With the launch of an online version of his Turn Off the TV catalog, president/founder Tim Zier is urging parents to turn on their computers-not to play video games but to buy board games. The Website, which went live in mid-September, features 400 games and puzzles averaging $30.
Searchable by children’s age and interests, the site also offers information on award-winning games, weekly specials, a gift registry, and a personal shopper feature that recommends products to potential buyers.
“Eventually we’d like to become a community site where customers can learn about the good and bad of television, learn about the games themselves, and read game reviews from other customers,” Zier says. Although the Redmond, WA-based company doesn’t use banner ads to promote the site, “we hope to link up with parenting organizations’ Websites to drive traffic to our site,” he says. Turn Off the TV promotes its Web address in the 400,000 print catalogs it mails each year and in its three Pacific Northwest stores.