Skip to main content

Amazon to Open Second Bookstore in San Diego

B8869363Z.1_20160305192420_000GMQDJ15N.2-0_r900x493That rumored Amazon Books store in San Diego is now a reality. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Amazon is opening a bookstore in a high-end shopping center.

It’s going to open some time this summer:

Located at 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, Westfield UTC is an upscale, outdoor shopping mall that matches the style and retailers of University Village, the Seattle-area mall where Amazon opened its first bookstore. That location, which opened its doors in November, spans 7,500 square feet, with approximately 5,500 square feet of retail space.

Like Amazon’s Seattle bookstore, the new store is less than a fifth the size of one of B&N’s stores. We don’t know how many titles it will carry, but judging by the space and the location it would be safe to assume that the new Amazon Books will operate the same as the Seattle store.

According to first-hand reports, that store was less about selling books than about collecting data on browsing behavior. The Seattle store carries Amazon gadgetry as well as around 5,000 titles, all facing out on the shelf. There are no prices marked, forcing customers to check a price on their smartphone using the Amazon shopping app.

Then again, Amazon is not above running A/B tests, so for all we know the San Diego store could be built to test different ideas. There are any number of ways Amazon might use the space, including:

  • Maybe have a print-on-demand machine, to do print books;
  • Offer a larger gadget section, kinda like a “home of tomorrow”which features Alexa and smart home integration;
  • Author talks by Kindle Direct Publishing/Amazon imprint/Amazon independent paperbook authors.

At this point Amazon isn’t saying how they’ll use the space. “We are excited to be bringing Amazon Books to the University Towne Center Mall in San Diego and we are currently hiring store managers and associates,” Amazon spokesperson Sarah Gelman told San Diego U-T. “Stay tuned for additional details down the road.”

image by Gary Robbins

Similar Articles


Comments


fjtorres March 6, 2016 um 11:16 am

They could use electronic price tags connected to their online store showing the up-to-the-minute price. Pricey, but thry could… 😉

puzzled March 7, 2016 um 4:26 am

Provided the price doesn’t change between grabbing the book from the shelf and having it scanned at the register.


e-book-news.de » “Coming this Summer”: Amazon Books öffnet bald auch in San Diego eine Filiale March 7, 2016 um 5:50 am

[…] The Digital Reader & San Diego Union […]


Amazon Has an Alexa-Powered Tablet in the Works, and is Going to be Selling it in Their New Retail Stores | The Digital Reader May 26, 2016 um 11:53 pm

[…] Amazon’s first physical bookstore opened in Seattle late last year. It already has plans for another one in San Diego. […]


Write a Comment