US book giant Borders has returned to online book retailing today after a 7 year absence.
According to an AP report, the new Borders online initiative will be focused on a “Web site designed to evoke the feeling of browsing at a neighborhood bookstore, down to the popular shelves of staff picks that are familiar to its customers nationwide.”
The centerpiece of the new site is called “The Magic Shelf” (yes, lame name) and includes staff picks and a semantically created “Picked For You” section of personalized recommendations based on your browsing and purchasing history.
Borders states upfront that they are not attempting to take on Amazon, and they aren’t, however the Borders brand still retains fairly strong community support. The site is fairly uncluttered and straight forward, and the range is obviously better than a Borders store, which at least in my experience has always been excellent anyway. If you’re outside of the United States however, watch out for the insanely expensive shipping charges, to the point where you’re much better off sticking to Amazon, or if you’re like me heading on down to the local real world Borders store.
