Barnes & Nobles books a new design

Barnes & Noble Inc. is introducing a revamped e-commerce site just in time for the holidays.

The redesign places an emphasis on faster search, more interactive content and enhanced social networking. For instance, a new feature – See Inside – allows visitors and readers to read digital chapters from more than 10,000 books on BarnesandNoble.com and search for specific words and phrases. Eventually all of the titles listed on the site will be included, the book retailer says.

“The new site makes it even faster and easier for our customers to find exactly what they are looking for and have the experience of browsing that makes visiting book stores so pleasurable,” says BarnesandNoble.com CEO Marie Toulantis.

BarnesandNoble.com, No. 33 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, also is adding more interactive content to its site, including a digital literary magazine, podcasts of interviews with leading authors, and live web casts of authors and readings taking place in the Barnes & Noble network of 792 book stores.

The redesign also includes more social networking features such as online book clubs, and an improved store locator button and a cross-channel inventory check. Barnes & Noble worked with R/GA, a New York web design firm, on the launch. “We are introducing many new interactive content and community features that our customers expect,” says Toulantis.