With Amazon seemingly taking over the book business, it begs the question: Can Barnes and Noble – which, coincidentally, caused the demise of countless independent booksellers – survive in an ever-changing retail landscape?

The 633-store chain is incurring losses because it has failed to make good use of its stores to endear itself to book lovers, according to a report from Knowlege@Wharton. Also, Barnes and Noble’s Nook e-reader has lost badly to Amazon’s Kindle.

“You have to find ways to reach out to (the millennial generation), and it is about being omni-channel – it has to be a seamless experience,” said Wharton marketing professor Thomas Robertson. “Also, if you’re going to reach Gen Z or Gen X, it is all about mobile.”

“They’ve tried lots of different things from devices to experiences to broadening the merchandise,” Wharton marketing professor Peter Fader said of Barnes and Noble. “Nothing’s working. At this point, they haven’t found that hook to save the business, nor have they found the vision or leadership to give people any confidence in it.”

Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, called Barnes and Noble “the last man standing in a sense in the traditional brick-and-mortar space.”

“They just haven’t figured out how to be become relevant,” he said. “Too little, too late.”

Click here to read more about whether Barnes and Noble can survive from Knowledge@Wharton.
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