In the early part of 2020, I lost three major 12-volt lines Hertz, Audison, and Connection. I honestly thought after twenty-five years in Car Audio; I might have to make a change. These brands are very OEM and premium audio upgrade centric. They do audio very well, but the speaker and amplifier upgrade market has become very crowded lately. This “new to us” product came available in the name of MTX.  Old School Blue Thunder Subwoofers Everyone has stories about these subwoofers that never died or an amplifier that they still have today, 20+ years later. I honestly thought they got sold to ..read more

In this edition of CanadianCarStereo.com, I wanted to cover portable radar detectors.  You might be thinking, that’s the most boring category in your store, but who can use and benefit from a radar detector…everyone from soccer moms, students, automotive enthusiasts, and professional drivers, etc.  With the current landscape, people are getting out and exploring new remote areas in their state or province in unprecedented numbers. Just look at your favorite social media platform. You might have noticed this trend, and so has law enforcement. When you are on the way to work ..read more

In this edition of CanadianCarStereo.com, I wanted to cover portable radar detectors.  You might be thinking, that’s the most boring category in your store, but who can use and benefit from a radar detector…everyone from soccer moms, students, automotive enthusiasts, and professional drivers, etc.  With the current landscape, people are getting out and exploring new remote areas in their state or province in unprecedented numbers. Just look at your favorite social media platform. You might have noticed this trend, and so has law enforcement. When you are on the way to work ..read more

  K40 Electronics’ Platinum100 portable radar & laser detector offers first-ever remote control options, longer range with LNA receivers, more customizable options, and “plug-in” Laser Defuser integration. September 05, 2020, Elgin IL—K40 Electronics, a premier manufacturer of award-winning, high-performance automotive radar and laser protection systems, has introduced the Platinum100 Series portable radar & laser detectors. The Platinum100 is engineered to be the best, customizable speeding ticket defense available with over 40 years of cutting-edge product focus ..read more

In a past article, “Give Them Something Alexa Can’t”, we talked about why people are buying from Amazon and some strategies to combat them. But during these times, people have had a lot of time to reflect on the future of their business. Let’s identify the one thing that Amazon does well, products for every customer, and price point! But That’s Not my Customer… I sat in on a recent industry Zoom call regarding “Identifying Holes in Your SKU Selection in Your Store” by Ben DelGrosso. He has an interesting take on inventory management. He asked store owners/managers to look at each category ..read more

  Over the holiday season, I had what most couples have – a huge “honey-do” list! Like most people, I just grin and bear it, but the most amazing thing happened, Alexa took my money! I hate shopping at this time of year, but Alexa took my pain away this holiday season. This got me wondering “if retailers can’t get my money, why is Alexa?” Alexa, Take My Pain Away! During the holidays I installed an Alexa Dot, ok maybe I just plugged it into the wall and downloaded an app, to run my Christmas tree. I traveled the three blocks to my local big-box retailer, bought a three-pack of plug-in out ..read more

As we head into the Holiday Season, it usually becomes a time for reflection. I have owned my car for seven years now, I really need to put a system in my car that I have been putting off for years. Maybe even build that custom sub box using that sheet of wood that is still leaning against the wall since spring. Instead of looking at the things that you would like to do to your vehicle, let’s take a moment to reflect on categories that added to store’s bottom line. The Self-Powered Sub Box I admit, I never saw this coming. I am not sure if it is the ease of install, no specialized parts or peo ..read more

In the 12-volt world, how important is a brand?  Well, let’s start at the beginning…what is the vision of your store or your products?  Recently I have noticed two brands that seem to be taking “brand” to the next level. These two brands are Hybrid Audio and McLaren Sound Systems.  You might be saying to yourself, wow those are two are very different companies. But are they?  Two things they have in common is “brand”.  Let’s ask Mr. Google, “what is the meaning of brand”? “A brand (or marque for car model) is a name, term, design, symbol, or other featur ..read more

Our industry has evolved so much in the last five years with the use of technology. We see tons of examples of this in Social Media and trade shows like Knowledge Fest, SEMA and CES (Consumer Electronic Show). The technologies we are referring to are CNC machines, routers and router templets. But what if you cannot dedicate the space, don’t have the staff or are not ready financially to expand? Let’s explore four ways to improve your bottom line. *Warning these are not very glamorous, but these will allow you to generate income to invest back into your store. Parking Sensors and Back Up Sensor ..read more

In our last article, we stated that our salespeople have less training than a hairdresser and our readers were very vocal about this statement, but it’s true. A hairdresser takes a 6-12 weeks course on just to cut and manage hair. How much training did your employer offer you? Of course, there are exceptions, but not many. In part two of this series, we wanted to give an example of an installation process for head-unit installation. This came about from a recent discussion with a good friend who owns a retail store. Too Many Bad Installers? Like most stores, they are looking for an installatio ..read more