Walmart teams with Rakuten on digital book shop

Walmart on Wednesday launched a digital book shop in a collaboration with Japanese e-commerce powerhouse Rakuten's electronic book service Kobo.

The Walmart eBooks website boasting more than six million titles along with audiobooks competes head-on with a core offering of rival Amazon.

Subscriptions to the Walmart audiobook service were $9.99 monthly, compared to $14.95 for a comparable Audible service at Amazon.

"The launch of Walmart eBooks by Rakuten Kobo marks a milestone for our strategic alliance," Rakuten executive vice president Makoto Arima said in a release.

The ebook shop stemmed from a strategic alliance Walmart and Rakuten announced earlier this year, according to the companies.

Digital books are available on Kobo eReaders and on applications tailored for mobile devices powered by Apple or Android software.

"Working with Kobo enables us to quickly and efficiently launch a full eBook and audiobook catalog on Walmart.com alongside our assortment of physical books," said Walmart US e-commerce and entertainment general manager Mario Pacini.

The move marks the latest effort by Walmart, the former number one US retailer, to counter the rise of Amazon.

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Lenovo posts first-quarter profit as recovery continues
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 16, 2018
Chinese technology giant Lenovo Thursday recorded a sharp rise in first quarter net profit as the company's turnaround gathered pace. The PC maker posted a $77 million net profit in the quarter to June 30 - up from a $72 million loss in the same period last year. "The Group remains confident in its core PC business, and aims to grow ... without compromising on profitability," chairman Yang Yuanqing said in a statement. Analyst Jackson Wong said competition between PC makers "is not as fierc ... read more