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As Its Divorce From Amazon Nears, Borders Quietly Launches Its Beta

Written by Evan Schuman
September 14th, 2007

With Borders just seven months away from having to fly on its own without Amazon.com, the nation's second-largest bookseller has quietly launched its beta site. When Borders announced in March that it was ending its agreement with Amazon—where Borders all-but-surrendered its online presence to Amazon—it's executives outlined an unusually aggressive plan to turn its stores into models of merged-channel strategy.

In the preliminary beta site triggered live on Sept. 6, only the most faint hints of that strategy is evident. The layout/design is intended to visually reinforce the chain's roots. "The site now feels like a bookstore," said Kevin Ertell, VP of E-Business at Borders.

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Posted in E-Commerce, IT Strategy/Industry, Premium Content
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