Barnes & Noble in a Word: ‘Books’, ‘Outdated’, ‘Expensive’

Americans have a mixed view of Barnes & Noble, the brick-and-mortar bookseller that is aggressively transitioning into e-books. Many view it as a relic, while others appreciate the comfort of a traditional reseller. When asked what one word comes to mind when thinking about Barnes & Noble, a plurality simply said books (157 responses).

In a national survey by Researchscape, conducted September 8 to 30, 2012, with 1,030 U.S. adults, 44% of respondents used a positive term to describe Barnes & Noble, 35% used a negative term and 22% a neutral term.

Many respondents see the company being left behind: 45 used the word outdated, 28 old, 20 obsolete, 17 dying and 14 failing; other words mentioned by at least 5 respondents include dated, declining, struggling and fading. Some see the company as a relic: 8 call it old-fashioned, 7 antiquated and 4 dinosaur. Still, rumors of its demise are exaggerated; perhaps thinking of its former competitor Borders, 11 used the word dead, 9 bankrupt and 5 closed.

Barnes & Noble’s move to e-books has not made much of an impression: just 2 people mentioned e-book and only 8 mentioned the Nook, the Barnes & Noble e-reader.

Positive terms for the company relate to an aura of intelligence: 20 called Barnes & Noble smart, 15 educational, 15 intelligent, 8 intellectual, 8 informative, 8 knowledge, 5 knowledgeable and 5 literary. The physical space of the stores is seen as welcoming: 16 respondents used the word comfortable, 12 relaxing, 10 cozy, 6 calm, 6 friendly and 6 quiet.

Count	Term	Sentiment
157	Books	0
45	Outdated	-1
36	Expensive	-1
28	Old	-1
20	Obsolete	-1
20	Smart	1
17	Dying	-1
17	Good	1
16	Comfortable	1
15	Educational	1
15	Intelligent	1
14	Failing	-1
13	Boring	-1
12	Relaxing	1
12	Traditional	1
11	Dead	-1
10	Classy	1
10	Cozy	1
10	Nice	1
9	Bankrupt	-1
9	Fun	1
9	Reading	0
9	Reliable	1
9	Selection	0
8	Classic	1
8	Informative	1
8	Intellectual	1
8	Knowledge	1
8	Nerdy	-1
8	Nook	0
8	Old-fashioned	-1
7	Antiquated	-1
7	Declining	-1
7	Overpriced	-1
7	Trustworthy	1

Source: Researchscape, sample size = 1,030

Women are more likely than men to use positive words to describe Barnes and Noble: 50% of females used a positive term, compared to only 38% of males.

	All	Male	Female
Positive	44%	38%	50%
Neutral	22%	24%	19%
Negative	35%	38%	31%
N =	1030	567	463

Source: Researchscape, sample size = 1,030

Surprisingly, there was no correlation between age and the degree of positive impression: young and old had similar views on the firm.

Out of 433 companies mentioned by respondents as the company they most admired, 1.2% of respondents chose Barnes & Noble, putting it in the Top 25. Unfortunately for Barnes & Noble, Amazon was #1, selected by 29.3% of respondents.

According to ACSI LLC, customer satisfaction with Barnes & Noble declined from 82 out of 100 in 2010 to 79 in 2011, dropping to the average for specialty retail stores, even as specialty stores in general have improved.