Borders Group, owner of the chain of Borders book stores, has been “in play”, as they say, for awhile but last week Barnes & Noble indicated that it will not be the suitor of its number one (physical) competitor. See, for example:
Barnes & Noble not interested in buying Borders Group, newspaper reports
Jim and I have a particular nostalgic reason for wanting to see Borders continue to exist and prosper. The Borders store on Michigan Avenue, across from Water Tower Place, provided most all of the books from which we learned about theatre, so great were its stacks on the subject. It just happened that we each had a number of (separate) trips to Chicago during the writing of The Experience Economy, and once Jim discovered the treasure trove of theatre tomes available there, he alerted me, and we made it a practice to seek out new ones every time we were there. Without that particular store, it is doubtful we could’ve written three chapters on the subject!
So, in honor of that contribution to our body of thought, let me make this suggestion for who should buy Borders: Amazon.com! Truth be told, these days almost all my books are bought via Amazon — even when I discover a book in Borders (or Barnes & Noble, more likely), I usually write down it’s name and author, and then buy it from Amazon.com for home delivery. (Most of my book browsing still happens when I travel, and it’s so nice not to have to carry the weight home.) That also enables Amazon to learn more about my book purchases, and better refine its mass customized recommendations, something I value highly.
But Amazon today has experience places only in the bottom half of our Placemaking Portfolio from Chapter 8 of Authenticity — virtual places, that is. While it is certainly a valid strategy to remain solely virtual, I think Amazon could, one, greatly enhance the Borders physical experience, and two, greatly benefit from having a physical presence, but one geared to selling its tremendous back-end warehousing and shipping capabilities. Many people (including me) still enjoy browsing physical books, feeling the touch of the paper while examining the flow of the thought, and Amazon could certainly make it a much better experience than it is today.
Plus, it would get over any qualms that the remaining remant of non-Internet buyers might have about Amazon.com, as it would render the company more real.
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I think Amazon and Borders would be a great match as well. We do the vast majority of our book-buying for business and pleasure online through Amazon. That said - there is nothing online that can replace the sensory enagagement that Borders provides through their cafe and comfortable “browsing/seating” areas. A simply sumptuous way to spend a rainy Saturday. -SD-