IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 51

AMAZON GETS PHYSICAL
Independent bookstores are having a renaissance-and
Amazon is getting in on the action. By the end of 2017,
the e-commerce giant is expected to own at least eight
small-scale bookstores across the United States. But,
while some of the design choices for Amazon Books seem
like a copy and paste of neighborhood bookshops, others
are a leap forward.

Independent
Bookstores
Are Up ...

30%
increase in
the amount of
independent
bookstores
since 2009

WHAT'S FAMILIAR
* Pint-size footprint: The Amazon Books store in
Seattle, Washington, USA occupies only 7,500 square
feet. Barnes & Noble stores average 26,000 square feet.
* Linger-longer vibe: An airy interior, ample seating
by the windows, and a sizable kids' section with play
tables encourage customers to sit and stay awhile.

Photo by: (top) John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

WHAT'S NEW
* Forward-facing shelves: Wide bookshelves show off
the smaller selection of highly curated books. Instead
of being arranged spine out, all books are placed face
out on the shelves with a review card showing the online
customer rating and a review.
* Price-check stations: To soothe fears that customers
might find a better price online, the brick-and-mortar
stores feature dynamic pricing. (Prices for products
often vary by the minute, so dynamic pricing reflects the
real-time price.) When customers scan a book's barcode
using the Amazon app, the in-the-moment price appears.
To highlight the dynamic pricing strategy for customers,
Amazon Books has both instructive signs displayed on
shelf caps and price-check stations throughout the store.
* Everything e-reader: Book-lovers considering an
e-reader can compare Kindle and Fire tablet models,
try out one of the e-readers that are tucked into store
shelves, or swing by the Amazon Answers counter (think
Apple Store Genius Bar) with questions.
* Iterative recommendations: While independent
stores mainly feature staff picks, Amazon has taken its
algorithm for recommending books offline. Designers
supplemented traditional shelf signs (Fiction, Black
History Month) with ones like "If you like John
Grisham..."

10%

increase in sales
at independent
bookstores in 2015

... While Digital
Sales Are
Stumbling

18.7%

decrease in
digital sales over
the first three
quarters of 2016
(e-reader ownership
has been stagnant
for the past
three years)

37%

of book buyers ages
18 to 24 want to
spend less time on
digital devices
Sources: American Booksellers
Association, Publishers Weekly,
Association of American Publishers

spring/summer 2017

perspective

51



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017

IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017
Contents
From IIDA
Next
World View
Sum of Its Parts
Talk, Talk
Pre/Post
Data Viz
A Common Good
Pop Goes Design
A New School of Thought
Balancing Act
Scratch Pad
Insider Intel
Sound Bytes
IIDA News + Updates
Why This Design Works
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Next
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 8
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 10
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - World View
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Sum of Its Parts
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Talk, Talk
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Pre/Post
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Data Viz
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 22
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - A Common Good
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 26
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 30
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Pop Goes Design
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 34
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - A New School of Thought
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 40
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Balancing Act
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Scratch Pad
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Insider Intel
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Sound Bytes
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - IIDA News + Updates
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - 55
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Why This Design Works
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2017 - Cover4
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