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How discount vouchers got an 82 year old buying cards again

dvwinAn 82 year old male customer told me recently that he started buying cards again thanks to our discount vouchers. He told me he stopped buying birthday cards for his kids and grand kids and great grand kids a few years ago because of the cost. But I started again when I got one of these things when he handed over a discount voucher. He got his first voucher when purchasing some magazines for people in his retirement village and didn’t know what to buy so he bought a card for a great grandchild’s birthday that week. Well that started something he said.

It was a terrific conversation, he was forthcoming with insights that helped me understand the trigger for him becoming a card shopper again. He had a background in marketing in big business years ago and this was a factor in him being happy to share his thoughts. BS turns me off he said and this is no BS. I like that.

It turns out the saving of a few cents off each card is all it took. He likes that he saves money and has, as he sees it, a reason to purchase a card for each family member. He called it his thing, something he had become known for in the family. he was proud.

I talked about other loyalty programs. He hates the supermarket programs. They are useless he said. He didn’t like the clip card programs because there were always rules. With this I know what I save he said tapping the discount voucher he got with his purchase of the birthday card.

At the heart of his embrace of the discount vouchers is an appreciation for the simple. We have a more regular customer as a result. The cost to us is minimal.

Card sales in my newsagency are up close to 25% year on year. Everyday counter cards are at the heart of the growth. These are the birth to death cards. I think a key factor is the growth is our discount vouchers.

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  1. eric

    I have customers who collect few of the discount vouchers and then spend it in one go and they will buy something that they will never buy before. it is the most brilliant marketing idea

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  2. shane

    I would like to ask what are some of the parameters retailers set.

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  3. Mark Fletcher

    Shane, If you speak to Jim Law at Tower he can advise what a range of retailers set including outside the newsagency channel.

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  4. Paul

    The savings of a few cents inspires him to buy cards for his grandkids mmm wonder what the present is and he has just started buying cards again and now it is his “thing
    something doesnt add up

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  5. Mark Fletcher

    Paul it is fascinating what little steps can guide someone to change their behaviour. What I have written is exactly what happened.

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  6. eric

    Paul, i implemented the discount vouchers system just about 3 weeks ago, average of the discount voucher is about 5% – 10% of the total purchase depends on what items they purchased. i have customers claiming as small as $0.57 up to $22 and it is facinated me what they will buy using this vouchers.

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