Amazon will continue to dominate this category for many years to come. The independent bookstore business was permanently changed decades ago by Amazon, and the pandemic wasn’t helpful for independent book retailers. The fact is, independent book selling is a lifestyle business. These retailers can’t compete with Amazon and shouldn’t even try. They should focus on the unique store experience they alone create and serve their customers.

Physical bookstores have the power of “browsing,” while the online experience is one of “shopping.” As with most retail, physical stores need to heavy up on experiential elements and merchandising to draw people in. When’s the last time on a rainy Sunday, you cozied up with amazon.com?

Going to a bookstore is – and should be – a completely different experience from buying a book on Amazon. Booksellers shouldn’t try to compete with Amazon – they need to appeal to their core customers and focus on the experience.

I think it’s wrong to think of Amazon as a “bookstore” anymore. They still dominate the market, especially for casual book buyers and e-books. There’s no way the independents can compete with that. But for hardcore book fans, I believe they enjoy the experience of browsing a local book store, settling in with a cup of coffee and reading something new, or meeting authors and having discussions about new releases, or ideas for their next book, with someone who actually knows something about the subject matter. They’re in the community building business and, I believe post COVID-19, those experiences have become more important to more people. I expect to see independents continue to thrive in the near future.

Bookshop.org is certainly going to help. Allowing smaller bookstores to provide “extended shelves” will help keep their existing customers from “having” to go Amazon for a specific book, keeping them in their ecosystem.

Independents should be about the experience or destination more than the selling of books (it does remain important though). The unique experience is what will keep independents in the game with Amazon.

Amazon’s marketshare will continue to outpace its rivals for some time to come. Whether we like it or not it has several key advantages over the indie bookstores. Some of these are a huge selection, pricing policies, and that customers who go there to buy something can easy peruse its book selection while there.

I think we know that a brick-and-mortar bookstore is not just about books. It’s about an experience. Maybe it’s the experience of going through aisles and picking up physical books. Maybe it’s the coffee shop built into the store. Then there are special events and book signings. And there is a sense of “local.” There are plenty of ways to create an experience that allows an independent to survive, if not even thrive, alongside Amazon and other larger retail chains.

Indie bookstores have their own unique niche and are a part of the fabric and community in many downtown Main Streets. At this stage, Barnes & Noble and other leading chain bookstores have lost the battle against Amazon. There’s no question that Amazon will remain the dominant force in the bookselling arena for the foreseeable future.

However there is something magical and connective about going to your local indie bookstore and having an experience vs. receiving a package in the mail. There is plenty of room for indie bookstores to survive and thrive. They have a unique opportunity to build their business operating models around the experience and the discovery process of new books, authors, and other services.

Amazon’s platform is so “search and transact” oriented that it leaves open space for the curation, atmosphere and service that physical bookstores provide. I think there is a lane for independents — especially in denser urban settings. Going online with a platform like Bookstore.org may not drive massive incremental sales volume, but it provides the high-caliber digital services expected by existing customers.