Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Amazon Reportedly Planning Some 400 Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores

    Written by

    Todd R. Weiss
    Published February 3, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Amazon could be planning to open 300 to 400 brick-and-mortar bookstores across the United States, according to the CEO of a shopping mall company who mentioned the possibility during an earnings call with analysts on Feb. 2.

      Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of General Growth Properties, was asked about mall traffic during the call and said he had heard that Amazon was planning the store openings, according to a Feb. 2 story by The Wall Street Journal. Last November, Amazon opened an experimental brick-and-mortar store in Seattle.

      “You’ve got Amazon opening brick-and-mortar bookstores and their goal is to open, as I understand, 300 to 400,” Mathrani said during the analyst call, The Journal reported.

      An Amazon spokeswoman told eWEEK in an email reply that the company does not comment on rumors and speculation.

      Amazon’s bookstore in Seattle was the company’s first brick-and-mortar location, the paper reported.

      Mathrani “did not say how he heard about Amazon’s plans,” and a spokesman for the mall company declined to comment further, according to a Feb. 2 story by The New York Times. An anonymous source said that Amazon’s plans for physical stores are more modest than those reported by The Journal, according to The Times story.

      “Even if Amazon is not planning to go nationwide with its stores anytime soon, any expansion of its brick-and-mortar presence is likely to send shivers down the spines of other booksellers,” The Times reported. “Amazon’s success as an online retailer of physical and electronic books has already devastated chains like Borders and seriously wounded Barnes & Noble.”

      Amazon has frequently experimented with new ways of getting its products into the hands of consumers.

      In January, the company announced the expansion of its same-day college order pickup service to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia this spring. The service, which is being called Amazon@Penn, will feature a pickup point where customers will be able to stop in to get their orders from some 2 million items that can be directly shipped to the location, according to a recent eWEEK story. Customers will be able to track the orders on their mobile devices for self-service pickups.

      Since 2015, Amazon has already set up similar college campus package pickup points at Purdue University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Cincinnati and for students of colleges in Isla Vista, Calif., but this is the first such program at an Ivy League school, according to the company. Two more planned facilities are also scheduled to open in 2016 at the University of California, Davis and the University of California, Berkeley.

      The Amazon college pickup points can also be used by customers to return items to Amazon. The latest facility will be the first Amazon pickup location that will feature communal work spaces with interactive media pods where students can connect their laptops and mobile devices to TV monitors for presentations, brainstorming, studying and collaborating, according to Amazon.

      The Amazon Student shipping program provides free two-day shipping on millions of items, along with special offers and promotions, for $49 a year after a six-month free trial, to college and university students. The Amazon Prime service costs $99 a year and provides free two-day shipping for Amazon customers on thousands of items. Both services also include free access to thousands of movies, television episodes through Prime Video and unlimited ad-free music streaming through Amazon Prime Music.

      In November, Amazon unveiled its latest drone prototype aircraft for its still-in-development Prime Air package delivery system, this time with a model that takes off and lands vertically but flies on a horizontal path to its destination. The company showed off its latest drone design in a 2-minute, 17-second video it posted on its Website, highlighting a smooth vertical takeoff, a flight to drop off a package of soccer shoes to a consumer and then a vertical landing at the shopper’s home. The video showed the package being released from an interior storage compartment in its fuselage and then being left behind as the drone took off vertically to return to Amazon’s distribution center.

      The drone design is a flat-looking flying machine with a triple rudder tail and three landing wheels. Its engine is mounted at the rear in the center of the vertical rudders.

      Amazon’s drone program is aimed at providing package deliveries of less than 5 pounds to consumers in less than 30 minutes in select locations. The drones will fly under 400 feet in altitude, have “sense and avoid” capabilities to stay away from aircraft and other obstacles, and be able to be operated up to distances of 10 miles or more, according to Amazon.

      Amazon has been looking at drone deliveries as a way of offering faster service to customers while also saving money, compared with the more costly human-based delivery systems.

      Todd R. Weiss
      Todd R. Weiss
      Todd R. Weiss is a seasoned technology journalist with over 15 years of experience covering enterprise IT. Since 2014, he has been a senior writer at eWEEK.com, specializing in mobile technology, smartphones, tablets, laptops, cloud computing, and enterprise software. Previously, he was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008, reporting on a wide range of IT topics. Throughout his career, Weiss has written extensively about innovations in mobile tech, cloud platforms, security, and enterprise software, providing insightful analysis to help IT professionals and businesses navigate the evolving technology landscape. His work has appeared in numerous leading publications, offering expert commentary and in-depth analysis on emerging trends and best practices in IT.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.