Dominik Brokelmann, CEO Brodos AG and author of “Der venetzte Laden” (“The Connected Store”)

Book “The Connected Store” now available in German

“Der vernetzte Laden” (“The Connected Store”) is now available both in hardback and as an e-book (in German). I sent a preliminary copy to leading managers and retail experts to get their opinion in advance of publication. I was very pleased that all the reviews I received in return were positive, without exception. Read for yourself...

The book “The Connected Store” is available to buy as of 5th October.

What the experts say:

		“Compulsory reading for trade and industry”
		Charles Fränkl, CEO Gigaset
		“A book of immense practical relevance - showing the way forward for the telecommunications branch.”
		Achim Weniger, member of the board of Vedes AG
		“At last an insider report about a system which not only shows the way forward but also actually works in practice - entertaining, practical and clever.”
		Hannes Streng, owner and CEO of  Baustoff Union Holding AG & Co KG
		“Anyone who wants to make their stores fit for the future should read this book: visions not only on paper, but which have already been successfully put into practice, written in an entertaining style appealing to practitioners.”
		Dr. Peter Walz, Director Consumer Retail and Service Partner Sales at Vodafone
		“‘The Connected Store’ is a stimulating contribution to the discussion about the future of the retail trade in the digital age: informative, well-founded and worth reading.”
		Roland Bernhard, editor in chief of Telecom Handel
		“Brodos has a cross channel marketing concept which is unique within Germany and which I personally am convinced by. In times of digitalisation and changes in consumer behaviour, the “Connected Store” not only shows the way forward for the retail trade, unlike many other concepts it is already being put into practice by a number of retailers, generating a relevant business volume at this very moment. I would recommend all entrepreneurs in the retail trade to read the book if they intend to put their brick and mortar business in the ideal strategic position to benefit from the advantages of digitalisation.”
		Carola Wahl, Head of Indirect Sales and Service Telekom Deutschland GmbH
		“This book should give every retailer hope for the future. It gives a very clear description of omni-channel approaches and shows that the age of retail is not nearly over yet.”
		Michael Schuld, Head of Communication and Sales Marketing Telekom Deutschland
		“In his book which is very worth reading, Mr. Brokelmann shows retailers the way forward: the way for brick and mortar retailers to have a future is to work with the internet, rather than against it, as this is what customers want. They want the connected store!”
		Prof. Dr. Gerrit Heinemann, Head of Trade and Retail and Head of eWeb Research Center at Hochschule Niederrhein, University of Applied Sciences
		“Well worth reading - combining online and offline as an opportunity for the retail trade”
		Gerhard Sturm, Sony Mobile, Vice President Europe
		“Worth reading! After reading the connected store, work on the future of the multi-channel future can begin.”
		Christoph Vilanek, Chairman of the board, CEO freenet AG
		“The author could not have described the challenges and issues facing the retail sector on the way towards genuine cross-channel retailing any more accurately than he has in his book “The Connected Store”.”
		Benedict Kober, Spokesman of the Board, EURONICS Deutschland eG
		“Great! The book should be compulsory reading for all store owners.”
		Marco Stuhr, CEO /Co-trade GmbH, owner of 66 mobile communications stores and Senator for Economics (BRD)
		“A successful work, which makes it easier for retailers to venture into what they see as the complex area of internet business. It does without a doubt increase the reader’s knowledge and shows possibilities of how the retail trade can have genuine opportunities on the market in future. Well worth reading.”
		Bernd Eßer, CEO DTV Tabakwaren-Vertrieb
		“Clear analysis - clear visions - practice-oriented approach. Well worth reading in order to understand the problems faced by brick and mortar retailers and explore possible solutions.”
		Dr. Wolfgang Neumann, Member of the Board of PAUL HARTMANN AG
		“The book gives some practical approaches, especially for retailers, helping them react effectively to the challenge posed by online trade.”
		Klaus Hellmich, CEO GALERIA Kaufhof GmbH, responsible for Multichannel-Retail
		“This book is a MUST - and not only for retailers with or without a special area of expertise. It brings the contraversial issue into the private consumer habits of households as a whole. No-one can avoid this discussion, but as so often is the case.... the early bird catches the worm!”
		Martin Börner, Deputy President & Corporate VP Samsung Electronics GmbH
		“The Connected Store - the key to the future of the retail trade!”
		Prof. Dr. Arnold Weissman, managing partner of WeissmanGruppe
		“The strategic reference work for all chain store owners”
		Dr. Jörg Ehmer, CEO Apollo Optik

In appreciation of the time the experts have taken for my book, I have had all quotations printed in my book. I was very pleased that my book proved so popular even before publishing, as this shows me that I have chosen the right path and have captured the spirit of our times.

Cross-channel offers opportunities for brick and mortar retailers to develop further

With respect to cross-channel retailing, “The Connected Store” offers a realistic option for interested readers from all sectors. In the first part of the book I deal with the reasons behind the shifting of turnover from traditional retail to the internet, making a discovery worthy of mention: E-commerce is not the improved modern form of retail, but rather simply capitalises on the new opportunities offered by the internet, unlike traditional retail trade. The battle between the channels is at the end of the day a battle between traditions and the opportunities offered by the internet. The strengths and weaknesses of the online and offline channels make it clear that a solution can only be found by combining both. Customers are already combining channels, and this is what was taken as the starting point for positioning the connected store. In the second part of the book, a picture of the connected store is painted for the reader. Instead of just drawing up a theoretical model, however, cross-channel is described in detail and with a strongly practical orientation, taking the “connected stores” of Brodos AG as an example.

The connected store as seen at the PoS.

New positioning for brick and mortar retailers

The crisis in which brick and mortar retailers find themselves is not only a crisis caused by a lack of know-how and an inability to put concepts into practice, rather its main cause is a lack of prospects for the concept of the brick and mortar store. In view of the growing turnover in the e-commerce branch, industry, wholesalers and retailers are all wondering what the vision and position of brick and mortar retailers should be in future. This is the very issue tackled by my book, taking the benefits for end customers as the starting point for developing a new position for brick and mortar retailers. As a connected store, they can offer end customers the existing advantages of a brick and mortar presence with the advantages offered by e-commerce. An entirely new category of brick and mortar retailer is created, which is at the same time a local online shop. By combining online and offline, retailers can become a “local hero”, finding a new position for themselves on the market. The book is now available on the market both in hardback for €24.95 and as an e-book for €17.99 (in German). It is easy to read and gives retailers in particular the opportunity to join in the discussion on the future of the city centres thanks to cross-channel retailing.