Father’s Day is a season around which newsagents can choose to shine. I know from Hallmark market research that our the newsagent retail network is a popular destination Father’s Day and other seasonal cards. We need to make the most of this popularity, not only in the card category but in allied categories.
Father’s Day 2008 is our opportunity to shine. Here are some tips which can help you make the most of the season starting from today:
- Set a performance goal, a sales increase on last year. I’d suggest a goal of an increase in the number of Father’s Day cards sold in your newsagency of 8%. Let your staff know about the goal.
- Get your Father’s Day cards our ASAP. We know from our own newsagencies that Father’s day cards are selling already.
- Create some theatre around the card display. Just having the cards out is not enough.
- Train your staff on the various captions you cover, there is more to Father’s Day than cards for dad.
- Introduce a range of gifts which can be easily bought with the cards – gifts which make sense like albums, a desk set, a photo frame, journals, street directory, books, a magazine pack or a prepaid gift card.
- Display the gifts near the cards. Make sure you have compelling, easy to understand display.
- Create a small DL size flyer to promote your Father’s Day cards and gifts and give one to every customer.
- Consider giving over a power end in your magazine area of a Father’s Display. You could create this around a theme which works to your demographic: fishing, car racing, gardening, handyman or dad relaxing in the sun. It is important to promote Father’s Day away from the main card display as well as with the display.
- In the week before Father’s Day, change your gift display around and label it Last Minute Father’s Day Gifts. Sometimes, contextualising an offer like this can really drive sales.
It is not enough to replace some lifestyle or other cards with Father’s Day and hope for the best as newsagents often do. This season is an opportunity for us to choose to shine and chase sales growth. Newsagencies which outperformed others last Father’s Day were those where the season was actively promoted.