CONTENTS Features:
Volume 29 // Issue 1 32 // Groupon and
Others: Plus or Minus? Retailers looking to stimulate sales can’t avoid looking at “daily deal” ser- vices like Groupon and LivingSocial as potential saviors. But there is a point at which the search for profit becomes perilous, and just as many owners see the pitfalls as the potential.
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8 // Editor’s Forum Time Over for Territories? Our old brick-and-mortar model doesn’t fit the new Internet landscape. What do we need to do in order to make it work, and will it change how we do business?
12 // Q&A Rockford: On the Road Again How can a company that has made its living in traditional car audio and outside the iPhone craze plan for 2012 and beyond? Theresa Hephner says it’s a mixture of OEM partnerships, making nice with factory equip- ment, and thinking small.
38 // Feature Story Diversification: What’s the Right Model? Retailers are looking for new products to sell, but cost, expertise and competition are limiters. Here are four criteria for selecting diversification options today, without having to totally remake your business.
64 // External Effects The Kindle Crunch, Download Duties and More Can a cheaper tablet bring in a whole new slew of integration products? And what will Internet taxes do to even the playing field for car stereo e-commerce?
More Articles
6 Shots 14 Feedback 16 Stats
17 Retailer Recommendations 18 Sales Snapshot 20 Recognition
42 Business Coach 46 Web Analysis 66 Peer to Peer
MOBILE ELECTRONICS (USPS 957-170) (ISSN#1523-763X) is published bi-monthly, with an additional issue in July, by Mobile Electronics Retailers Association, Inc. 85 Flagship Drive, Suite F, North Andover, MA 01845. Periodicals postage paid at Lawrence, MA 01842-8887 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mobile Electronics PO Box 3186 Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Please allow 6-8 weeks for address changes to take effect. Subscription Prices - United States $35 per year, Canada $42 per year, Foreign $75 per year, Single copy price - $5; Buyer’s Guide $25. Please allow 6-8 weeks to receive your first issue.
4 Mobile Electronics December | January 2012
December // January 2012 Cover Story: Should We Just Get Rid of Territories? – page 8 The Industry’s #1 Resource
facebook.com/MobileElectronics
24 // Innovations Award Winners
® December/January 2012 |
me-mag.com Innovations Winners Promise a Connected Show Experience CES: Is It On Your Radar? +
Your Answers to: • Major Projects for 2012
• Best Months for Training • Your Attractiveness to the Female Sex (really) • Top Vendor Partners
CES is primarily a product show, and these winners show us that the ‘Mo- bile Electronics’ product category is a lot broader than it used to be. Win- ners range from a traditional (though smaller) amp to expected but inventive solutions for the iPhone. Photos courtesy of their respective companies.
58 // Tech Skills Rich Radar; Pioneer Pickup You may never see a 2011 Bentley GT in your shop, but if you do, save this to know how to add Escort’s newest system. Plus, older trucks need love, too, and this 2002 Nissan Frontier gets plenty.
Newsletters 48 // MERA
Become a Sleuth for Solutions With smaller demand for traditional car audio, more
OEM competition, smarter consumers and less awareness, we’ve got to look for every opportunity we can get. Make Time for Marketing Spend 30 minutes each day to plan how you will promote your business to consumers.
54 //MECP Year of the Masters
MECP celebrated a breakthrough year with 200 concurrent Master Installers, three female Masters and a stellar gather- ing during SEMA. Certified and Recertified Installers List
Three Master Installers and 31 Advanced Installers top a substantial list.
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