Last week, Borders jumped back into online retailing with the official launch of their new
Borders.com online store, which has been under development for the past 18 months. Previously, the bookseller redirected their online customers to Amazon as a partner site.
Perhaps one of the most unique features is the flash-based Magic Shelf, which is supposed to enable you to browse and discover titles much the same way you would look for books in a neighborhood brick-and-mortar store.
But is this enough to compete with Amazon, the dominating player in the online book-selling market?
A question for you: When you consider buying a book today, does your mind work in the "bookshelf mode", guided by serendipity where you grab for a book whose title or cover you find most intriguing? Or do you work in the newer "Amazon mode", where you think in categories and browse by ranking and recommendations?
[via
AP and
Techdirt]