Barnes and Noble is attempting to stir up interest in its Nook ereader with the introduction of a new Nook Audiobooks mobile application for Android users.

With the holidays around the corner, the book retailer is aiming to drive purchases of the Nook upwards after seeing sales plummet by 50 percent in 2013?s third quarter. The Audiobooks app will offer free samples of a wide selection of audiobooks, and consumers that download the app will also receive two audiobooks from a selected list for free, for a limited time.

?All of our apps, including the Free Nook Reading Apps, the Nook Video Apps and now the Nook Audiobooks app, provide easy and intuitive ways for customers to experience the Nook ecosystem and everything that it offers,? said Kashif Zafar, vice president of U.S. digital content at Nook Media, New York. ?We regularly see customers upgrade to buying a Nook device once they download the app and love the experience.?

Promotional launch
To entice consumers to download the app, Barnes and Noble is offering two free audiobooks from a list of top titles that will change weekly. Available choices at launch are ?Gone Girl? by Gillian Flynn, ?The Heist? by Janet Evanovich, ?Seabiscuit? by Lauren Hillenbrand, ?Ender?s Game? by Orson Scott Card and ?Charlotte?s Web? by E.B. White.

Barnes and Noble claims that the Nook Audiobooks app leverages commitment-free listening, and is optimal for a casual reader wanting to listen to only a few novels each year.

Consumers that are curious about trying audiobooks will also benefit from downloading the app.

Most of the audiobooks contain samples, and more than 50,000 titles are available. The app is free to download for Android tablets and smartphones.

?By unbundling their audiobook offerings and offering them in a standalone app, Barnes & Noble is joining the likes of Google, Facebook, Foursquare and others that have recently made headlines for creating and launching single-feature mobile apps,? said Shira Anderson, marketing manager at Como, Israel. ?This approach, which allows users direct access to their preferred features, is a response to the user frustration incurred by cumbersome apps that try to do too much.

?While Barnes & Noble?s logic - and timing - is sound, the new Nook app?s success will all depend on if it fully embodies the features the company?s user base would like to access more quickly.?

NOOK struggles
The launch of the app is likely a calculated decision designed to boost sales of Nook tablets and digital reader, which faces stiff competition from other ereaders, such as Amazon?s Kindle Fire. Rapidly declining sales have prompted Barnes and Noble to reduce expenses and roll out a new Nook color device early next year.

?The holiday season is historically one of the best times to launch an app as downloads surge with people receiving new devices as gifts, so the timing of this launch makes sense from an acquisition standpoint,? said Puneet Mehta, CEO of mobile marketing automation company MobileROI, New York.

?Given the trend towards apps in terms of time spent on mobile devices, it could be a good move for Barnes & Noble to expand its footprint to provide a native experience optimized for consumption on mobile devices beyond its Nook tablet.?

The brand recently slashed the retail price of its Nook Glowlight ereader from $119 to $99, undercutting its rival Kindle Paperwhite?s price of $119. Rebates are also available for the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7-inch and 10-inch tablets from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23.

With Amazon?s slew of Kindle products gaining popularity, the pre-holiday season is a critical time to create pushes for the Nook as consumers think about potential gift ideas.

Barnes and Noble has plans to roll out the Audiobooks app for iOS users in spring 2015.

?We think customers will love the app,? Nook Media?s Mr. Zafar said. ?It?s designed with a clean and easy user interface and features a growing collection of more than 50,000 top titles.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York