Amazon Opens Amazon Books in Seattle

In a new chapter, and a surprising turn up for the books, Amazon have opened up its own new bookstore in Seattle. The books available for sale will retail for the exact same price as they do online, Shelf space for books will be given based on sales, pre-orders, customer ratings, recommendations from sites such as Goodreads, and what staff running the store think as well.

Amazon Books will also feature reviews and recommendations on cards in front of each book. The books themselves will be displayed showing the cover.  Additionally, Amazon Books will sell the full range of Amazon digital products, such as the Kindle and Kindle Fire, though this seems to occupy only a small portion of the store.

• Bookshops will be ‘physical extensions’ of online book business.
• Books will retail at same price as online store
• Will stock bestsellers and reader recommended titles

Welcome To The Real World.

A total of 5,000 books will be stocked at any one time, and shelves will feature book reviews taken from the Amazon website.  “We’ve applied 20 years of online book selling experience to build a store that integrates the benefits of offline and online book shopping,” said Amazon Vice President, Jennifer Cast.

World Domination

If Amazon Books proves to be a hit with customers, Amazon would not be drawn on speculation that they plan to open other real world book shops elsewhere in the country, or globally.

Amazon has spent the last 20 years becoming one of the largest online retailers in existence. It has become synonymous with online sales.

Amazon Books, is based in Seattle’s University Village and will operate 7 days a week.  Amazon insists that Amazon Books will be around for a long time to come.

Rumor Control

The new store has ended years of rumors that Amazon intended to branch  out into traditional bricks and mortar retail units. If Amazon books turns out to be a profitable venture, then some industry observers have speculated it will foreshadow the opening of other physical Amazon stores, covering a far wider range of merchandising categories.

The moves has also upset some traditional book stores as well. James Daunt, the managing Director of traditional book store, Waterstones, has said that he hopes Amazon Books will ‘fall flat on its face.’

Somehow, I can’t see that happening.