Quote:
Originally Posted by murraypaul
a) Who wants to go to a physical store to buy digital goods anyway, the idea just frankly seems silly.
b) They are just cannibalizing sales from someone who has chosen to come into the store, presumably hoping to buy a pBook from them.
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a) Not everyone has internet, or WiFi, or ability or desire to make online payments, or is an adult. It's a niche market, but significant. They might even have been given an ereader as a present or want to read on the phone at the bus stop, on the tube etc.
b) Some bookshops sell stationary, books, audio books (in the past, Amazon's Audible has killed physical and non-Amazon download audio books, only podcasts survive), newspapers, toys etc. Selling ebooks instore too isn't cannibalizing sales, but selling an ebook reader that has someone else's store portal is cannibalizing future sales, hence Waterstones dropping Kindle. I can't see why they thought that was a good idea.
I don't know how a bookshop should change, but the old model is doomed. Internet Only can't compete with Amazon.
If a Nook is used more to read content NOT bought in Barnes & Noble, it's a doubtful product. They'd be better selling ebooks for ANY app or ereader.
Also only a minority of ebook reading is on dedicated ereader devices, mostly eink based. The biggest market is phone users.