单项选择题

The digital attack of e-books and Amazon-style e-tailers has put bookstores at risk. Digital books are expected to outsell print titles by 2015 in Britain and even sooner in America. With this change, physical bookstores appear to be on borrowed time. So, what is the future of the bookstore This is a burning question on everyone’s lips at a recent event at Foyles’s flagship bookshop in London.
To remain successful, a bookstore must improve "the experience of buying books," says Alex Lifschutz, an architect. He suggests an array of approaches: "small, quiet spaces sheltered with books; larger spaces where one can dwell and read; other larger but still intimate spaces where one can hear talks from authors about books." Exteriors must buzz with activity, entrances must be full of eye-catching presentations. The trend for not only incorporating cafes in bookstores but also placing them on the top floor makes good sense. This draws shoppers upwards floor-by-floor, which is bound to encourage people to linger longer and spend more.
There are plenty of ways to delight customers. The consensus is that bookstores need to become cultural destinations where people are prepared to pay good money to hear a concert, see a film or attend a talk. The programming will have to be intelligent and the space comfortable. As shoppers often browse in shops only to buy online later, some wonder whether it makes sense to charge people for the privilege.
A more attractive idea might be a membership scheme like those offered by museums and other cultural venues. Unlike reward cards, which offer discounts and other nominal benefits, a club membership could provide priority access to events and a private lounge where members can eat, drink and meet authors before events. Different memberships could tailor to the needs of children and students.
To survive and thrive, bookstores should celebrate the book in all its forms: rare, second-hand, digital, self-printed and so on. Readers should have the option of buying e-books in-store, and budding authors should have access to self-printing book machines, an important source of revenue in America.
The bookstore of the future will have to work hard. Service will be knowledgeable and personalized, the inventory expertly selected, spaces well-designed and the cultural events appealing. Whether bookstores are up to the challenge is not clear. The fate of these stores is a cliff-hanger. This passage can be best entitled ______.