Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
There is nothing to stop B&N from stocking ebook download codes on cards in their stores. Put a rack with the cards right next to the pbooks so people can browse and choose to buy the print or the ebook edition right there; just take the card to the register, have the card activated, and the user then inputs the download code on their Nook when they get home. A nice way to capture impulse buys in-store.
(Or they could give each Nook user a loyalty card tied to their Nook--activating the ebook card at the checkout and running the Loyalty card queues the download automatically. Lots of ways to integrate ebooks and B&M retail.)
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Yes, and while it may or may not be a total success they need to at least try some of these things. They could even offer cards 'on demand' (like they do with gift cards where you choose the amount) where they print the holder for the card in store for less popular books that they might not stock a pre-printed card for. This would allow them to capture some potential lost sales from people who come looking for a title that they don't have in stock who then go home and order it somewhere else. (not all of course some will want to pbook no matter what which is fine)
This is primarily how B&N lost most of my business to Amazon years ago. I'd go there looking for a book (often a new release) only to be told "we don't have that" "we don't get some new releases until a few weeks/months after release", etc. they would of course offer to order it, but it was just easier to go home and order it from Amazon. I'd actually never bought a book from Amazon until that kind of thing became prevalent at B&N and Borders as they devoted less and less of their square footage to books.