Shelfless: The End of the Beginning of E-book Retail

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Westend I

As an ebookseller, we know more about the reader than ever before — preferences, habits, social connections, price tolerances, and behaviour. This data isn’t just informing day-to-day operations and tactical decisions; it is driving us to imagine an entirely new kind of retailer for a completely new kind of customer. This talk describes everything from daily analysis to targeted research, case studies and wild speculation, missteps we have learned from and surprising successes.

The Speaker

Michael Tamblyn is Vice President, Content, Sales and Merchandising at Kobo, Inc. He is responsible for sales, publisher and industry relations, content acquisition, and the merchandising experience across all of Kobo’s web and mobile services. He co-founded Canada’s first online bookstore Bookshelf.ca, which was purchased by Indigo Books & Music in 1998, where he served as vice president of online operations. Most recently, Tamblyn was the founding CEO of the supply chain agency BookNet Canada. He also works as an adjunct professor and sits on the board of directors of House of Anansi Press.