An observation on readers being sold - or not - Page 3

GA Russell · 03-05-2011, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

Defective readers displayed may give the impression the devices aren't durable and reduce potential sales.

That was my first thought as well.

I have yet to see an eInk reader in the wild, but I have twice seen an iPad at McDonald's.

kjk · 03-05-2011, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenMonkey

To address the first post...how many people were actually reading on the ipads? I'd bet they were fiddling with apps, internet, video, or playing games.

Anecdotal evidence means nothing. I can say how many people I see around the Nook counter at B&N, and how it is always staffed with people...but it doesn't mean a whole lot.

Well obviously, some of those people who downloaded 100 million books from iBooks are reading them. And I'm guessing people who are downloading the Amazon Kindle App, which was in the top ten for quite a while in the App Store, are in fact reading on their iPads.

But that's all anectdotal evidence

elcreative · 03-05-2011, 10:18 PM

And then they can practice the noble art of Chapter 11 and store closures... you may dislike 'em but lots of people don't and they're very successful... it's called knowing your business to stay in business... I fear the minority that post/read on MobileRead are far outnumbered by those that spend their time using their tech...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferenczy

...when the Apple stores start putting in magazine racks, book shelves, a kids section/play area, a lounge area (chairs/sofas) and a coffee shop for some refreshing beverages and snacks - then and only then will they be comparable to B&N or Borders etc.

mcrmama · 03-06-2011, 10:46 AM

I will definitely check one out if I see one. I really enjoy going into electronics stores and it sounds like it would be worth seeing. My dad said he saw one on his trip to the US a couple of weeks ago. He has mostly apple products at his house although no readers or iPad yet. He is waiting to see what happens when the 3rd version comes out so although he is an apple guy he doesn't just jump on everything that comes out. He does his research before making a decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by faithbw

If you ever get a chance, you should go to one sometime. I brought my first iPod from an Apple store and the customer service was wonderful. There were tons of working devices so you could get a real feel for how they worked. The staff was very helpful and eager to help. Plus, the design of the store was great too.

tompe · 03-06-2011, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captkjaneway

And as I stated on the other thread, the majority of 'consumers' are seeking to experience the glamour/social acceptance of owning an Apple product due to the perception of the image and really couldn't care less if there were better products about if only they researched. In East London we have a saying that in my opinion suits Apple, 'all fur coat and no knickers', in other words looks expensive and classy, but underneath isn't all that. ;-)

That is how I react if I think the shop is designed to "give me a shopping experience". The first thing I wonder is "what is wrong with the product?"

kjk · 03-06-2011, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

That is how I react if I think the shop is designed to "give me a shopping experience". The first thing I wonder is "what is wrong with the product?"

Really? My reaction is the opposite-if a shop can't be bothered to give a decent shopping experience, why should I trust them to carry decent products, or care about supporting them? I trust Nordstrom a lot more than Kohls.

tompe · 03-06-2011, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjk

Really? My reaction is the opposite-if a shop can't be bothered to give a decent shopping experience, why should I trust them to carry decent products, or care about supporting them? I trust Nordstrom a lot more than Kohls.

Because I select what I buy looking at the product and not at the shop. And if you have a bad product you have to do something to compete and one thing is to spend money on the shopping experience. A good product will sell itself.

wyndslash · 03-06-2011, 05:22 PM

That's true, but why can't you have both?

tompe · 03-06-2011, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wyndslash

That's true, but why can't you have both?

Oh, there can be exceptions. But they seem to be few so the natural reaction seems to be the one I described.

jabberwock_11 · 03-06-2011, 07:07 PM

In all of the stores that I have visited that are selling ebook readers (Best Buy, Target, Borders, and Barnes & Noble) The devices are not only selling, but quite often selling out. The devices on display 95% of the time are working properly (very rarely do I see one defective or dead) and have a pretty heavy traffic flow around them. Maybe it's just that these items sell better in the US than in other countries or maybe it's just in Savannah and San Antonio (the two places that I have frequented recently that I can attest to). In any event, I have seen ebook readers around town, at the airport, and, of course, in the stores. I have seen a good amount of interest, and I tend to think that the devices are well represented, in spite of the fact that a few places have issues with staff being difficult to work with.

TallMomof2 · 03-06-2011, 07:19 PM

I was in two Best Buys recently and the Kindle display was prominent and the functional. Was in a Books a Million last month and it had a prominent, working display of Nook ereaders. My local Targets have non-functioning Kindle and Sony displays.

mr ploppy · 03-07-2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabberwock_11

In all of the stores that I have visited that are selling ebook readers (Best Buy, Target, Borders, and Barnes & Noble) The devices are not only selling, but quite often selling out. The devices on display 95% of the time are working properly (very rarely do I see one defective or dead) and have a pretty heavy traffic flow around them.

