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I have had this post rattling around in my brain for a few days now, being fleshed out and added to all within the confines of my noggin. I finally took the time to sit down and write it all down. There's really no grand master plan behind it; I just, as a customer and consumer, have ideas for brands. I'm sure I'm not the only one. There are countless blog postings scattered around the Internet filled with people's thoughts on products, stores, advertising, and the like. I have plenty of ideas in this brain, but for now, I'm going to post about the beloved Barnes & Noble.
Some of the things I mention might seemed far-fetched or not probable. This posting is just a conversation starter I suppose, and it's a way for me to just write out thoughts. Mainly just because.
So let us begin. Feel free to agree or disagree. It's the human way.
Barnes & Noble (hereafter just B&N) is first and foremost a book seller. Their main product is on the books, and to a lesser extent, magazines. They also try to sell toys, movies, music, and other miscellaneous items. I hate always comparing brands to Apple, but bear with me, because I've been reading the "Inside Apple" book and just got my copy of the Steve Jobs biography back. I got Apple on the brain.
Jobs had his triumphant return back to the prodigal land and turned the brand around; B&N could follow a slightly altered strategy. The companies aren't in the same boat, but both need changes to be made. B&N may be making billions in revenue, but their income is in the red. They also are facing a formidable foe in digital books. More people are jumping on the ebook train while some are crying out the death of printed books. Personally, I believe both can co-exist and work together; it's just like in the past when people thought Microsoft had to fail in order for Apple to be great. It's not true. This isn't Darwinism, with only the stronger medium surviving.
If I were to wake up tomorrow, suddenly being the head person in charge of the book seller (sooo far-fetched, I know, but just pretend) here's a couple things I would be sure to at least attempt or bring up to my peers.
First off, B&N is a book seller and should focus their efforts on this and relevant complementary products and services. I understand there are brands out there who are very diverse in their products and the more you have the more you can serve a customer's needs, but at what point is there too much? Having DVDs and CDs is nice, but is it worth it? Is it taking space away from the main product - the book? Do people go to B&N for CDS/DVDs or browse them after picking up their intended reason? I don't know the financial side of how much the music and movie section makes, but according to a recent NYT article, the current CEO is planning on phasing out these two sections, mostly (he's keeping some in the stores). I am not shedding a tear for the loss of these two as their DVD prices are already pretty high up there. And seeing the competition from Target and Wal-Mart alone on CDs/DVDs, it could be a wise choice. Within two years, we shall see.
Aside from cutting out toys and other miscellaneous items and music and movies mostly, I would still keep the music and movies that are tie-ins. For example, sell the original book, the DVD, the soundtrack, any other related books, such as behind the scenes or reprints and keep them close together. Maybe when the movie comes out, create displays for people to browse. Offer a bundle deal where a customer could buy the original book, movie and soundtrack for a good deal. Or maybe just the movie/soundtrack or book/movie. You get the idea. I would also make a deal for those who want the printed copy but also the digital copy. We are seeing movies do this more and more. For a good price, customers could buy a print copy with a Nook copy for a little extra. Publishers may not like this, but in reality, how many people buy both? A DVD is easy to make a digital copy of but a book is not. Adding the two together is a smart choice in my mind. You get the best of both worlds.
Another item on my make believe list is to create a better atmosphere that's not just focused on selling a book. Apple (yes, back to those guys again), doesn't just sell you a laptop or a phone; they provide support and workshops to really get the most of your new purchase. B&N could do something like this. The stores already host author events such as a book signing but there could be more of these. There could be writing workshops and contests in interested areas. There could be a book club with a book of the month. Readers can come together and talk about books while writers could come together and critique others' writing and learn from one another. There could be professionals who visit with lectures on how to do this or that. By hosting and sponsoring these book-related events, B&N could attract people to the stores for different reasons and while in there, they can browse or maybe discover something new. It all adds to the atmosphere and experience.
B&N has done special edition books before (see: Design*Sponge at Home) but they could try and add more. Having a special edition may attract people away from another retailer if the extras were worth it and the price was still good. Publishers want B&N to survive and throwing them some special edition books could help immensely. Another thing to do is to add more art books. Coffee table books in particular don't translate well to tiny devices. B&N could stock up on adding a bigger selection of big and oversized reading. In addition to special editions and art books, beef up the "bargain books." People love sales and lower price points may help them try out new books. Adding books from all over the world could help strengthen the selection, offering rare books or books from overseas, from big publishers to the little guys.
But for the digital lovers who venture into the store, B&N could take a page from Starbucks, who have a wifi network filled with exclusive content only available in-store. When entering a B&N, a customer could be able to read longer samples of an ebook or there could be books that are available to download while in the store but could be read out the store. If a book has a Nook counterpart, maybe there could be a QR code next to the printed book with a direct link to the Nook store for a sample/buying the ebook. Or maybe if someone buys the ebook while in the store, there could be an option to purchase the print book for an additional charge and vice versa. It would take a lot to get that strategy up, but it could be interesting.
Lastly, the membership program. I just wanted to add in a few contests for winning books or coupons. The program seems pretty good with free shipping (does it offer local pickup though I wonder) and a percentage off certain items. There could be a loyalty program added in however, with points being accumulated and being redeemed for books, soundtracks, etc. or the program could host special members only events. There's such a huge opportunity here!
In closing, some of these ideas seem a little out there or a little crazy while some may make you think it's interesting. Either way, they're out there for the world to read and converse about. Barnes & Noble is a great place and I wish it nothing but the best. As much as I love having my iPad and reading apps, print books always will have a place in my heart.