Like a lot of people I love books, its probably why I became so interested in the web in the first place. However it has been courtesy of Amazon, a long time since I visited one in earnest. News today that Blackwells have unveiled a so called ‘ATM for books’ piqued my curiosity.
Sadly I didn’t get much further once I understood what the Blackwell Esspresso was. I am full of admiration for Blackwell as a brand, they are providing their customers with tangible, authentic reasons to re-engage with their products.
The concept of Print On Demand has been around for a while now. Its mainly been used for reproducing out of print books. Lonely planet started experimenting with this in 2008 and its a great idea. Here is why its worth it.
Posted, 17-Jul-2008 06:34, by kitamonster
“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. This is such a great idea. I’ve taken trips before where I’ve had to tear up three different guidebooks and stuff the relavant pieces into my already over-stuffed backpack. This will save me space and money”
Lonely Planet get it. They are curating loyal customers who have become brand evangalists. The idea has gone full circle now for LP, you can now buy chapters at a time in PDF format ready to use on any digital device – Pick and Mix.
Here at Republic we believe that it isn’t enough to simply talk to your customers. You have to get out there and engage with your customers on a daily basis, on their terms, wherever and whenever that will be.
Oh and finally I think its the gadget freak inside me but I was just a tad dissapointed to find out that it didn’t actually make coffee…