We have come out of Mother’s Day with this display of funky gifts at the front of the newsagency, facing into the shopping mall.
The table is full of cool items targeting shoppers from their teens through to their early thirties.
This is part of our plan to stretch our gift shopper demographic down the age scale. Newsagencies easily attract older shoppers and we, through this display, and a range of other initiatives, are targeting younger shoppers for gift purchases.
It is challenging trying to appeal to a demographic which is not your typical gift buyer, especially with gifts which you would more likely see in a gift shop in Newtown in Sydney or Acland Street St Kilda in Melbourne. I think we have to try this though and show that we’re not a typical newsagency.
We had some of these items prior to Mother’s Day and they worked a treat. I had one customer in his early 30s purchase a Rubik’s Cube mug for his Mum because when he was a kid his Mum would complain when he would play with the Cube at the dinner table.
We have chosen funky gifts which are easily understood, fun and could be given for current appeal or nostalgia value. More than half the gifts reflect respected international brands. This connects with our solid brand commitment.
The moves outlined here are part of our Mother’s Day through Father’s Day strategy. We are working on turning what is usually a flat retail period into a time of fun and sales growth.