Barnes & Noble, a leading bookseller with 481 stores nationwide in the
United States, entered the world of e-commerce in 1997. Barnes & Noble
first launched its America OnLine (AOL) website in March 1997 - as the
exclusive bookseller for 12 million AOL customers -, before launching
its own website, barnesandnoble.com, in May 1997. The site was offering
reviews from authors and publishers, with a catalog of 630,000 titles
available for immediate shipping, and significant discounts: 30% off
all in-stock hardcovers, 20% off all in-stock paperbacks, 40% off
select titles, and up to 90% off bargain books. Its Affiliate Network
spread quickly, with 12,000 affiliate websites in May 1998, including
CNN Interactive, Lycos, and ZDNet.