We have been selling reading glasses in-store for a year now and they are working a treat. We move the stand around to combat store blindness but always keeping it reasonably close to our magazine and card departments. People will think of glasses when they are reading text on a page.
Through the reading connection we are able to sell a product line that a few years ago you would not have expected to see in a newsagency.
We need to do more of this in our newsagencies, bringing in products that fit with existing products without sucking the life out of them.
There is a risk and that is filling your newsagency with too many leech products, products that do not generate traffic on their own and rely on traffic generators like newspapers, magazines, cards and stationery to achieve sales.
I like to limit the number of leech products I carry. My preference is to grow the traffic generating products and every so often bring in a leech product that is understood by our shoppers and easily added to the purchase of destination items.