Having them out on display and letting people play with them will be the reason they are selling. Filling a shelf with empty, boring-looking grey boxes (and putting them next to the computers) is where the UK shops go wrong. Even a dummy one to poke, like they do with mobile phones, would be better than empty boxes.

snipenekkid · 03-07-2011, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjk

Really? My reaction is the opposite-if a shop can't be bothered to give a decent shopping experience, why should I trust them to carry decent products, or care about supporting them? I trust Nordstrom a lot more than Kohls.

ever eaten in a dive or hole-in-the-wall restaurant and found the most amazing meal and people seem to be the rule in such places? It's because they care about the customer and the product more than wasting money on 100x more floorspace than needed to conduct their business. It's like car dealership showrooms. Yeah those $10M buildings for car dealerships let them sell you vehicles for just $500 over their cost. Only Apple carries that over into the traditional discount retail venues now using the prices in their precious "Apple Stores" to prop up the prices in places such as Walmart.

GeoffC · 03-09-2011, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Having them out on display and letting people play with them will be the reason they are selling. Filling a shelf with empty, boring-looking grey boxes (and putting them next to the computers) is where the UK shops go wrong. Even a dummy one to poke, like they do with mobile phones, would be better than empty boxes.

But the dummy ones, I saw, were working once .....

rleguillow · 03-09-2011, 04:17 PM

On the other hand... I do read ebooks and have an interest in the readers, but... when I go to Barnes and Noble, I'm there for pbooks. I've been very disappointed, the last few times I went to my local B&N, to find that major amounts of geography have been given over to excessive Nook displays (like, 10-12 tables of Nook displays), all of the salespeople seen are seen in the Nook area, and books in this bookstore have been shoved to one side, crammed into the reduced space, and reduced in number because there is no room for them.

My thinking is, by all means, have a good display for ebooks, and someone knowledgeable to answer questions about them and show them off. But since this is a bookstore (about half of which is given over to a coffeeshop, an extensive toy display, cards, lamps, bags and dustcatchers, CDs and DVDs and now Nooks), perhaps a little balance would be a good thing.

One more thing, besides that prices online at BN.com are generally lower than prices in the store, to make me not go into the store. And (pardon my soapbox) it is when I'm in the store that I spend way too much money on books. Online, I find the one I went for and close the sale. I am all for ebooks and ebook readers - but the booksellers sure are shooting themselves in the foot trying to compete with Amazon. IMHO.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Curious Observation	DoctorOhh	Calibre	4	08-11-2010 12:17 AM
Ended SOLD Mint Kindle DX with SFBags Vertical Slip Case SOLD	kalex	Flea Market	0	12-31-2009 11:07 AM
Observation..	AprilHare	Sony Reader	1	11-09-2009 03:12 AM
100,000+ Sony Readers sold in UK?	rhadin	News	31	09-14-2008 01:18 PM
Poll: How many Sony Readers were sold the first day?	Bob Russell	Sony Reader	9	09-28-2006 02:24 PM

03-06-2011, 05:22 PM	#38
wyndslash Wizard Posts: 2,951 Karma: 3000001 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3 wifi, Kindle Fire	That's true, but why can't you have both?

03-06-2011, 07:07 PM	#40
jabberwock_11 Addict Posts: 231 Karma: 1591305 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Savannah, GA USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Aluratek Libre Pro	In all of the stores that I have visited that are selling ebook readers (Best Buy, Target, Borders, and Barnes & Noble) The devices are not only selling, but quite often selling out. The devices on display 95% of the time are working properly (very rarely do I see one defective or dead) and have a pretty heavy traffic flow around them. Maybe it's just that these items sell better in the US than in other countries or maybe it's just in Savannah and San Antonio (the two places that I have frequented recently that I can attest to). In any event, I have seen ebook readers around town, at the airport, and, of course, in the stores. I have seen a good amount of interest, and I tend to think that the devices are well represented, in spite of the fact that a few places have issues with staff being difficult to work with.

03-06-2011, 07:19 PM	#41
TallMomof2 Kindlephilia Posts: 2,017 Karma: 1139255 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Snowpacolypse 2010 Device: Too many to count	I was in two Best Buys recently and the Kindle display was prominent and the functional. Was in a Books a Million last month and it had a prominent, working display of Nook ereaders. My local Targets have non-functioning Kindle and Sony displays.

03-09-2011, 04:17 PM	#45
rleguillow Always Reading Posts: 110 Karma: 1002645 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: North Carolina Device: FW 1192, PRS-700, kobo, Rocket, PRS-650, Nook Glow, Kobo Glo, others	On the other hand... I do read ebooks and have an interest in the readers, but... when I go to Barnes and Noble, I'm there for pbooks. I've been very disappointed, the last few times I went to my local B&N, to find that major amounts of geography have been given over to excessive Nook displays (like, 10-12 tables of Nook displays), all of the salespeople seen are seen in the Nook area, and books in this bookstore have been shoved to one side, crammed into the reduced space, and reduced in number because there is no room for them. My thinking is, by all means, have a good display for ebooks, and someone knowledgeable to answer questions about them and show them off. But since this is a bookstore (about half of which is given over to a coffeeshop, an extensive toy display, cards, lamps, bags and dustcatchers, CDs and DVDs and now Nooks), perhaps a little balance would be a good thing. One more thing, besides that prices online at BN.com are generally lower than prices in the store, to make me not go into the store. And (pardon my soapbox) it is when I'm in the store that I spend way too much money on books. Online, I find the one I went for and close the sale. I am all for ebooks and ebook readers - but the booksellers sure are shooting themselves in the foot trying to compete with Amazon. IMHO.

Advert

Advert