LIVE FROM APPS WORLD, LONDON: US book retailer Barnes & Noble’s focus on the demographics and interests of its customers and app discovery are the main reasons behind the success of apps for its NOOK range of Android-powered tablets. That's according to the director of developer relations for Barnes & Noble, Claudia Romanini (pictured), who said the company has taken a slightly different approach to how it sells digital content and apps due to the difference in its typical customers compared to tablet users generally.

Around three-fifths of tablet users are male, with around half under the age of 35. However, Barnes & Noble found the user base for its NOOK tablet was 75 percent female, with 50 percent of users being aged between 35 and 54.

The company’s digital division therefore built tools for users to find what they were looking for with recommendations aligned to what users had previously purchased or shown an interest in. There are also numerous channels that reflect customer interests rather than just the type of app they want to use, with digital books and magazines also appearing alongside apps.

Another factor in the success of the company’s app strategy is that they are sold in parallel with other digital content rather than being treated as a separate entity. “We’re selling our apps alongside all sorts of digital content,” Romanini said.

Barnes & Noble is also using its physical store infrastructure as a way to promote apps, with in-store promotion being used extensively. “We integrate apps into our overall shopping experience,” Romanini said.

A partnership with Angry Birds maker Rovio – in which content in the apps was unlocked when people entered stores – was one successful instance of this approach. The company also makes extensive use of in-store feedback in the development of its digital strategy.

Barnes & Noble’s approach is reaping rewards for developers, with top selling apps grossing US$100,000 within their first 30 days of availability and US$1 million since launch. App sales on the NOOK tablets are between four and 10 times greater than other app stores, Romanini said.

Barnes & Noble recently launched its NOOK HD and HD+ devices, running the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android.