A blog on issues affecting Australia's newsagents, media and small business generally. More ...

Month: July 2012

Making money from Moshi Monsters

We are promoting the Moshi Monsters stickers and membership cards at the sales counter. When we have stock we promote the magazine with these other two products in the same location.

The counter works because kids can encourage parents to add stickers and or membership to the basket at purchase time.

With Moshi Monster products set to feature in Christmas wish lists, now is an excellent time for us to promote availability of Moshi Monster branded product in our stores. that’s what we are doing with this counter placement.

2 likes
Newsagency opportunities

Promoting Donna Hay Kids magazine

We are promoting the Donna Hay Kids magazine with this display at the main sales counter as well as prime placement in with our food magazines.

The flowers surrounding the display are the same we used for a recent wedding display in this location. They work because of the flowers on the cover of the Donna Hay Kids magazine.

I like the circular collateral provided with the title – it’s different to the usual A2 posters.

2 likes
magazines

Promoting Men’s Health and the Olympics

The Olympics feature of the latest issue of Men’s Health magazine is a good reason for us to get this issue out of the usual location and the spotlight of a higher-traffic location. That’s what we are doing – making the most of the Olympics cover story.

We have the magazine with newspapers this week as this will ensure more eyeballs see the title than at just about any other location in-store.

0 likes
magazines

Why we place newspapers in the back third of the newsagency

While I can understand newspapers being in impulse locations in petrol and convenience outlets, I don’t think this is essential any more in a newsagency. As publishers are chasing sales from outside the newsagent channel, newsagents need to choose the location for their product on the basis of return achieved – from direct sales and newspaper generated traffic.

This was on my mind yesterday when I saw the ad stuck on the front page of the Sunday Herald Sun promoting their iPad edition. While it frustrated me I understand the need for News Ltd to promote the iPad edition and recognise that the best place to duo this is using their print edition. I also acknowledge that some people will use the iPad edition and print edition – i.e. not migrate from print to digital.

So, just as News is using print product to leverage the digital platform, I am leveraging destination newspaper traffic to drive purchases of other products, especially newer lines I am carrying which will hopefully build and bring in traffic of their own over time as I realign the reasons shoppers visit the store.

21 likes
Newsagency management

Great Ocean Road feature a great reason to promote Australian Traveller

The Great Ocean Road cover story is a perfect reason for supporting the latest issue of Australian Traveller magazine, especially in Victorian newsagencies. That’s what we are doing. We have the title in prime position with travel titles and in a full cover display with our women’s weeklies titles.

As I regularly note – women make more travel decisions than men so promoting this terrific Australian title with weekly titles makes commercial sense.

I urge newsagents to check out where they have Australian Traveller right now. Make sure the full cover is on display as this is what sells this title. Consider co-locating Australian Traveller with weeklies. be sure to count how many copies you place here so you can see if this second location works.

I am confident that newsagents can do better with magazines – achieve more sales – by more effectively engaging with the category, especially special interest titles such as Australian Traveller.

7 likes
magazines

With Bindi Irwin in the news we’re promoting CRIKEY! magazine

Bindi Irwin has been getting some positive media attention this past week so we have sought to leverage this with better placement of the latest issue of CRIKEY! magazine which features Bindi on the cover.

While not a massive seller for us, the title plays to a valuable demographic – especially on weekends when we notice that parents shopping like to pick up something of value.

We have CRIKEY! between our kids and  teen girl magazines.

It’s titles like this which help reinforce our point of difference when it comes to magazine range. For the medium term it is important that newsagents focus on these titles as much as the major sellers as these titles generate considerable traffic for us.

4 likes
magazines

Leveraging supplier TV commercials

With the TV campaign launching the Agatha Christie The Complete Collection partwork in full swing we have the title in front of shoppers at the counter as well as another location in0-store. Now is the time to make the move to grab the incremental business … on the back of a considerable TV spend.  As I see it we have a couple of weeks to make the maximum return from the launch of a part series so it’s worth investing prime space to achieve this.

Newsagents are the only retailers tagged in the TVC.

