'Net Features : barnes and noble

The Web's Guiding Light

Administrator — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:42:00 GMT

There’s a lack of information on how big brands secure their position in the digital world. Despite the black hole, we can confidently deduce three different areas they excel: acquisition (and retention), analysis (and optimization), and infrastructure (and reliability), or the Digital Trinity, if you will.

The Digital Trinity is a guiding principle on what it takes to succeed on the Web and the baseline criteria for Website Magazine’s inaugural Web 100 guide. Here are three examples of Web 100 companies that abide (knowingly or not) by this standard.

Acquisition (and Retention)

Weight Watchers wrote the book on advertising. Its celebrity endorsements make mainstream news and are a valuable acquisition tool. In fact, more than 97 percent of women recognize the Weight Watchers brand. Online, Weight Watcher’s use of social media, banner ads and email marketing drive consumers to its website, but it’s the lifestyle destination’s engagement tools that keep them there. After all, it’s Weight Watchers’ premise that the more engaged its users are, the more successful they are. User-generated blogs, achievement tokens, cheat sheets, recipe builders, videos and online forums, maintain a high level of engagement and retention. Through these channels and others (discussed in Web 100), Weight Watchers is listening to its users and responding to what they want.

Analysis (and Optimization)

You name the digital channel and UGG Australia optimizes and analyzes it. For example, its email marketing campaigns uses segmentation strategies (based on interest, triggered actions and personalized communications based on browsing behavior) to increase click-through rates and email opens. Marketers also leverage consumer data, sales trends and product interactions to reach a positive return on investment (ROI). UGG’s communications not only follow best practices, but also are consistently tested (for both content and time sent). The company, which is owned by Deckers Outdoor Corporation, utilizes its in-house retention team to manage communication strategy, but also relies on several third-party companies, including Demandware, for its native functionality for transactional and back-in-stock emails.

For more examples of UGG Australia’s digital tactics, visit Web 100.

Infrastructure (and Reliability)

Downtime can significantly damage a website’s rank on search engine result pages (SERPs), reputation and ROI. Unfortunately, website owners typically find out their infrastructure is unreliable the hard way. Holiday traffic spikes are a perfect challenge for IT systems. Even major retailers, such as Brass Pro Shops and Abercrombie & Fitch, suffered less than 100 percent uptime during this period (Nov. 15 – Jan.4), with basspro.com even being down for 7 hours and 53 minutes, according to the Panopta Availability Index 2012 Holiday Edition. In the same report, Barnes & Noble came in with 100 percent uptime to meet consumer expectations and use its infrastructure to deliver digital content to customers online. Additionally, Barnes & Noble continues to meet its own goal of “delivering the best digital reading, shopping and content experience in the market, while also being diligent about calibrating expenses to business trends in order to scale the business to profitability over time,” (as stated in a press release).

For more about Barnes & Noble’s digital strategy, visit Web 100.

B & N's Nook to Get App for Windows 8

Linc Wonham — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Barnes & Noble and Microsoft have formed a new partnership that aims to accelerate the digital world's transition to e-reading.

A new Barnes & Noble subsidiary backed in part by Microsoft’s $300 million investment will bring together B&N’s digital and college businesses. The two companies have settled their patent litigation and the new subsidiary will have a royalty-bearing license under Microsoft's patents for its NOOK e-reader and tablet products.

Microsoft will have an approximate 17.6-percent equity stake and Barnes & Noble will own approximately 82.4 percent of the new subsidiary, which has yet to be named and which will have an ongoing relationship with the company's retail stores. One of the intended benefits for consumers will be a NOOK application for Windows 8, which will extend the reach of Barnes & Noble's digital bookstore by providing one of the world's largest digital catalogues of e-books, magazines and newspapers to hundreds of millions of Windows customers.

The inclusion of Barnes & Noble's college business is also an important component of the new subsidiary’s strategic vision. Through the newly formed company, Barnes & Noble's NOOK Study software will provide students and educators the technology platform for the distribution and management of digital education materials in the market.

Barnes & Noble Selects Linkshare Affiliate Network

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT

Barnes & Noble announced that it has selected the LinkShare affiliate network for its performance marketing initiatives.

Affiliate publishers will receive a straight six percent commission on the products available at Barnes & Noble, and be able to promote seasonal sales, coupon offers and special deals, along with a variety of traditional creative. The biggest draw for affiliates however will be the ability to promote the Nook reading device and all that comes with it – including ebooks (which BN just .

“Scaling our affiliate channel to create new, far reaching partnerships with online publishers is an important part of our online strategy,” said Michael Kildale, director of acquisition marketing at Barnes & Noble.com. “We selected LinkShare for its combination of experience, technology and strategy to meet our online performance marketing objectives.”

