Amazon blends online and offline
Eleven brick-and-mortar stores — and counting. That’s where Amazon Books stands after the opening of its new outpost in New York.
Located on 34th Street across from the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan, the 5,200-sq.-ft. store is part bookstore, part high-tech electronics shop, with a cafe for shoppers to linger in.
The space has a modern look, with accent lighting and wood flooring, fixtures and display tables. There is a spacious children’s area, set off with carpeting and cozy seating. Coffee (from hipster fave, Stumptown Coffee Roasters) and other beverages, along with pastries and snack items, are sold in the cafe, which has both table and counter seating.
More than a traditional bookstore, Amazon Books is a direct extension of the online giant’s digital book-buying experience. The integration of digital and physical retail is evident throughout the store, from customer reviews on product nameplates to integration of the Amazon app in the overall shopping experience.
The new location features about 3,700 titles. The selection is based on a combination of factors, including Amazon.com customer ratings, pre-orders, sales, popularity on Goodreads — the company’s review/recommendation site — and its own curators’ assessments.
In a departure from the traditional spine-out presentation, the books are placed on the shelves with their covers facing out. Under each book is a small card with a sampling of a customer review from Amazon.com, along with its star rating (most of the titles in the store are rated four stars or higher) and the number of reviews it has received.
The label also includes a bar code that customers can scan with their smartphone, via the Amazon app, to see the price, more details on the book’s ratings and additional reviews.
Curated: What sets Amazon Books apart from conventional bookstores is how it’s curated. Similar to Amazon’s online offerings, the books are displayed in a variety of categories, with titles appearing in multiple sections. The store features all the standard categories, such as New Nonfiction, Cooking, Travel, Science Fiction, Self Improvement, Young Adult, etc.
But Amazon’s vast storehouse of data also allows for more unusual selections. Customers will also find such categories as Highly Rated (4.8 stars and above), Page Turners (books Kindle readers finished in three days or less), 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime, and Goodreads’ Most-Read Classics. In another adaptation of an online feature, one display is devoted to recommendations based on books the customer has already read — If You Like, You’ll Love This. Data also allows Amazon to add a local element to each location.
Gadgets: However, books are only part of the merchandise mix. The store also serves as a showcase for all of Amazon’s tech products, from Fire television and the Alexa Smart Home system to Echo and the Kindle e-reader, and related accessories.
The items are displayed on tables and stands, making it easy for customers to test drive — and hopefully buy — the products. Several displays are devoted to accessories. And plenty of associates are hovering around to answer questions.
Amazon Prime members have the advantage when it comes to pricing, paying the same price for items while in Amazon Books as they would on Amazon.com. For non-Prime customers, Amazon devices are the same price as on Amazon.com, but books and other items are sold at list price.
Customers can look up prices on the pricing scanners located throughout the store or by using the app. Goods can be paid for with a credit card or charged to the customer’s Prime account. The store doesn’t accept cash.
Amazon Books will open two more locations in 2017, at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, and at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., giving it a total of 13 by the end of the year. Amazon would not comment on how many bookstores it plans to open in 2018.