|
I see this as a possible way for B&N to leverage their strength--their very brick-and-mortarness.
Amazon's strength is pricing, thanks to such things as economies of scale, inventory control (/nonexistence), etc. Perhaps the world is moving toward a time when everybody on the Internet buys their books at amazon.com. This makes a compelling case for publishers to deal with Amazon.
However, there are large numbers of people that don't buy stuff online. They don't hear about new books from online bookstores or social networking sites. They primarily hear about new books by looking around bookstores. Or perhaps they just want instant gratification. This should also be compelling for publishers.
If Amazon gets to leverage their strength, I see no reason for B&N not to leverage their own.
|