Comments on: What big Amazon already does http://elliottback.com/wp/what-big-amazon-already-does/ Internet & Technology Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:40:56 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://elliottback.com/wp/what-big-amazon-already-does/#comment-1304451 Anonymous Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:57:18 +0000 http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=970#comment-1304451 Just an outside commit from an observer, there seems to be a battle of egos going back and forth on your comments. What you guys are talking about is essentially two completely different models. When the creator of Amazon.com (forgive me him name eludes me at the moment) established the business he strived to create a business distinctly different from that of an in store experience. Personally, although I spend most of my days online and have bought multiple products online, have not purchased more than 5 books online, if that, among the hundreds that I own. I enjoy the thrill of handling books, wandering around for a specialty book store or stopping at a big book bookstore just to be surrounded and enveloped by the books. In summary each store, online or in person, carters to a different consumer experience and that like any retail business is where the money is made. Despite the perhaps choice of bad words I found the initial article to be thought providing and inspirational. Just an outside commit from an observer, there seems to be a battle of egos going back and forth on your comments. What you guys are talking about is essentially two completely different models. When the creator of Amazon.com (forgive me him name eludes me at the moment) established the business he strived to create a business distinctly different from that of an in store experience. Personally, although I spend most of my days online and have bought multiple products online, have not purchased more than 5 books online, if that, among the hundreds that I own. I enjoy the thrill of handling books, wandering around for a specialty book store or stopping at a big book bookstore just to be surrounded and enveloped by the books. In summary each store, online or in person, carters to a different consumer experience and that like any retail business is where the money is made. Despite the perhaps choice of bad words I found the initial article to be thought providing and inspirational.

]]> By: Derek Dahlsad http://elliottback.com/wp/what-big-amazon-already-does/#comment-2732 Derek Dahlsad Tue, 23 Aug 2005 19:04:57 +0000 http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=970#comment-2732 I, too, believe Amazon.com is inimitable; that's why my tips aren't parallel to Amazon's activities. "<i>Remaining viable when challenged by Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com for their products</i>" does not equal "do what Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com are doing" -- "remaining viable" simply means being able to make a profit and continue doing business. I'm suggesting bookstores can adjust their own business to increase sales enough that they're not struggling anymore -- it's about how to make an extra ten sales a day so that a bookstore has an extra $1,000 of income every month while cutting $500 in expenses. That'll make the difference between a sustained bookstore and one that's losing $15,000 a year. It's the difference between 2 part-time employees and 4 part-time employees. It's the difference between 7-day-a-week-operation and closing early and on weekends during the summer to save costs. To a small business, it's the difference between life and death; Amazon.com is a competitor, but it's no basis for how to run the business itself. Your comparisons to Amazon.com don't explain why my ideas <i>can't</i> improve a bookstore's bottom line; why can't small bookstores possibly hope to build their reputation with a single buyer? Why will every customer choose to buy used books at Amazon sight unseen and wait for shipping times <i>instead</i> of at a bookstore? Why is the only path for a bookstore to parallel Amazon.com's business or die away? Just because they can't sell as much as Amazon or have the same reputation doesn't mean they can't improve sales by 3%....again, small margins, but it's the difference between an open bookstore and a failed bookstore. I, too, believe Amazon.com is inimitable; that’s why my tips aren’t parallel to Amazon’s activities. “Remaining viable when challenged by Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com for their products” does not equal “do what Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com are doing” — “remaining viable” simply means being able to make a profit and continue doing business. I’m suggesting bookstores can adjust their own business to increase sales enough that they’re not struggling anymore — it’s about how to make an extra ten sales a day so that a bookstore has an extra $1,000 of income every month while cutting $500 in expenses. That’ll make the difference between a sustained bookstore and one that’s losing $15,000 a year. It’s the difference between 2 part-time employees and 4 part-time employees. It’s the difference between 7-day-a-week-operation and closing early and on weekends during the summer to save costs. To a small business, it’s the difference between life and death; Amazon.com is a competitor, but it’s no basis for how to run the business itself.

Your comparisons to Amazon.com don’t explain why my ideas can’t improve a bookstore’s bottom line; why can’t small bookstores possibly hope to build their reputation with a single buyer? Why will every customer choose to buy used books at Amazon sight unseen and wait for shipping times instead of at a bookstore? Why is the only path for a bookstore to parallel Amazon.com’s business or die away? Just because they can’t sell as much as Amazon or have the same reputation doesn’t mean they can’t improve sales by 3%….again, small margins, but it’s the difference between an open bookstore and a failed bookstore.

]]> By: Elliott Back http://elliottback.com/wp/what-big-amazon-already-does/#comment-2730 Elliott Back Tue, 23 Aug 2005 12:17:21 +0000 http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=970#comment-2730 Actually, I think that Amazon.com is inimitable. A small bookseller cannot compete with them on traditionals--i.e., selling books. Instead, a small bookseller will need to do something else, perhaps sell extremely rare books or niche books to survive. As for what <em>your</em> article is about, I quote: <blockquote>I've come up with a list of changes small bookstores can use to increase profits and remain viable when challenged by Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com for their products.</blockquote> So, your article is exactly about helping small booksellers compete with Amazon through the ten or so bullet point steps you have there. All I'm doing here is pointing out that some of the items you think will help a smaller bookseller get an edge <em>over</em> Amazon.com, Amazon.com already does far better than a small seller can. Actually, I think that Amazon.com is inimitable. A small bookseller cannot compete with them on traditionals–i.e., selling books. Instead, a small bookseller will need to do something else, perhaps sell extremely rare books or niche books to survive.

As for what your article is about, I quote:

I’ve come up with a list of changes small bookstores can use to increase profits and remain viable when challenged by Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com for their products.

So, your article is exactly about helping small booksellers compete with Amazon through the ten or so bullet point steps you have there. All I’m doing here is pointing out that some of the items you think will help a smaller bookseller get an edge over Amazon.com, Amazon.com already does far better than a small seller can.

]]> By: Derek Dahlsad http://elliottback.com/wp/what-big-amazon-already-does/#comment-2727 Derek Dahlsad Tue, 23 Aug 2005 01:42:14 +0000 http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=970#comment-2727 Hello! I wanted to point out that my article was titled, "What Small Bookstores Can Do", and does _not_ talk about competing with Amazon.com -- in fact, in several places I pointed out that small bookstores simply cannot compete with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble, and instead must make business changes to fill a void that Amazon and B&N cannot fill in an efficient way. You seem to think that imitating Amazon.com is the way for small business to survive, when Amazon has an entirely different business model than the mom-n-pop bookshop can possibly attempt to imitate. Amazon is place-less, devoted to wide inventory at cut-rate prices; mom-and-pops have a Place, an environment for customers to go to and touch the items they're looking for & see other humans & ask questions of an actual employee on-hand. The two are seperate business-types, with only books in common. Hello! I wanted to point out that my article was titled, “What Small Bookstores Can Do”, and does _not_ talk about competing with Amazon.com — in fact, in several places I pointed out that small bookstores simply cannot compete with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble, and instead must make business changes to fill a void that Amazon and B&N cannot fill in an efficient way. You seem to think that imitating Amazon.com is the way for small business to survive, when Amazon has an entirely different business model than the mom-n-pop bookshop can possibly attempt to imitate. Amazon is place-less, devoted to wide inventory at cut-rate prices; mom-and-pops have a Place, an environment for customers to go to and touch the items they’re looking for & see other humans & ask questions of an actual employee on-hand. The two are seperate business-types, with only books in common.

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