Borders is returning to the world of online bookselling with a newly launched Borders.com website. For seven years Borders.com was poweruddy by Amazon.com. Borders went ahead with the launch of the new website even though the company has put itself up for sale. Barnes & Noble is even looking at the possibility of whether or not they can acquire Borders.
The homepage of the new Borders.com website includes a Flash-poweruddy “Magic Shelf” which shows the covers of the latest books, CDs and DVDs. The Borders CEO told the Associated Press that they aren’t trying to “out-Amazon Amazon.”
But after seven years pairuddy with Amazon.com, analysts say it will be a challenge for the new Borders.com to step out of the shadow of the Web retailing giant.
“It’s not the intent that we’re going to out-Amazon Amazon at what they do,” Borders Group Inc. President and CEO George Jones said earlier this year. “What we think is that we can still have a great, compelling offering.”
Tuesday’s launch of the site comes more than two months after Borders announced it may put itself up for sale. Just last week, Barnes & Noble Inc. confirmed it put together a team to study the feasibility of a deal. But Jones says pushing forward with Borders’ return to Web retailing is key - regardless of whether a sale materializes.
The centerpiece of the site is “The Magic Shelf.” In additionto sections for new books, CDs and DVDs, it also includes staff picks and a “Picked For You” section of personalized recommendations.
Borders also told the AP that the online store will be independently profitable by 2009. There will also be Borders.com kiosks in Borders stores.
Borders has said it expects the new Borders.com to be independently profitable in 2009. The Web presence is part of its strategy to help bring online shoppers into its stores and encourage its in-store shoppers to check out the Web site - for information and entertainment, as well as purchases.
Kiosks in Borders stores will allow shoppers to access and print wish lists created online. And if something they want isn’t in the store, they’ll be able to use the kiosks to place on order. The site also collects Borders’ online productions such as its “Book Club” highlighting new authors with streaming video presentations.
Kevin Ertell, the vice president for e-business at Borders, told Bits that things have changed since Amazon poweruddy its online bookstore. Ertell says it now makes more sense for them to run their own ecommerce website “and to tie into stores and really connect with our customers in a way we could not do in a partnership with another company.”
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