3 likes
partworks

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.

16 likes
marketing tip

Feast – a great magazine to promote on Sunday

The latest issue of Feast magazine is perfect for promoting today, Sunday. The cover story – SUNDAY SLOW COOKING – is the perfect title to promote today, especially in Melbourne in the middle of a chilly winter. That’s why we have this title out at the counter today, to grab impulse purchases of the title based on its perfect connection with the day.

Activity like this costs us no time at all and it shows us off as being not your usual magazine retailers. It’s a reason we continue to enjoy excellent growth in magazine sales.

2 likes
magazines

Woman’s Day barcode error to challenge newsagents

Newsagents have to prepare to handle the faulty barcode which has been printed on the cover of Woman’s Day which goes on-sale Monday.  My newsagency software company yesterday published advice to newsagents on handling the change. I’d urge newsagents to ensure they have advice on handling the faulty barcode so that they are not impacted come Monday.

Here is the advice from Network Servcies:

Network Services advises that the barcode on Woman’s Day, on-sale 9 July, may not scan correctly.

To ensure your sales are recorded accurately, please produce and use the stickers printed from your POS system.

Here is the advice from Tower Systems:

We have received advice that due to a printing issue the last 2 digits or the addenda of the Woman’s Day barcode for the Monday the 9th issue will not scan correctly. This may cause issues with sales and return of the product. What we recommend you do is arrive the magazines as normal through invoice arrivals and manually print the barcodes from the stock screen and label the magazine. To do this do the following steps.

  1. From the main screen of Retailer click on ‘Stock’
  2. Click on ‘Stock Screen’
  3. Click the magnifying glass down the bottom and find the latest issue in the find stock screen (best to search by barcode and type in the full barcode)
  4. Click ‘Ok’
  5. From the Stock Screen click on the button labelled ‘barcodes’
  6. Type in the number you require and select the label type to be ‘Recall label’
  7. Click ‘Ok’
  8. Open barcode manager and print the labels

Make sure your staff are aware of the issue and that they are selling the magazine using the label and not the barcode printed on the actual magazine.

Newsagents need to prepare today or tomorrow to ensure accurate sales and return data. I’d welcome other software companies publishing their advice here.

7 likes
magazines

News International threatens to stop supply to a newsagent over cover price dispute

The National Federation of Retail Newsagents reports that News International has threatened to stop supply to an independent newsagent who added a 10p surcharge to the price of the weekend Sun to maintain margin after News cut the price of the Saturday newspaper in advance of the launch of the Sunday Sun.

Since February this year when News International cut the price of its Saturday paper to 50p to fund its new Sunday edition, also priced at just 50p, newsagent and NFRN member Walter Bush of Baginton Village Stores, Baginton near Coventry has added a 10p surcharge to both newspapers to ensure that his margin is maintained.

But when News International got wind of his action and despite a Trading Standards official giving it a clean bill of health, the newspaper publisher told the retailer that if he continued to persist, his supplies of the Sun would be stopped.

I support Walter Bush and the stand that he has taken to set the price of the products he sells. This is his legal right. No supplier should penalise him or his business in any way while he is acting lawfully with their products.

News also came under fire when it increased the cover price of the Sunday Times by 30p and cut newsagent margin from 23.5% to 21%.

Newsagents are also in dispute with the News distribution arm over the handling of deposits which other distributors pay after a period of satisfactory trading – News holds the deposit until the business is sold.

While newsagents in Australia navigate the challenges, and opportunities, of change here, spare a thought for our colleagues in the UK and the threats they face in what is clearly a brutal marketplace.

14 likes
Newsagent suppliers

An homage to the local UK newsagent

Check out the homage to the local UK newsagent by Son’ Emirali – Founder and Director of Plog Magazine and Online Designer at Estée Lauder Companies UK.  Here is what he has done in creating his new book, Fosters:

In the heart of Brockley Rise, South East London, lies a corner shop like no other, Fosters Newsagents. A 90 year old newsagents that is renowned for its vast amount of excessive stock, overpowering layout, welcoming service and of course the greatest sweet selection one could ever dream of. This 136 paged book de-constructs the overload of stock, colour, and categorisation whilst introducing dialog of conversations which replicate the daily atmosphere. Thanks to Rodney, his wife and the customers for making this book possible.

