Bricks-and-mortar shops are disappearing. At least, that seems to be the consensus. And it has immediate implications for book-selling, which is something of concern to all of us. But how true is that commonly held view? And what happens when the bigger chains (Target, Walmart etc) venture into Amazon’s arena?
A fascinating infographic by RedBrain answers that question. The key takeaway for me was just how hard it is for a traditional shop to challenge Amazon’s hegemony. For example, Target has in-store sales of $68bn vs. online ones of a mere $4bn. Walmart has a similar experience, with respective sales of $462bn vs. $15bn. And Kroger has an online revenue of just $22 million compared to $100 bn of in-store sales!
The original infographic and sources can be found on Redbrain’s blog.
robbiecheadle said:
Thanks for sharing this, Nicholas. Amazon is so well know an established I honestly don’t think it will make much difference for them or for us. We all use Amazon for our books even though it isn’t the best deal for authors; we know which side our bread is buttered.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
You’re not wrong…
LikeLiked by 1 person
rijanjks said:
There is no question Amazon is King. I have also heard that Amazon is opening Brick and Mortar stores. Rumors are floating around that they may acquire the struggling Barnes & Noble company. There’s no answer as far as fighting them. It’s too late.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
True, at least as far as online sale go, although I suspect they may struggle with bricks & mortar. We’ll see!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don Massenzio said:
Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this great post from Nicholas Rossis’ blog with a great infographic showing in-store vs. online sales
LikeLiked by 1 person
debyfredericks said:
The issue is more complicated than just brick-and-mortar vs. online shopping. Although local shops of all sorts, not just books, have to adapt, I don’t see them ever going away. For one thing, you have to wait for delivery when ordering online. For another, not everyone has Internet or wants to do their shopping that way. Some people just want to hold the thing and futz with it before they buy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Oh, absolutely. I can’t imagine a future where no brick-and-mortar shops exist.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jacquie Biggar said:
Thing is I’d like to see stats on the online growth rate of these other stores. Amazon may be the King for now, but will it last?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
That’s the thing with all these mega-companies, isn’t it? They seem to disappear almost as fast as they appear!
LikeLiked by 1 person
tracikenworth said:
Reblogged this on Where Genres Collide.
LikeLiked by 1 person
kimwrtr said:
Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person