Amazon plans a Seattle brick-and-mortar retail concept. Why? Apparently, people actually like to browse a physical store. Columnist Kyle Priest notes that Amazon has succeeded by letting select
product categories act as loss leaders, and having the ability to be a one-stop shop for entertainment and merchandise. "But none of its online tactics — no matter how brilliant — meet
customers' unwavering demand for a real-life, tactile experience of their products," he writes.
"The physical may not always be important when it comes to buying things like books or
magazines, but there are just some things that just seem to demand a one-on-one interaction ….You can look at them online, research them to death, get the stats, expert commentary, and reviews.
But you don’t get the visceral context that matters most of all.”
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