This week, I had the pleasure to guest post over at Book Business Magazine. I wrote an article titled, “Publishers Need To Match The Amazon Experience To Grow D2C Sales.” Below is an excerpt with a link to the complete article. Take a moment to read this important information.
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More than ever before, publishers are attempting to sell books directly to consumers. But, what if this trend plays right into Amazon’s hands? What if the effort to shift sales away from Amazon actually gives them more power? Could the direct-to-consumer (D2C) movement backfire and create a worse dynamic in the industry?
We live in an era when ecommerce is being perfected by Amazon, Apple, Wal-Mart, and other innovative retailers. Consumers can buy with one-click, get free two-day shipping, purchase goods at ridiculously low prices, return items at no charge, and even receive same-day delivery in major cities. The standards set to win marketshare are higher than ever and consumers expect these terms. Publishers who wade into the ecommerce world must put their best foot forward. Otherwise, they will wind up steering consumers right back to Amazon.
I recently conducted an informal D2C study for my consulting clients and visited over 25 publisher websites of various sizes and genres. I subscribed to each publisher’s email newsletter and tested buying a book at their online stores. But, I was shocked by the amount of problems I encountered that diminished the online shopping experience. The issues could be summed up by these big concerns…
Click here to read the complete article
