Each store will be able to customize all components of a basic template and have its own URL, logo, and local content. Stores can personalize every aspect of the site, including putting up staff picks and showcasing bestseller lists, said Booksense director Len Vlahos. Right now, even a loyal customer will go to an online bookseller if our store is closed. Coady's logic is what's driving Booksense. If she's wrong, then Booksense will fail and the independents will really be in trouble.
Small booksellers say they are losing significant sales to online retailers.
And the numbers back them up. The report also said that online sales of books will account for as much as 10 percent of overall sales by 2005. Of course we are losing sales to the big online stores. Amazon doesn't have to operate in the black. They can just continue to raise capital and offer deeper and deeper discounts to lure our customers away, but a single bookstore that employs 10 or 20 people cannot do that.