DVDOnTheGo

If you’ve ever experienced, or should I say had the pleasure of renting movies online, you know how convenient it is. No trip to the store, no lines, no sold out titles. Memberships make it even more convenient by allowing DVD movie titles to be shipped to you automatically, based upon your preferences.

Putting your membership on autopilot can be great, but what if a problem arises such as receiving the wrong DVD title, or a damaged copy? What if the movie you selected is so awful that you stop watching halfway through, and now don’t have a movie to watch?

With Netflix, there’s really nothing that can be done except wait for another movie.

This is where Blockbuster Online’s biggest advantage comes in: they have locations that cover the entire U.S., and you can exchange the movies you rented online for in-store movies at anytime. That means unless you live way out in the woods or otherwise desolate area, you can get a new movie or correct a shipment mistake just by visiting a local store.

That kind of flexibility just can’t be offered by Netflix, whom only handles DVD rentals and sales online and has no plans for retail locations. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top, but it’s obvious to me that Blockbuster Online has an extreme competitive advantage with its’ current in-store exchange policy.