As I noted, this book is an homage. Just wonderful.  Be sure to click on the link and look at the photos.

4 likes
Newsagency

Tom and Katie are news

Shoppers are interested in the divorce of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes if the sales of magazines these last few days are anything to go by. While the placement at the counter has generated business, the titles are actually selling from their usual location in-store. It was good to get a bump on Wednesday.

0 likes
magazines

Launching IT Girl magazine

We are launching the IT Girl with this placement with girls and music titles.  The placement next to Girlfriend Bieber is working.  It’s showing off the new title to the right demographic and visually connecting the two titles as Bieber is on the cover of both.

Young girls are an important demographic for us, delivering valuable traffic and sales for the business.

0 likes
magazines

Leveraging Lana Del Ray

We are promoting the latest issue of triple j magazine and the Lana Del Rey cover story with this front of location placement.  Del Rey is in the news often at the moment – she polarises music fans and this is covered a bit in the triple j magazine coverage.

Selling music magazines is all about getting covers in front of the people interested in the subject – hence the importance of displaying the cover ideally for achieving this.

1 likes
magazines

Newsagencies in transition, opportunities abound

More and more newsagents are transitioning their businesses, embracing new traffic generating opportunities, taking on products not traditionally offered to newsagency shoppers and working on improving business efficiency.  I see the results in the business data I am fortunate to see almost every day.

What I see often are wise moves from newsagents with an eye to the future. Okay some moves don’t work … such is the nature of embracing change.

But there are plenty of newsagents who are not embracing change, newsagents waiting for others to ‘fix’ their businesses.

Newsagents who are not actively chasing change in their businesses today face a challenged future. The guaranteed traffic of newspaper, magazine and other shoppers is no longer guaranteed. We have to become proactive retailers.

We have to accept complete responsibility for our situation. Yes we can complain that others are to blame and we can feel let down by history … but that won’t change our situation today.

We have to accept complete responsibility for our situation.

This is good. It makes us, as business owners, responsible.

These are themes I am exploring in the new workshop: NEWSAGENCY OF THE FUTURE – START HERE. Click on the city to book a free sport: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

For newsagents wanting a TO DO list, this session will be ideal. I am stripping away what we need to embrace change and will focus on change options available to newsagents.

I have some excellent case studies from newsagents well advanced in implementing change strategies. I also have some ideas from overseas to share.

There is no doing we are in transition. The opportunities for us are wonderful … if we embrace them.

12 likes
Newsagency management

Clever impulse magazine display unit

Check out the impulse purchase magazine display unit I got to see in the US a week back. I like this unit.  It’s space efficient and creates room for displaying a number of titles at the sales counter.

I can see this type of display unit working well in convenience type newsagencies and other similar space challenged locations.

I am sure we could find this unit available from suppliers in Australia. While It’s not for my and my businesses, I mention it today for others can see what other retailers are using.

The photo is from a stationery retailer I saw in Las Vegas.

3 likes
magazines

Bieber magazine drives traffic

Placing Bieber from Girlfriend at the front of the newsagency facing into the shopping mall is working a treat at attracting traffic in school holidays. Pacific Magazines timed the publishing of this title ideally, getting it out in time for the school holiday traffic bump.

We have the title in three locations – at the front of the store facing into the mall, next to music titles and with Girlfriend in the usual location for that title. It needs and deserves this active support.

We have high hopes for Bieber. Time will tell whether Justin Bieber has the pulling power of a year or so ago. We hope he does. His fans are very important to us.

0 likes
magazines

Terrific Good Health magazine gift

The gift on the cover of the latest issue of Good Health magazine is ideal for driving slew of the title.  The anti cellulite brush is working a treat and driving excellent results for us.

