What Really Happened to Borders Books? The Barnes & Noble Deal That Sealed Their Fate
Borders let Amazon run its website for years; by the time it built its own, e-commerce had moved on and Barnes & Noble had a head start.
“What Really Happened to Borders Books? The Barnes & Noble Deal That Sealed Their Fate” The Mystery Hook:
Borders and Barnes & Noble were neck-and-neck in the 1990s Both faced the same Amazon threat Barnes & Noble survived. Borders died. Why?
The Intrigue:
2001: Borders outsourced their entire website to… AMAZON Let their biggest competitor run their e-commerce for 7 years Barnes & Noble built their own website and created the Nook e-reader Borders woke up in 2008 and tried to build a website—too late By the time they tried to compete digitally, Amazon had won
Mystery Elements:
The WTF moment: Why would you let Amazon run your website?! The missed opportunity: They were actually AHEAD of B&N in the 90s (bigger stores, better selection) The question: Did Amazon deliberately sabotage them?
Reveal: Borders outsourced their future to their competitor. When they realized the mistake, it was too late.