To say the least, the retail world was caught off guard when Amazon announced last year that it would open a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Seattle. But does that mean Amazon’s plans for a second physical store should be surprising?
Whatever the rest of the industry thinks, Amazon is going forward with plans to open a new bookstore in an upscale San Diego mall, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. A walled-off construction barrier adorned with the Amazon logo and advertising a summer opening date appeared at the city’s Westfield UTC mall over the weekend, confirming reports a few months ago of online job postings for the soon-to-be bookstore. The mall in question has become something of a haven for eCommerce companies branching out into the brick-and-mortar world, as Bonobos and Warby Parker both operate storefronts there.
“We are excited to be bringing Amazon Books to the University Towne Center Mall in San Diego, and we are currently hiring store managers and associates,” an Amazon spokesperson told the Union-Tribune. “Stay tuned for additional details down the road.”
While the spokesperson’s stance might indicate that Amazon has some titillating products and services that customers should be excited about, ABI Research Analyst Patrick Connolly told
TheStreet that Amazon’s decisions at its Seattle bookstore indicate that the whole objective of these forays into brick-and-mortar locations is not, and never was, to sell books.
“I really don’t think they’re that interested in selling books,” Connolly said. “If you look at how the store is laid out, it seems to be set up to gather information about customers, much like they do online, and seeing whether that works in real life. We’re seeing this bringing of online analytics to the real world. They’re looking to see: Can this information be generated? Is it of value? And is having a physical store essential in their omnichannel strategy?”
