On the heels of the Barnes and Noble announcement they will be selling their Nook E-Reader at Best Buy Locations across the country April 18th. Mega online retailer Amazon has struck a deal with Target to sell their line of Kindle E-Readers in stores starting April 25 2010.
The Amazon Kindle controls almost 75% of the entire e-reader market and should increase their growth by having a firm presence in a brick and motor retail setting.
Target was the natural exclusive partner for Amazon as they have a huge amount of regional locations across the entire country. Target also runs the tremendously popular Amazon online store for the last ten years.
Target has been selling the Sony PRS 505 E-Reader since Sept 14 2008, as well as accessories such as screen protectors and leather cases. They also have been selling Sony E-Book gift cards to get access to books via the Sony Book Site.
Many chain stores offer pre-paid coupons or credit cards that allow you to make purchases on specific sites. There are many rumours right now that Amazon will be selling gift cards as well at Target in the 3rd Quarter of this year. These coupons can be redeemed for online purchases from the Amazon Online Store, such as E-Books and Kindle accessories.
Amazon has also experimented with a new online website called “See a Kindle in your city” that facilitates enthusiastic Kindle owners with those who want to check out the device before deciding whether to buy a unit for themselves.
The move from an exclusive website based business, to a tangible location, is very good news for Amazon. With the upcoming holiday season when shipping becomes a concern and the ability to go down to your local Target store to buy an e-reader the same day and bringing it home is now a viable option. In 2009 Amazon reported over one million Kindle units sold last December.
Sony and Amazon have been the major e-reader presences in North America, as Sony has been selling its e-reader at many retail outlets, including Best Buy for close to four years. Despite the fact that Amazon has had a web online presence they are the number one e-reader of choice in North America. Which is why Sony is one of the top selling e-readers.
Amazon is also drawing industry attention at the launch of their SDK for developers to make applications for the Kindle. Not only are they reaching out towards independent developers, Amazon is also internally building a Internet Browser that will allow users to surf the internet, similar to the Spring Design Alex.
With two major store deals in the last few days, one has to wonder if we will see more major retail partners jump into the competitive foray of electronic reader distribution? Whatever happens, this is a boon for the public, to have more choice in choosing the best e-reader for themselves. Stay tuned to our E-Reader News service for more.
Michael Kozlowski has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past twelve years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