Related Reading at WebsiteMagazine.com:
- Five Hot Summer Affiliate Programs
- PubIt from Barnes & Noble Arrives
- E-readers Rewriting Retailers Bestseller Lists

PubIt from Barnes & Noble Arrives

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:09:00 GMT

Apple has their iBook, Amazon their DTP. And today, bookseller Barnes & Noble, Inc. launched PubIt! (www.PubIt.com), a platform that offers independent publishers and authors a way to digitally distribute their works through BN.com and the Barnes & Noble eBookstore. Content submitted to PubIt! can be available for sale within 24 to 72 hours after upload.

“We’re delighted at the enthusiastic response we’ve received from thousands of independent writers and publishers who are eager to introduce their exciting works to a broader audience of readers,” said Theresa Horner, director, digital products, Barnes & Noble. “The launch of our PubIt! platform further reinforces our long-standing commitment to authors and writers, and offers a significant opportunity to provide an even greater selection of reading material to our millions of customers.” Added Horner, “Thanks to the overwhelming success of our award-winning NOOK™ devices and software, Barnes & Noble customers represent the largest fastest growing base of digital content consumers in the world."

Much like Amazon's DTP, PubIt! uses a Web-based platform for publishers to independently set up their accounts, upload their eBooks, set the list price and track their sales and payments. Publishers can price their titles between $0.99 and $199.99 and receive a competitive royalty based on the given price. For PubIt! eBooks priced at or between $2.99 and $9.99, publishers receive 65 percent of the list price for sold content. For those priced at $2.98 or less, or $10.00 or more, publishers receive 40 percent of the list price.

B&N Offers Digital Distribution to Independent and Self-Publishers

Linc Wonham — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:50:00 GMT

Independent publishers and self-published authors will be able to distribute their books and other works through Barnes and Noble’s digital retail channels with the company’s new publishing and distribution platform, PubIt!, scheduled for release this summer. PubIt! titles will be distributed through BarnesandNoble.com and the B&N eBookstore, which together make up one of the largest digital catalogs in the world.

Qualified authors and publishers can upload their books, journals and periodicals, and PubIt! will convert the digital files to Barnes and Noble’s widely accepted ePub format, making the content accessible to customers through eReader and mobile devices including PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, BlackBerries, NOOKs and others. The works will be protected by the bookseller’s digital rights management technology, and Barnes and Noble will be releasing the details of PubIt!’s “simple and competitive” royalty and compensation models in the coming weeks.

Until then, more information on PubIt! and Barnes & Noble’s expansive digital content catalog can be found at www.bn.com/pubit.

Website Magazine @ Barnes & Noble

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:36:00 GMT

It just got easier to find the latest edition of Website Magazine. We are pleased to announce that, in addition to hundreds of other bookstores across the U.S., you will also find Website Magazine on the shelves of each and every Barnes & Noble starting this week. Help us celebrate and spread the word by entering our photo contest to win a free professional-level, monthly subscription to Website Magazine.

Over 700 B&N stores is a lot - we need your help!
Entering to win is easy. Take a photo of Website Magazine on the shelf (preferably with you - just ask a stranger) and send it to info@websitemagazine.com, along with the store's location. You can also send us a direct message on twitter - @websitemagazine or use the #wm-bn hashtag.

On Monday, October 5 we will select 10 random winners to receive a free, professional-level membership to Website Magazine - a $45 value! The winners will get their picture published on our website, along with a link (if wanted) to their online profile or website.

So what are you waiting for? Get going now and don't forget to tell us where you are!

The eBook is Back at B&N e-Bookstore

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:16:00 GMT

Who said eBooks were dead? Bookseller Barnes & Noble just launched a dedicated ebookstore and while it may not be the perfect venue to promote products and service for Web professionals, it may just signal the return of the ebook as a valid content publishing format.

B&N customers will be able to buy eBooks and read them on numerous platforms including the iPhone and iPod touch (which consequently is the number one most download book app), BlackBerry smartphones and Windws and Mac computers (laptops and desktops). Barnes and Noble also announced today that it will be the exclusive eBookstore provider on the upcoming Plastic Logic eReader device – which will in turn power the eBookstore for the Plastic Logic eReader device. The wireless eReader is slated to debut in early 2010.

How important is this development? Over 700,000 titles will be available immediately, making the new service the World Wide Web’s largest collection of eBooks available in one place. In fact, more than 500,000 public domain books (from Google) are available for free download.

"Today marks the first phase of our digital strategy, which is rooted in the belief that readers should have access to the books in their digital library from any device, from anywhere, at any time," said William J. Lynch, President of BN.com. "As America's #1 bookstore and newsstand, our goal at Barnes & Noble is to build a service that revolves around the customer, enabling them to have access to hundreds of thousands of titles and read on their smartphone, PC, and many other existing and future devices. We want to make eBooks simple, accessible, affordable and convenient for everyone."