Australian Newsagency Blog

Now that the heat in Melbourne is finally fading people apparently think it’s safe to buy Easter eggs.
With more than $20,000 invested in easter chocolate across a few stores I’m relieved. Some customers coming to the counter with an armful of eggs said the heat made them hold back.
Sales were great yesterday and I’d […]

[Read more →]

In Frankston we have a strong plush offer capping the card aisle with our Easter card offer. Sprinkled in with the plush is an easter themed children’s book distributed by Gotch yesterday. The photo below shows this display.

Behind where the photo was taken is a bold Easter egg display. So, for us, Easter […]

[Read more →]

Any newsagent near a Priceline store ought to check out their Easter card range. Their new card supplier relationship has brought consistency to their greeting card offer. While the cards are cheap, they are packaged in such a way as to make them appeal to someone walking by.
A newsagent I was talking with […]

[Read more →]

We are promoting our range of St Patrick’s Day cards away from the usual card display in one of our newsagencies. Our view is that some people may buy a card as an impulse and not as a destination purchase - hence this small display at the counter. We’ll move it around a […]

[Read more →]

We’re embracing every possible greeting card season in our newsagencies, no matter how small or seemingly irrelevant to our customers.
If we want to be known as the card specialists it’s only appropriate we back this with commitment.  Take Mothering Sunday - Mother’s Day in the UK (March 2 this year) -  we have our cards […]

[Read more →]

I was at a premium retail business yesterday and walking into the shop I passed a stand of $1.00 “quality” cards.  I thought what an odd message - I pass cheap cards as I enter a premium business.  Why not better quality cards?  Because they don’t sell said the retailer.  When did you last try?  […]

[Read more →]

One of our customers treid extra hard to win the $400 bear we gave away as part of our Valentine’s Day promotion - they mounted their entry on a plastic heart and begged to win.
We loved their effort so much we created a second prize (as they didn’t win) and gave them chocolates and a […]

[Read more →]

It has been fascinating watching the different waves of Valentine’s Day card customers over the last month.  First it was the older customers, often in a long-term relationship, then it was the hopefuls and this week it’s been more of the oh, no, it’s Valentine’s Day and I don’t have anything.  We are […]

[Read more →]

We’re have cards in the window with other products for Valentine’s Day. Saturday I saw a customer buy a card from the window. We use the window ought to showcase our full offer.

[Read more →]

Here are some free Valentine’s Day marketing tips for newsagents included in the Tower Systems weekly email bulletin sent yesterday:
Kissing booth: raise money for a local charity, $2.00 a kiss;  Make sure it looks like an old style booth.
Red lips: paint some big red lips on the side of your face for the day […]

[Read more →]

To hear our first radio commercial for Sophie Randall, please click here. The commercial will air 89 times over the next six days on Melbourne radio stations GOLD104 and MIX101. We chose these two stations for their demographic reach. The commercial is as much about airing to suppliers and possible landlords as […]

[Read more →]

This little bear with his leg in a cast and a crutch under one arm is a popular gift purchased with a get well card.   We have him and other card giving occasion bears located near our card display.
The message is simple, while flowers are nice, the don’t last that long.  Appropriately themed bears […]

[Read more →]

Prince kiss-a-lot is a hit for Valentine’s Day at two of our newsagencies where we have stocked him. So much so that we’ve organised extra stock. Squeeze his foot and he sings My Girl. He sways along to the song too.
We have extended our range of plush following success over Christmas. […]

[Read more →]

We have dotted our floor with these stickers, leading to our Valentine’s Display. It’s part of the newsXpress Valentine’s Day marketing collateral. Steal a kiss it says. I haven’t seen many kisses stolen - maybe closer to the big day.
I like the idea of the floor sticker because it encourages interactivity. The […]

[Read more →]

Even though Valentine’s Day is still two weeks away, sales are strong.  Cards, plush and gifts are all selling well.  Going out early with our display was a good move.  While we don’t embrace the season as much as they do in the US, we’re getting there - I am keen to provide a more […]

[Read more →]

Here is the first part of our two-part Chinese New Year promotion - we have most of our stock coming in this week.  In this initial display we have Chinese New Year cards, red packets and Tatts lottery gift pack ideas.

The display is at our main lottery counter.  You can see the Herald Sun stand […]

[Read more →]

We are getting a good reaction from customers about our Valentine’s Day display at Forest Hill. With a big Hallmark bear on offer for one lucky customer we have a good driver for card sales. We have more plush coming in to complete the display next week.

[Read more →]

It’s good to see Hallmark embrace Chinese New Year with a full range of cards as well as red packets. This range and the accompanying point of sale material helps participating newsagents have an offer relevant to Chinese New Year. My friends who celebrate Chinese New Year tell me that Hallmark have got […]

[Read more →]

It’s been a year since we opened Sophie Randall Cards and Gifts at Forest Hill, the same centre as the newsagency we have owned for twelve years.
Sophie sells a range of cards and gifts including social stationery. Around 50% of sales are cards.
Over the course of the year Sophie has been compting […]

[Read more →]

Tower Systems has published my benchmark report comparing newsagency sales data for December 2007 to December 2006. It makes for interesting reading. The headlines, based on data from 39 participating newsagencies, are:

Newspaper and magazine sales fall 7% in the city and 3% in the country.
Card sales increase 6% in the city and 1% […]

[Read more →]

It is fascinating watching customers interact with our new range of music cards based on names.  Yesterday, twice I saw people choose a card and take it across the shop to pay it for someone browsing magazines.  Beyond getting people interacting with product, it adds a bit of theatre to the location in the store […]

[Read more →]

I was surprised to see bundles of old greeting card envelopes on a table for sale in front of a newsagency last week. I thought what a cheap message this gives to browsers. Any spare envelopes we have in my stores we keep behind the counter for customers who bring cards without an […]

[Read more →]

[Read more →]

[Read more →]

[Read more →]