Actually, consumers accept more restrictive product markets all the time. All that market has to do is offer them something they cannot get through less-restrictive markets. Perfect example: Cable (or satellite) television, much more restrictive than broadcast TV, but in offering hundreds of channels, became preferred over broadcast TV by most consumers.
With ebooks, Amazon would be a good example of a more restrictive marketer that wins by tying their ebooks into a seamless delivery system (the Kindle) and well-ordered infrastructure to facilitate shopping and purchasing. Amazon's system single-handedly catapulted ebook use into high gear, a valid proof of concept.
Companies know that consumers don't always ask for what they really want, will often settle for "the closest thing" to what they want, and that well-done packaging and marketing can sell almost anything. This puts a lot of wiggle-room in the ultimate outcome of the ebook market: It can easily be swayed by the right marketing efforts directed at consumers, not necessarily the consumers' actual desires.
|