Not having expertise results in no value because it creates uncertainty. Why shop with a business when they don’t really know what they are doing? Expertise holds value because it provides results. People are naturally attracted to expertise. There’s a good chance that these actions will result in increased sales. Their market share there is still strong and the retooling messages will strike a chord. The place to start is with the college demographic. The moment that a retail business stops becoming an all-in-one shop and focuses on core products, they can begin to rebuild the niche expertise that people see in them. How Can the Barnes and Noble Business Model Succeed?Įven though the current business model is struggling, there is still a great chance that Barnes and Noble can succeed. Assuming the needs and desires can be a financially deadly mistake, one that ultimately caused Barnes and Noble to split and retool their identity. When a retail business model is being used, it is extremely important to know the needs and desires of each targeted customer segment. It gives the Nook a chance to find a new voice that can compete with Apple and Amazon products that are both soundly defeating it in sales. The shareholders in Barnes and Noble will be a tax-free move that shouldn’t cause an impact to individual finances.ģ. The retail bookstores can focus on their core demographics instead of trying to be everything to everyone.Ģ. In 2014, same store sales were off by 2.7%.īy splitting the Nook business from its legacy business, there are three specific goals that are likely to be achieved.ġ. Although they have a market share that is 23% within the demographic of US college students, sales are down within the brand. In 2014, the total amount of fiscal sales for the company was $1.75 billion. The Nook division of the company has now been split from the legacy retail bookstores so that each entity can pursue its own unique identity.īarnes and Noble Is Ultimately a Retail Business ModelĪlthough there are specific niches that can be identified for Barnes and Noble, such as the ebooks or college textbooks, the bottom line is this: the company is still a store that sells books and associated items. In February 2015, however, the Barnes and Noble business model changed.
The introduction of the Nook and ebooks was seen as a way to do so. Since 2009, the bookstore has seen many of its sales move to their e-commerce platform.īecause of this, Barnes and Noble sought out ways to reach out to tech savvy customers. The Barnes and Noble business model in the 21st century is very different from what it used to be. It stocked the books that a community needed, had an emphasis on local tastes, and provided consumers with some additional products like coffee, snacks, or small gifts. Barnes and Noble was initially just your average college/university bookstore.