We have the title on display at the front of the business, on the lease line and facing into the mall. While we have stock in the usual location for the title, it’s the front of store location which is working a treat for us and delivering excellent results for Good Health.

0 likes
magazines

Promoting marie claire magazine

We are promoting the latest issue of marie claire magazine on a column which faces shoppers as they leave our women’s magazine aisle and either head to the sales counter or leave the business.

This is a good location based on our experience, working well for many titles and other products we promote here. I mention this as it’s not the type of location publishers usually like. But getting sales in what really maters.

1 likes
magazines

News and Fairfax provide newsagents with clarity around newspaper distribution

I was fortunate to be at the NANA Newsagent of the Year awards last night in Sydney. The highlight of the night was a panel discussion involving Nick Chan (CEO of Pacific Magazines), Greg Hywood (CEO of Fairfax), Jerry Harris (Managing Director, Group Newspapers and Digital Products), Russell Parker (Joint CEO Hallmark International) and Yasmin King NSW Small Business Commissioner).

It was the information shared by Jerry Harris and Greg Hywood which was most timely and interesting.  They each reiterated what their respective companies had announced around two weeks ago.

Jerry Harris explained that News will redraw distribution territories and invite newsagents to tender for this. One newsagent challenged this from the floor of the event, explaining that he felt he was being “shafted”.  Jerry Harris copped this on the chin and explained why News needed to control the drawing of the distribution map and why they were proceeding with newsagents tendering.

News will start in QLD in the next couple of months and then move onto NSW and VIC.

News and Fairfax made the point that they need newsagents to make money from home delivery. They acknowledged that newsagents have struggled to do this in the past.  I was thrilled to hear them make both points. Acknowledging that many newsagents don’t have profitable runs today is an acknowledgement which has been denied for too long. Committing to a structure through which newsagents are profitable in newspaper distribution is vital.

While associations have said that they want to control the distribution map, this will not happen and was never going to happen. The publishers control the newspapers and own newspaper subscribers. They will assert control over the distribution territories to drive business efficiency.

12 likes
Newspaper distribution

Launching the Newsagency Portal, a unique place for newsagents and suppliers

I am thrilled to announce the beta release of the Newsagency Portal, a place where newsagents and suppliers can connect, advertise, do deals and promote their businesses to the wider community.

More than two years in the making and delivering a genuine first for the newsagency channel, the Newsagency Portal is unique in the Australian newsagency channel.

Access to the portal is free. Any newsagent can create profile pages for their businesses, advertise job vacancies, and find out about services.

Suppliers can list their services and advertise products for sale.

Product purchases made through the portal are prepaid. We, the owners of the portal, take a 10% fee for products purchased through the portal. This is the only revenue stream for the portal. Once an order is placed and paid for, the supplier is notified and the goods shipped.

I anticipate that newsagent suppliers will use the portal to release excess stock and to promote everyday stock at competitive prices. The portal is a marketplace which could be more efficient for suppliers than reps on the road which add to the prices newsagents pay for goods.

The portal offers access to business management advice as well as advice for new newsagents or those considering buying a newsagency. More advice will be loaded over time.

Here are the businesses we would welcome listing on the portal (for free): brokers, accountants, insurance companies, solicitors, newsagents, IT companies and newsagent suppliers. The more the merrier. This will be an online, live and changing newsagent services directory and directory of newsagencies.

It will be a real asset to the channel and make owning a newsagency more appealing to newcomers.

The portal also hosts a forum, a private place where newsagents can talk with each other, start threads and comment on other threads.

The portal has been created and funded by NXP Pty Ltd, a partnership between myself and Graham Randall.

Prior to today’s announcement we cleared out test data entered so we can start with a clean slate.

Over to you…

NOTE: This is a beta release. That is, it is a work in progress. Feedback from those who engage will help us make the portal more useful – for newsagents, suppliers and consumers.

25 likes
Newsagency management
Trending Articles

Fairfax changes approach to TV Guide, disrespects newsagents

Published on April 20, 2011

What do you think of the Powerball changes?

Published on February 16, 2018

IPS releases new magazine contracts

Published on June 21, 2011