeky and interesting feature on the bookselling app, from the release: “Barnes & Noble has partnered with LinkMe Mobile from Evryx Technologies, Inc. and Spotlight Mobile, Inc. so that users can simply snap a photo to search millions of products. Using the iPhone or iPod touch camera, just snap a photo of the front cover and within seconds get product details, editorial reviews, and customer ratings–even find and reserve a copy in the store closest to you.”

To me this is a tell that there will always be something “tactile” as my friend @wood83 says when it comes to both books and the sales process for them. The Barnes & Noble reader has the advantage of tying the online/store shopping experience together (shame on Borders for not having this done yet). Now this is not a negative for either Apple or Amazon but a huge plus for Barnes. Successfully tying in the web with the store at all levels give them a unique model that is effectively unmatched.

We seem to be in a series of “death of” loops now. Everyday I turn on something electronic I am hearing about the “death of buy and hold”, the “death of value investing”, the “death of (place item here)”. Ignore them all.

Is the book business changing, perhaps forever? Yup. Is the experience of going to a bookstore going away? No.

Disclosure (“none” means no position):Long BGP, none

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