I have been digging further into the January – March 2009 newsagent sales benchmark study data over the last few days and have evidence which demonstrates a correlation between gift sales and card sales in newsagencies. Newsagents with a strong gift offering, $2,000 a month in sales or more, derive a benefit in greeting card sales. These newsagencies have out performed other newsagencies, where there is no significant gift offer, in the January – March 2009 versus 2008 comparison.
While gifts is a hard category to get right, those who have certainly benefit elsewhere in their business. Newsagents successful in gifts I have spoken with tell me that it tookthree years or more to develop the knowledge necessary to be consistently successful with gifts.