Amazon will open a New York bookstore Thursday, part of its effort to build a physical retail presence at a time when 90 percent of U.S. retail sales still come from in-store purchases.
The newest Amazon Books location is at Columbus Circle, a popular attraction for tourists and locals alike.
"We talk about this as a physical extension of Amazon.com," Jennifer Cast, Amazon Books' vice president, said Tuesday, CNET reported. "So you'll see that we incorporate features that customers love from Amazon.com in various places."
"We know that customers like to touch and feel and be in a store, particularly for books. We've heard for the past decade that customers want to be able to experiment with our devices and ask questions and try them," Cast said. "So it just makes sense for us to do this."
This might be a good move for Amazon, considering how much books are in demand amongst its consumers, but it doesn't change the fact that physical retail stores have struggled in recent months compared to past years.
Retail stores across the U.S. have been closing this year at a record pace, which may have a lot to do with the rise of online shopping and the hassle it has become to go out and shop on foot in "energy sucking" malls and other retail stores, The Wall Street Journal reported.
In fact, this week, Bebe Stores Inc., a women's retailer, announced it will be closing its remaining 170 stores to shift its focus to online selling.
Rue21 Inc., a retailer for teenagers, made a similar move, as it announced its plans to close about 400 of its stores, leaving about 700 locations for consumers who still enjoy the traditional shopping experience.
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