![]() The future of the book retailing business does not look particularly promising. Given our rapidly changing world, however, maybe this landmark was simply no longer a relevant one. The store was more than a bookshop – it was a landmark. Still, the closure of this store seems somehow symbolic, reflecting the end of an era in the world of books. In that sense, its looming closure is not too surprising. ![]() Last time I stopped by, the store looked dated and run down – especially compared to Indigo’s other stores. In the case of the World’s Biggest Bookstore, it had certainly seen better days. That strategy appears to be paying off: the company has seen double-digit growth in sales of lifestyle products, toys and other non-book items in recent quarters. Shoppers who have visited a Indigo store in the past year or two, for example, could be forgiven for mistaking it for a home décor retailer, given the growing selection of candles, throws and vases in those stores. Meanwhile, many of the bookstores that are still around are rapidly diversifying their product shelves to give shoppers other reasons to come into their stores, as books do not have the draw they once did. As bookstores compete with online retailers like, along with a growing array of tablets and e-readers that enable us to consume books in a compact, portable, paperless fashion, people are simply not going to stores to buy books nearly as often as they did in the past. It’s pretty clear what’s driving this trend. Back in January, for instance, we learned that Book City’s flagship store in the Annex was shutting down after almost 40 years. Photo courtesy of World’s Biggest Bookstore Facebook Page.īy now, most Torontonians are likely accustomed to seeing ‘Going out of Business Sale’ signs in the windows of neighbourhood bookstores. Although the internet has opened up a variety of new sales options, marketing practices and alternative ways of connecting with consumers, there continue to be opportunities to innovate in the traditional retail world.īricks and mortar stores, it turns out, serve an important function that cannot necessarily be fulfilled online. It’s a sign that despite the digital times in which we live, innovation in the retail industry is not a one-way street. The steady growth of online shopping shows no signs of slowing down, and most bricks and mortar retailers have responded to that in recent years by establishing comprehensive websites and e-commerce capabilities alongside the physical stores that they operate.Īgainst that backdrop, it’s interesting to see some retailers moving in the opposite direction by first establishing themselves online, and then shifting into the physical retail space. has signed on as one of the participating retailers, and Indigo began selling a selection of Etsy merchandise in certain stores, including the Toronto Eaton Centre location. The initiative provides artists with a new channel on which to sell their products, and it gives retailers access to unique new items to feature on their shelves.Įarlier this year, the company announced that Indigo Books & Music Inc. ![]() The initiative, called Etsy Wholesale, connects the artists and designers within its marketplace with retailers who are interested in carrying their products. ![]() The Made in Canada initiative follows #EtsyRoadTrip – a road show in which a 30-foot custom AirStream trailer brought Etsy merchandise to shoppers Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto during the first week of August.īeyond these pop-up marketplaces, Etsy has established a longer term strategy around the concept of bringing Etsy merchandise into the real world. In Toronto, the event will take over the atrium of the MaRs Centre, showcasing one-of-a-kind goods from 100 local sellers. 27th, will take place in more than 20 cities across the country, allowing vendors the opportunity to sell their merchandise to shoppers face-to-face. ![]() Later this month, Etsy will host a cross-country event called Made in Canada, in which pop-up markets will appear across the country. Online marketplace Etsy appears to be branching out of the e-commerce world and making strides into the face-to-face retail space.Įtsy, an online marketplace where consumers can browse and purchase creative items by artists from around the world, has been experimenting with a variety of projects this year that bring merchandise off of the website and into bricks and mortar stores and markets. ![]()
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