Barnes & Noble is partnering with AT&T to provide free in-store Wi-Fi access to customers at all stores nationwide.
CEO Steve Riggio said providing free Wi-Fi to customers is helping the retailer “[extend] the sense of community that has always been in our stores.” The company also stressed that in offering free Wi-Fi, customers will be able to easily download and preview e-books. The company said the number of e-books it carries in its new e-book store is expanding daily, and it expects to hit the one million mark soon. Riggio called the addition of free Wi-Fi in all stores “a natural progression of our digital strategy to provide customers with more choices in how, when and where they want to read.”
Customers will be able to opt in to receive personalized messages from B&N—including coupons to the in-store café, notices on author signings, or details on new releases in their favorite genres—on their Wi-Fi enabled devices when they enter the store. They can also download free B&N apps.
