What Barnes & Noble could have said
Company CEO Marie Toulantis on Barnes & Noble’s new web site redesign: (via RWW)
“We wanted our site to have more motion, more content and more interactivity, and to have more of a sense of community”
Granted this is only a single sentence, but it happened to be the one they’re getting press with. And what a quote it is! It highlights the struggle that so many web sites out there have: to communicate why their site is better at doing what people actually need from it.
So, what people end up asking themselves is: “does motion, content, and/or interactivity get me better books? Does it let me shop easier? Faster? Cheaper? Can I find more books on the topics I’m interested in?”
The answer is No. Those things don’t have anything to do with a better book shopping experience. They’re just marketing fluff…they’re just words from someone without a clear vision for the site. They represent the disconnect between a business strategy and a design strategy…surely Barnes & Noble knows how to sell books…why can’t their online property learn from their always-crowded stores?
So what could Toulantis have said?
“Shop at Barnes & Noble to find your next favorite book. Use our “See Inside” feature to browse a book online, just like you do at a our stores”.
Ok, so now we’ve told people what’s in it for them, finding their next favorite book. Second, we’ve told them how to do that by introducing a new feature that allows them to browse a book online just like they do in the store. So…people don’t have to do anything new…they just do what they’ve always done. No change. Just improvement.
And, this quote has the added benefit of reminding people that Barnes & Noble has a huge advantage over Amazon…they have stores. Which brings up the question: what can Barnes & Noble do to leverage their stores? How can they make the experience better than it is on Amazon?
I don’t know what the answer is, but it sure as heck isn’t to add more “motion”. When Barnes & Noble figures it out, they should shout it from the rooftops. It should be the first words out of Toulantis’ mouth at every single press event going forward. And most importantly it should be obvious on their web site.
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Comments
1. Justin Thorp 10:08am, Wed 3rd, 2007
I wonder what kind of online marketshare Amazon has versus B&N. 95% of the time it doesn’t even dawn on me to check B&N’s web site.
I sure spend A LOT of time in B&N’s stores though. They’re my favorite place to kill time.
2. Fred 10:53am, Wed 3rd, 2007
Wow, I don’t think you could be more wrong on this. B&N isn’t even in the race with Amazon.com for online sales. It would be laughable for them to try to compete on things like “finding your favorite book”, and “Search Inside” is (I think) an Amazon-patented feature (not to mention hugely expensive to develop). I’ll grant you that Toulantis’ spouting of the word “community” here is marketing fluff–that’s also something Amazon clearly beats them at on every level.
I think this is a clear vision for the site: it’s just one that admits that they can really only compete on the visual and interaction design levels of their site. This is a lovely redesign (except for that stupid tag cloud at the bottom of the home page). This is far nicer than Amazon.com’s design, which is just a hodgepodge of a decade of features coming and going.
3. Josh 11:01am, Wed 3rd, 2007
Fred, do you choose your book store based on the loveliness of their web site?
Probably not, which is why I think B&N really needs to work on their message…they need to communicate what their value is, why people should shop there and why shopping there (and in the stores) is a great experience.
Right now “loveliness” just won’t cut it. That’s not even in the Top 10 criteria for choosing a bookstore.
4. Dennis Eusebio 11:10am, Wed 3rd, 2007
While I do agree that scrolling book & media marquee is sort of pointless, they do have to find a way to differentiate themselves from amazon. Amazon does not have the greatest design so that is one point to capitalize on – albeit a weak one.
I really think they should’ve taken the opportunity to introduce more innovations into the market. Amazon is not the be all end all online bookstore. There’s got to be more room for innovative features that make the shopping experience easier.
5. Josh 11:18am, Wed 3rd, 2007
Agreed, Dennis. One thing that separates Barnes & Noble from Amazon is that Amazon’s interface is built to buy *anything*. It has to support people doing a whole raft of different activities: from researching digital cameras to looking shopping for Hanes underwear.
This is actually an opportunity for a site to focus even better on the specific activity of buying books.
The question becomes: what book-specific activities could B&N support that could really separate them?
6. Britt Rayboud 5:36pm, Wed 3rd, 2007
I’ve never understood why B&N.com failed to include “in-store” pickup or inventory search of your local store. In spite of the free shipping, wouldn’t it be helpful to know that a quick trip to the physical B&N was worth your time if you’re looking for a particular book? My background isn’t in systems or coding, so maybe it’s logistically impossible, but it would still be nice.
7. Tom 3:27am, Thu 4th, 2007
So well said. I couldn’t agree more. I think this problem, this disconnect, is a major issue for many companies out there, and it goes beyond web design to graphic design.
The onus is on us, as designers, to communicate just how much value design can add to a business.
8. Mario 7:08am, Thu 4th, 2007
“We wanted our site to have more motion, more content and more interactivity, and to have more of a sense of community†(than Amazon?)
Why not:
“We wanted our site to have less motion, less content and less interactivity, and to have less of a sense of community (than Amazon)”
9. Shannon 8:43am, Mon 8th, 2007
“Online visitors can views webcasts of readings at member stores”
That’s the sort of differentiator I would’ve highlighted. Like a previous commenter, I never think to go to BN.com, but I do visit their physical locations. Having a website tied to my local location would be useful; competing in areas like ‘see inside’ is not. I also don’t find it useful to have given so much space over to the scrolling marquee of weekly picks–if ever there were a need for personalization, that’s it. Amazon.com beats them hand down there.
10. pepelicious 2:33pm, Mon 8th, 2007
Border’s strategy has gotten me hooked on going there instead of ordering from Amazon for all but the most hard to find books.
It’s really easy to find a location, search that location’s inventory, then have the book held for me to pick up later. At least a couple times a month it seems that I get sent a 30% off coupon from Borders emailed to me for being a member of their (free) rewards program.
With this combination I can:
- Get a book ‘now’ instead of waiting for it to be shipped
- Not have to pay shipping
- Get a 30% discount at least twice a month
Sorry for the shameless plug but it’s nice to see a brick and mortar chain go the extra mile for their customers.
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12. Richard Williams 4:43pm, Tue 16th, 2007
I like both Borders and B&N. Both have coffee shops and benches and chairs.
Borders seems to have a better selection and be better organized so I go there more often. They also have far better bargain books set ups.
The problem with both of them is they are substantially more expensive than buying books at amazon. Amazon almost always has a discount, usually 20 to 50%. B&N and Borders absolutely never discounts from list price except best sellers and clearance items.
B&N’s web site will never compete price wise with their own stores, and they will never catch up to amazon in breadth and features. Therefore, they will never be a competitive web presence.
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