Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell
I disagree with the BBC's point quoted in post #29 above that people buy from Amazon because their prices are lower.
I believe that people shop at Costco (and their competitors) because of their lower prices.
I believe that people buy from Amazon because
a) you can count on Amazon's books to be cleaner (as in, relatively germ-free), and
b) one-stop shopping is easier.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc
c) I don't have to leave my house.
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I've never heard a) come up as a factor. How many books does Howie Mandel buy, anyway....? Seriously, though I can't believe this is a significant factor among the mass market. We buy used suff at flea markets and on eBay for goodness sake.
I DO think price is a factor and that amazon IS often cheaper than many other options, and low prices were certainly what helped them grow when they started.
But I agree that price is no longer the main thing. For myself, as long as Amazon is reasonably competitively priced compared to other options (if there ARE other options!) I can usually get a book faster from Amazon than ordering at my local B&N, and sometimes the convenience is the main thing. I can remember to stop at the mall, deal with parking, hope they have it in stock, or I can click "Buy" and be done with it.
ETA: And I mean click "Buy" on Amazon, not on B&N's site. Amazon.com is simply a far better eCommerce browsing experience than...well...anything else. Maybe that's related to the b) one stop shopping factor.