According to The Bookseller, Boots have struck up a partnership with Amazon and become the latest high street retailer to sell their Kindle and Fire Tablet devices.
The Bookseller spotted a large Amazon display for their ereaders and tablets at Boots in Waterloo station – perhaps one of the busiest thoroughfares in the country for travellers with time on their hands and the ideal place to grab a book (or a Kindle) for the journey home.
Amazon are of course much more interested in tying their customers into the Amazon ecosystem and preferably turning them into Prime subscribers to encourage shopping on the site, than they are in simply selling hardware. One of the benefits of Amazon Prime is the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library gives members within the UK access to borrow one book per month for free.
Rakuten launched in the UK with their premise of “Shopping is Entertainment”, but Amazon appear to be streets ahead in the Entertainment business with Kindle and Prime instant Video. Whilst entertainment might not be shopping, by tying customers into the Prime subscription the free shipping is enticing, not to mention building up credits which can be spent on your Kindle books through the Amazon Prime No Rush Delivery Program.
