Customer Reviews

SUCCESS WITH ONLINE RETAILING: FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This one-volume, easy-to-read introduction to selling your wares online ranges from strategy -- keep average order size high and costs low -- to practicalities -- how to efficiently orchestrate the fulfillment of orders.

The book includes several interesting topics I did not expect in a book of this type, including the pros and cons of drop shipping and how to minimize credit card fraud.

If you want a solid guide to setting up an online store, this covers everything you need to know to get started and make money at it. Well done!

Don't listen to those other reviews (they are obviously written by friends and family). After looking through several other books on Amazon related to the same topic, I was interested in this book because the reviews were so positive... but the reviews are highly misleading.

This book felt dated and the material seemed to be focused more on what kind of online business to start as opposed to turning your retail business idea or store into a online store. The author is also from Singapore and often refers to businesses there. For someone in the States, I find it hard to relate.

Anyway, I could go on and on in detail about the many reasons why this book was a complete waste of money, but I won't bother. Save your time and cash for something that's actually of value.

Success with Online Retailing is a practical guide for how to inexpensively implement your great idea for offering inexpensive products that people want in a unique way with delightful service. The author, Mr. Tan, brings a lot to the table from his experience as a former e-Business Manager for Tangs Department Store in Singapore and his recent work in creating low-cost Web store software. This book will be particularly valuable to potential e-retailers located in the Far East due to his many suggestions for that area.

Although this is an average length book, it is quite exhaustive in the subjects covered including how to:

identify a business that allows you to capitalize on your unique qualities and interests; create a strategic perspective on what advantages to seek in serving customers; develop a business plan to implement the strategy; brand and position your business; find the right e-commerce solution for an inexpensive start; avoid fraud losses; get order fulfillment done well; build an appealing site; establish an on-line community; market to attract new customers and draw old viewers back; work with partners and outsourcing services; and expand into a multichannel strategy that may include mail-order catalogs or connect to an existing physical store.

As you get closer to the details, the book gets better and better. Much of the overview on the industry is a little dated . . . looking at information from 2001 and 2002. But you are given lots of on-line resources to get more recent information.

Some may be troubled that Mr. Tan frequently refers to his software product. I didn't find that distressing because it gave a sense of reality to what would be involved in establishing an on-line retail business.

My biggest concern about the book was that it didn't give enough detail about how rapidly one can expect to succeed, how much capital will be involved, and how hard it is to avoid operational problems. As a result, I came away feeling like on-line retailing is not such a great opportunity . . . unless you are already a catalog or physical store retailer. The book, however, gave me a sense from its tone that almost anyone can succeed. I suspect that the majority will fail instead, as most new retail businesses do.

Before you decide to pursue this direction, find some live examples to study that will give you a better sense of what you can accomplish with your time and resources.

Good luck!

They say that "Time flies when you are having fun", and if that is the case, then finally, there is an easy-to-use e-commerce guide available that gives you a lot of fun simply by reading it. For those who is going to start a new business online and has every intention to build it successfully, this is the book you must not miss!

The book's author shares his hands-on knowledge and experience in both the business and e-commerce developments, presents you with practical tips and skills so as to prepare you for a cost-effective start right through the managing of your e-business operations strategically and efficiently.

Unique, inspiring, well paced and neatly concluded in a language that all can understand and enjoy. More importantly, the book is everything you need.

This book takes a no nonsense, straightforward, practical approach to developing and managing an online retail business. Given the plethora of books about this subject that are little more than gushing testaments to achieving success, with more fluff than meat, it's refreshing to find one that is sober and factual.

The author sets the tone in the beginning of the book by citing a few short, compelling success stories, then leading you through steps designed to determine if you are ready to sell online, the realities of an online business and how to approach creating a successful business model. He then leads you through all of the critical success factors, ranging from positioning your business to sourcing to credit risk management. These important topics are treated in surprising depth considering that the entire book is less than 225 pages. More importantly, statistics, tables and supporting information are provided to reinforce concepts and back up statements made.

Chapters 10 through 15 cover the actual development and marketing of your web site. This material is presented in the same factual, straightforward fashion that characterizes the first nine chapters and is filled with excellent advice and information.

In Chapter 17, E-Business Management, the author provides realistic advice about what it takes to effectively manage your online retail business. This advice is based on his extensive experience as an operator and consultant, and is on the mark. The final chapter wraps up with advanced tips on multi channel strategies, profit assurance and operations.

If you read one book on online retailing I recommend that it is this one. The writing is crisp, the information is practical, and the approach is viable.

This book is truly worthless. First, it's written in broken English. I know the author is not a native English speaker, but that's what editors are for! Reading all of the misspellings, grammatical mistakes and incorrect idiomatic expressions was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Additionally, the book is full of platitudes and generalizations - very little in the way of actionable, how-to advice. Lastly, I put the book down when I got to the chapter on E-Commerce Solution, where the author blatantly tries to sell you his home-made software. Effectively, you're paying for a thinly-veiled sales pitch. Don't fall for it!