ANN ARBOR – Borders Books on Tuesday launched an e-Commerce web site, after a seven year online partnership with Amazon.Com. One of the big changes is a new service called Magic Shelf, which allows customers to view online book, music and movie titles, much the way they browse book tables, displays and shelves at Borders stores.
Other features include Borders Media original and exclusive video
programming, as well as offering Borders Rewards members their first
opportunity to earn and redeem their “Borders Bucks” and Rewards coupons
online.
“Today is another milestone for our company as we launch Borders.com, a
site that is much more than just another place to shop on the Web — it is
a source of information and entertainment that brings a real bookstore
experience to life online,” said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer
George Jones.
“What’s more-Borders already has existing computer kiosks in
all of our stores nationwide, and now we can bring the new Borders.com site
to these kiosks over the next couple of months,�?� he said. �??By creatively combining the assets of our new online channel with the many advantages of our stores and vice versa, we’re now giving customers an elevated experience that we believe they’ll find more satisfying than anything else in bookselling
today.”
The Magic Shelf �?? A simple-to-navigate Magic Shelf can be expanded up and down and side to side by the user, revealing a wider array of titles — 20 shelves of titles in all. Customers interested in a title on the Magic Shelf simply click on the item and use “Quick View” to learn more or even buy the item immediately right from the Magic Shelf. Customers can personalize the Magic Shelf by using the “Picked for You” feature. Customers simply select categories of interest — such as mystery books, jazz music or foreign films.
Then — true to its name �?? the Magic Shelf reloads instantaneously, stocking the “Picked for You�?� shelf with titles uniquely suited to the customer. Once preferences have been selected, when the customer returns to Borders.com the
“Picked for You” shelf will be re-stocked with a thoughtful and
personalized selection that is refreshed week to week. In addition to
“Picked for You,” the Magic Shelf has a menu of options highlighting
interesting and relevant themes such as “new for kids,” “laugh out
loud,” and “for sports fans.” Like displays in Borders stores, these
groupings will change frequently to remain current and relevant to the
seasons.
“The process of developing our new e-commerce site has been a bit like
catching lightning in a bottle,” said Borders Group Vice President of
E-Business Kevin Ertell. “We have something special here that successfully
captures the warmth, inspiration and sense of discovery of Borders stores
and brings it to customers online through innovations like the Magic Shelf
and our original and exclusive video programming. With so much of the store
experience at the heart of the site and with the site coming to our stores,
we are truly achieving something groundbreaking here in cross-channel
retailing.”
Borders Media – One characteristic that book, music and movie lovers
share is their drive to delve deeper into topics that interest them and
to engage in lifelong learning. That is why the new Borders.com site
prominently features Borders Media, a collection of exclusive and
original video programs created by Borders. Borders was the first in
the bookselling industry to develop and share this type of proprietary
programming beginning in 2007 and it continues to explode in popularity
and influence in the publishing world. Now available to a wider
audience via the new Borders.com, programs include:
Borders Book Club – A professionally produced video program featuring
real-life neighborhood book club meetings but with the author there in
person for the discussion! Always compelling and thought-provoking,
this program has featured such bestselling authors as Mitch Albom,
Marisa de los Santos, Stephenie Meyer, Khaled Hosseini, Elizabeth
Gilbert and Lalita Tademy, among others. Borders also posts resources
for book clubs, such as discussion guides, and even recipes for book
clubs to enjoy.
Live at 01 – Capturing all the energy and intimacy of a Borders
in-store event recorded live at Borders’ first store in Ann Arbor, this
program has featured everyone from authors such as Pulitzer Prize
winner Junot Diaz and Anne Lamott to singer Joss Stone and physician
and author Deepak Chopra.
Borders Kitchen – Bringing the hottest chefs from bookshelves and
television screens to Borders.com, the Borders Kitchen program, with
guests such as Nigella Lawson, Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali, is a
cooking lesson and book club all in one. Recipes can be emailed to
friends and full programs can be downloaded.
Borders Open Door Poetry” – One of the newest Borders Media programs
and one of the hottest, Open Door Poetry showcases some of today’s most
compelling poets — Mark Strand, Robert Pinsky, Patricia Smith and
Jorie Graham — reading their work, discussing their art, and even
advising aspiring poets.
Borders Presents – Special in-depth interviews with talents such as
Julie Andrews, John Grisham and Joel Osteen who are brought exclusively
to Borders customers on programs that can be enjoyed in the moment or
downloaded as video podcasts to be viewed later.
Borders Advice for Living with Mel Robbins – Respected life coach Mel
Robbins, who hosts her own national radio show and is a regular network
television contributor, provides no-nonsense advice to help people get
what they want out of their lives and careers. Her Borders Media
segments have included guest spots with everyone from singer Mandy
Moore and mogul Donald Trump to doctors Oz and Roizen and Bill Cosby. A
new feature is “Hey Mel,” a video advice column where Mel Robbins
tackles viewer questions and shares her straight-talking advice.
Robbins’ daily nationally-syndicated radio program, “Make it Happen,”
is also available exclusively online at the Borders Media tab on
Borders.com
Borders Rewards – Since 2006, Borders has offered customers free
membership in this fast-growing loyalty program that now has over 26
million members. Until now, members could only earn and redeem their
“Borders Bucks” and Rewards coupons in our stores. With the advent of
the new Borders.com, customers can take full advantage of the program
online as well. In addition, when Borders Rewards customers receive
their weekly “Borders Shortlist” e-mail, which is always full of
thoughtful recommendations and savings opportunities, they will
continue to receive direct links to Borders Media programming.
“With the new Borders.com, we have significantly enhanced the value of
being a Borders Rewards member,” said Borders Group Executive Vice
President of Merchandising and Marketing Rob Gruen. “Rewards members are
our best customers, and giving them the opportunity to use the loyalty
program when they shop online is something they’ve been looking forward to
since the program started. Not only that, but with interest exploding in
our Borders Shortlist e-mail program, giving customers the opportunity to
immediately buy featured items is another important convenience.”
For more information, click on BordersGroupInc.Com
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