Book Review: “Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age”

“Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age”
Written By: Bob & Susan Negen

My Opinion: A must-buy for fashion retail store owners; the Negens know a lot about getting stores to sell more to more customers.
The book is not just about opening an online store and marketing it online. Of course, it does cover these topics, but the book is about using proven marketing techniques to boost visitors, sales and repeat sales. The text gives you powerful tips on how to master pragmatic marketing techniques in your current store, and then using the power of the Internet to multiply their effect.

The principles discussed hold true for both online and offline worlds. 70% of the tips they give is about applying these principles in a brick-and-mortar store; 30% of the pragmatic advice is about harnessing the power of the internet to do the same, in a more ambitious scale (while keeping marketing costs down). Yet, Bob and Susan manage to show that the Internet is just an enabler for marketing techniques that already work offline. They show you how to adapt them on your website.

I really liked the examples of mom-and-pop stores building websites with a lot of content, just to show that they were expert on a subject. Big online retailers cannot spend their time showing their expertise, but local retailers can. The book shows how to establish your store's uniqueness online, in order to drive sales (mostly) offline. The only thing that was on the down side was the heavy push that the Negens make in order to let you know that they have a consultancy company called Whizbang Training.

Review: Retail store owners are repeatedly saying that this is a book you must have in your arsenal if you own a store.  With customers giving them rave reviews on the new websites they’ve build after reading the Negens’ book, how could they not swear by “Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age?”  Not only that, they’re praising Bob and Susan for saving them thousands of dollars on the advertising they used to use – before they read the book.

Bob Negen is the founder of WhizBang! Training and was previously the owner of an award-winning chain of kite stores for more than two decades.  After leaving the kite business, he spent six years teaching other store owners and managers the very basics of what they needed to know to run successful retail businesses.  Susan is the cofounder of WhizBang! Training and brings her expertise in the large scale retail sect to the table.  Previously an executive for Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, she’s learned plenty of lessons along the way that she is now passing on to others.

You may buy the book online at Amazon.com.