Sunday marketing tip: Using newsagency software to drive sales

Newsagents using good newsagency management software have access to a range of free marketing opportunities with which they can grow their retail businesses  Here is a list of some of the free marketing you can engage in:

• Coupons on receipts. Receipts can be more than a record of sale. Add a coupon to the base and lure customers back into your business – like your own shop-a-docket. Good software can include coupons based on what was purchase, the amount spent and or other criteria as appropriate. The keys to successful coupons are – a compelling offer with a sunset and which is presented simply and attractively.
• Promotions on accounts. Never send mail without including a promotion – including and especially statements and accounts. These can easily contain a promotion printed on the statement or account – it’s easy to have your software do this automatically. It’s free and silent marketing effort.
• Up-sell during the sale. Use your point of sale software to guide staff on up-sells for items. The promotional script appears on the screen without interfering with the sale but reminding staff of the offer. The key with good during the sale up-selling is that the offer is compelling and easily pitched. Track success by staff and reward success.
• Two for one, three for two etc. Using your software, easily offer discounts for volume purchases. Your sales staff need do nothing since the software can track the offer and apply the discounted pricing for quantity purchase. You can set start date and times and end date and times. It’s easy and fast to setup. You can make this for one item or a whole catalogue. Also, you can run multiple offers at any one time or over times which crossover. The keys are: make the offer compelling, promote it in the usual place for the stock as well as at in a high traffic location.
• Loyalty marketing. Reward customers for spending more than usual. THIS IS IMPORTANT – too often I see newsagents for rewarding customers for doing what they usually do. No, reward them for EXTRA EFFORT. Using the loyalty facilities included in the Tower software, you are able to accrue points for customers and offer these as a form of currency. Running your own VIP Club or some similar named loyalty program is easy to setup and manage. The system tracks points and lets customers know balances etc on receipts and via correspondence generated by the software.
• Customer database marketing. Using the marketing tools in good software you can quickly trawl your customer database based on what your customers have purchased, when and for how much as well as using other criteria. The key is to track customer details. This is why most businesses run a loyalty program – not so much for customer rewards but for research about customers and what they purchase. The Tower software has excellent tools for this. Email, mail or call them with the offer – low cost marketing which should drive more sales.
• Trawl your data. Track what sells with what. The 10×10 report is excellent for this, it lists the top ten items sold with the top ten items sold. See what customers buying your top ten items are likely to buy, place these near the top sellers so more will buy them. Just looking at this data will unlock more opportunities for you.
• Gift cards. Give your customers something they can buy for family and friends which locks in business for you. Gift cards only work if the giver feels that the recipient will find something they like at the store – your store.
• Service, service, service. Customer service is the most important differentiator in retail today, especially in newsagencies. Sure, you can discount and use price as a differentiator but where is the commercial sense in that? No, customer service is king. Customer service is a marketing activity.

Using the free marketing opportunities in your software enables you to leverage what you already have without extra investment. This is a great starting point.