Brick$-$and$-$mortar bookstores face intense competition from online sellers such as Amazon, as well as from large stores such as Walmart and Target that sell popular books at low prices. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt has adopted a new strategy: Rather than have each Barnes & Noble store offer the same selection of books displayed in the same way, he is giving local store managers discretion over many of the books they stock and over how they display the books. Many store managers have begun to stock more books written by local authors. The article quotes one book publisher as noting that the new strategy "lessens Barnes & Noble's dependence on books sold by Target and Walmart."

Source: Jeffrey A$.$ Trachtenberg, "Barnes & Noble's New Boss Tries to Save the Chain$-$and Traditional Bookselling," Wall Street Journal, December $5,2020.$

Using the economic concepts in this section of the chapter, what is Daunt's business strategy to save Barnes & Noble?

A$.$ Increase the demand for Barnes & Noble's products by differentiating their products from other book sellers.

B$.$ Lower the marginal cost of selling books at Barnes & Noble.

C$.$ Increase the quantity demanded for Barnes & Noble's products by lowering the price of its books as compared to other book sellers.

D$.$ Lower the average total cost of selling books at Barnes & Noble.