Bookseller to unveil e-book service

Dangdang, China's online bookseller, is preparing to unveil an e-book service at the end of the year in an attempt to stake its claim in the increasingly competitive market, reports FT.

The company says it plans to offer electronic books for PCs, mobile phones or e-readers, but will not start selling an e-reader itself in order not to compete with China's more than 15 existing reader vendors. The plan is seen as a test of whether companies can make money from selling content in China's fledgling e-book market.

Dangdang's new platform will follow the business model of book traders such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Libri, which make money mainly from selling electronic books rather than e-reader device sales.

After 14 years of business, Cummings Bookstore in Dinkytown is calling it quits because of the burgeoning e-book market, reveals Kare 11.

Owner Jim Cummings hung up sale signs this week and says with big Internet bookstores like Amazon and e-books dominating the industry, he has fewer and fewer customers.

Cummings says he will continue to sell books. Ironically, the report says, he will be selling them on Amazon. He admits making the move to online book selling is not an easy one.

By offering free shipping for online purchases during the holidays, Wal-Mart has unveiled a strategy in the battle for e-commerce business that may become a standard for large retailers, states The Wall Street Journal.

The combination of the retailer setting a precedent in terms of depth of offerings and suggesting it may follow with other free shipping deals creates a major competitive pressure for retailers for this holiday season and beyond, the report says.

Wal-Mart will provide free shipping for more than 60 000 online items during the holidays without the need for a minimum purchase or subscription plan, it says.