How Kindle dominated the E-Book Industry
The Kindle took the electric book market by storm when it was introduced in 2007. It was a project kept heavily under wraps by Amazon while it was being developed for fear that Apple or Google was on its way to producing a competitor. It was the first accessible device of its kind. It revolutionized reading on the go. Its size (being able to fit inside a woman’s purse) and its massive storage space, which could hold thousands of books, made it the ideal travel and work companion.
There really wasn’t any such thing as the e-book market before Amazon released it’s Kindle. Now, there are apps, browser sites, devices and more that connect users with digital reading material.
Portable reading became endemic in people who loved stories, but didn’t have the space for multiple books and who wanted access to millions of titles without being required to make their way to a book store whenever the desire struck.
Kindle became so prolific because of the diffusion of innovations. Its advantages included its size, and capacity to do its desired tasks. However, that wasn’t where the Kindle’s greatness ended. It was not too complex a device to use for any age. Children as young as ten could operate the simple device, and adults older than 65 could also easily manage the paper-thin, and light as a feather machine. It was organized, lacking clutter, and streamlined. Its complexity was low enough that it could be picked up by anyone intrigued.
It’s observability was high. Amazon marketed the product well, which led to its first models selling out within six hours of going live. It was also the first device of its kind. Therefore Amazon had a captive audience. Anyone wishing to buy an e-reader just had to come into contact with anyone using a Kindle. Therefore its observability was heightened due to lack of competition.
The Kindle’s trialability was not gradual however that was not a huge barrier for the device. It’s affordable price and universal usage (for the interested reader) meant that while the purchaser needed to commit to buying the product, that would be the only barrier and negative aspect of the purchaser’s experience with the product.
The Kindle’s compatibility with the social system it entered was off the charts. Apple had just released the first iPhone. The most advanced, pocket-sized device of its kind that anyone had ever seen. It offered a substitute for the computer to such an extent that everyone began looking for any tools that replaced the clunky and large devices used in everyday life. The Kindle was released the same year (2007) and sold out so quickly that it made obvious the widespread desire/need for portable libraries. Where the iPhone replaced a computer for emails and internet browsing, the Kindle, connected to 3G across Amazon’s Whispernet, replaced heavy, space-filling, and bag-weighing books. It made purchasing books instantaneous, and allowed customers to replenish their libraries while sitting on the tarmac waiting for liftoff. From personal experience I can say that only having enough space to pack one book, and suffering a take-off delay left me with a finished novel before an eight hour flight, and my Kindle saved me that day.
Kindle’s buyers were a wide range of consumers. Kindle had subscriptions to newspapers, access to online communities of readers and reviews specific to Amazon, and a personally tailored bookshop created by Amazon’s algorithms. This meant that Kindle’s users were widespread, and this infiltration amongst readers meant that the Kindle’s takeover of e-readers was nearly instantaneous and its diffusion was quite notable. Kindle allowed for highlighting and annotating novels, and then making those highlights visible on all copies of the book across all devices. It meant connecting with anonymous users across the Amazon network. It was in most readers best interests to follow suit if even one friend began to use Kindles because the heightened potential for connections was well worth it.
There was also limited if any competitors on the market, the Nook and Kobo being the most well-known, although to call them well-known wouldn’t be very factual.
As technology advanced, Kindle continued its domination. Amazon created its own publishing label, as well as created subscription plans such as Kindle Unlimited and First Look, both of which made Kindle more unique on the market and reached a broader set of customers. Now, both authors (for publishing) and readers (for early access) needed Kindle in order to maximize profits and exposure.
In summation, the Kindle (and other e-readers) now contributes to nearly half of all book sales. On-the-go libraries and unlimited access to books has become the new norm. Kindle dominated its market and diffused so quickly because it was the first of its kind and the most competent option, with little competition.
Articles:
https://www.wired.com/story/can-amazon-change-books/
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/08/amazons-plan-take-over-world-publishing/595630/
https://mashable.com/2014/07/30/amazon-has-killed-publishers-they-just-dont-know-it-yet/
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/impact-kindle-ipad-book-publishing-business-47705.html