Who would’ve thought 20 years ago that we would one day be able to download movies? Or choose which ones we want online and a company would send us those DVDs in the mail? Or that we’d be able to download books for less expensive than the cost of a hardcover or paperback book?
Well, today, more and more people are choosing Netflix over Blockbuster, and books for Amazon’s Kindle over Borders or Barnes and Noble. A place where people can rent all different kinds of movies, from the latest releases to classics to foreign films was a great idea – but it seems Netflix has come up with a better idea. Blockbuster tried to keep their brick and mortar stores and offer a mail option…but it doesn’t seem to be working as well.
Same with Amazon’s Kindle – Borders hasn’t made an attempt to fight back against the digital book formats because they’re confident people want a place to sit and read, “meet others who share their passion for books and engage in the sheer joy and indulgence of spending hours exploring.” But what happens when you’ve got a crowd of people in your store…but they’re not buying anything? Just perusing what books are out there, figuring out what books they should download next?
Look at the other businesses that may not make it to 2020, and make sure your business isn’t modeled similarly…

