Is it a coincidence that in a year when e-commerce giant Amazon—which started as an online bookseller—stumbled, a bricks-and-mortar bookseller it almost took down all those years ago came roaring back to life?
While Amazon was busy shutting 99 of its overextended logistics facilities in 2022, Barnes & Noble—which has reinvented itself in recent years as a combination bookseller, retailer of educational toys for kids and Starbucks nook where you can hang out and read—opened 17 new stores last year.
In the thirteen years prior to 2022—going back to the Great Recession of 2009—Barnes & Noble opening one or two stores a year was big news.
This week, the NYC-based company said it is doubling down on its expansion strategy in 2023: Barnes & Noble will open more than 30 new stores this year, including four outlets that already have debuted, according to a report in Chain Store Age.
The bookseller said in a statement that it is experiencing increasing sales—a phenomenon it credited in part to what is becoming known as M-Commerce driven by social media, which Barnes & Noble said is fueling a “significant expansion of the market for physical books driven by word-of-mouth and social media recommendations.”
Barnes & Noble also announced it is revamping its membership program with paid and free levels, CSA reported. A new Premium Membership tier offers a 10% discount in stores, adds a 10% discount to online purchases and creates a new “spend-and-save” rewards program for all shopping at the chain.
For every $10 purchase, one stamp is earned, with 10 stamps granting a customer a $5 reward. Premium Membership also comes with free drink upgrades at in-store cafes (no, you can’t order a double expresso and finish the book at the café before you buy it), a yearly free canvas tote and free shipping, all for an annual fee of $39.99.
Barnes & Noble also is introducing a new free loyalty program called B&N Rewards, which gives customers a spend-and-save reward on all shopping. According to the release, it’s the 10 stamps gets you $5 reward without the other discounts and extra expresso.
“We will be devoting our energies to creating additional offers for our Members,” said James Daunt, Barnes & Noble CEO, in a statement. “As booksellers, we will make these ever more personalized, sharing our knowledge and enthusiasm for books with our customers.”
According to Shannon DeVito, Senior Director of Books at Barnes & Noble, the bookseller soon will be making “curated recommendations” to its customers.
“We’re especially looking forward to making curated recommendations, supported by compelling and interesting offers both in our stores and online, to the broadest sweep of readers,” DeVito said, in a statement.
We recommend the large cappuccino with a triple shot of expresso. To keep track of all the offers.