BookSense.com is often
mentioned on this siteseeing tour. In addition to highlighting
bookstores that use the service, I've occasionally directed readers to
the ABA's Bookweb.org site
for basic information. (There, I just did it again.)
During the past few months, I've also fielded numerous questions and
comments (positive as well as negative) about the BookSense.com model.
I'll be sharing some of those with you soon. There seems to be much to
discuss about this important topic.
Many independent bookstores have chosen to use BookSense.com; many have
chosen not to use the service, or to use it and then stop using it. In
each case, I wondered why. So I thought I would ask. In fact, this
upcoming series of columns might be considered an extended Why?
I will begin by going directly to the source: Len Vlahos, director of
BookSense.com (aka "the man behind the curtain" in Wizard of Oz
parlance). He answered my initial questions in depth and with a minimum
of hype, so I thought I should let him speak for himself here, in
Q&A format.
Our lengthy exchange will appear over three issues of Shelf Awareness,
and then it will be your turn. I'd love to hear from you. Perhaps a
conversation will develop.
Conversation is good.
I'll try to be a cordial host.
---
Robert Gray: I'll ask a big, impossible question first. What do you see as the future for independent bookselling online?
Len Vlahos: Well, that certainly IS a big question. It's my belief that
the Internet has become an integral part of commerce in the U.S., and
that a Web site is a requirement for retailers to conduct business in
the 21st century. For independent bookstores, those Web sites have so
far been very effective marketing tools, though less effective sales
tools. I think this is likely to change. As broadband access continues
to become more commonplace and as consumers become more and more
accustomed to shopping online, people will start to look beyond the few
top merchants to complete transactions.
In addition, technology costs are dropping. This allows BookSense.com
and other providers of independent bookstores Web sites to offer tools
to put booksellers on more even footing with corporate retailers.
I'm also a believer in Chris Anderson's Long Tail Theory, which holds that the cumulative sales of
products that sell in ones and twos can be as powerful as the
cumulative sales of the handful of blockbusters each season. I think
this bodes well for independent stores, as we tend to live more in the
long tail, while the big boxes live more in the land of the bestseller.
RG: What are the primary advantages for a bookstore that has a BookSense.com Web site?
LV: BookSense.com provides members with the ability to have a
full-service, e-commerce-enabled, content-rich Web site at far below
market costs. Participating stores present their customers nearly three
million titles (courtesy of Ingram's excellent iPage database), a very
good search engine (more on that in answer to another question [later],
user-friendly (and flexible) commerce tools (i.e., a good shopping
cart) and a ton of store-generated content.
We have worked to increase the flexibility of the BookSense.com
product, better allowing booksellers to express the unique nature of
the bricks-and-mortar store online. For example, booksellers can set
their own shipping and pricing policies; they decide which payment
methods to accept; they can identify their own in-store inventory
levels for items in the database; they can enable and manage their own
affiliate program, tracking sales from other Web sites; they have
access to individual and detailed traffic reports; and more. The sites
are also integrated with the BookSense.com Gift Card program and with Constant
Contact.
We provide a robust suite of user-friendly content management tools.
Booksellers can upload their events, recommendations, store histories,
etc.--virtually any sort of content. The tools require no special
knowledge of computers, computer code or even HTML (though knowing a
bit of HTML helps).
Through Ingram, we provide consumer direct fulfillment services. Books
will ship from Ingram direct to the bookstore's customer, with the
store's name on the box and packing slip. As far as the customer knows,
the store made the shipment.
We provide excellent customer service from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday
through Friday, and monitor site stability and performance 24/7/365.
Finally, the advantage of a Web site in general (and we feel strongly
that BookSense.com is the best option available) is an important piece
of a store's integrated marketing effort.
---
In Part II of this conversation, we discuss the primary disadvantages of BookSense.com and
why booksellers do or do not sign on for the service.--Robert Gray
(column archives available at Fresh Eyes Now)