The world’s largest online retailer has just announced Chicago as its next location following store openings in Seattle, San Diego and Portland – and they aren’t stopping there.
CEO Jeff Bezos said back in May that he “definitely” plans to open “additional stores”.
The book giant is also setting up a series of pick-up locations at college campuses throughout the US.
So why is a company, whose dominance put many physical bookstores out of business, “setting up shop”?
Paper beats tech
Despite Amazon’s huge online presence, analysts say it needs to work hard to keep up its growth and find new customers.
E-commerce in the US only accounts for 8% of total retail sales according to the US Census Bureau.
A new study also proves we still prefer print, even with Facebook, Netflix and other social media vying for our attention.
The survey of 1520 people by the US-based Pew Research Center found 65% had read a printed book in the past year, the same as 2012.
Another 28% had opted for an e-book while 14% had listened to an audiobook.
Print still going strong
“I think if you looked back a decade ago, certainly five or six years ago when e-books were taking off, there were folks who thought the days of the printed book were numbered, and it’s just not so in our data,” Lee Rainie, the director of internet, science and technology research for Pew Research said.
Though 6% said they only read books in a digital format, a huge 38 per cent still read books exclusively in print.
No wonder Amazon is going into “real-life” books.
Which do you prefer – print or digital? Let us know in the comments below.
