Publications
Publications
- February 2001
- HBS Case Collection
BarnesandNoble.com (C)
By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Dickson Louie and William A. Sahlman
Abstract
At the end of 1999, Steve Riggio, the vice chairman and acting CEO of barnesandnoble.com, wonders what his company should do next against Amazon.com, the online retailer who is the leading online book seller in the United States. While barnesandnoble.com has been careful to expand into new categories related to media--such as magazines, CDs, and posters--Amazon.com has expanded into a variety of seemingly unrelated categories--such as Z-shops, auctions, and power tools. While some see this expansion as a weakness in Amazon.com's branding strategy, how could Riggio and barnesandnoble.com best exploit this so that they become the leading online bookseller over the long run in terms of market share and mind share?
Keywords
Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Internet; Diversification; Brands and Branding; Retail Industry
Citation
Rayport, Jeffrey F., Dickson Louie, and William A. Sahlman. "BarnesandNoble.com (C)." Harvard Business School Case 901-024, February 2001.
About The Authors
