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

Year: 2022

More News Corp advice for Vic. newsagents on weather impacts

This was sent to newsagents early this afternoon.

14 October 2022

Ongoing weather impacts in Victoria

Dear Newsagent/Retailer,

As a result of recent extreme weather conditions in Victoria delivery of newspapers into some areas was not possible today. Some other areas received delivery later than usual.

The safety of everyone engaged for and on behalf of News Corp Australia in producing and delivering our products is our main priority.

Hazardous conditions remain as floodwaters continue to rise in many locations. Fallen trees and damaged roads also present a serious risk.

The situation will continue to change over coming days and this may impact newspaper readers. Where possible we will update you directly if required, and as conditions change.

Your deliveries may arrive later than normal and in some cases delivery will not be possible. Please advise your staff and customers accordingly, and convey our apologies.

Where relevant, a reminder to always exercise caution whilst performing deliveries and to ensure that you never enter flooded roads.

For the latest flood and weather warnings see www.bom.gov.au/vic/warnings/ and https://emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/ along with advice from your local authorities.

If you have any concerns on this matter, please don’t hesitate to contact News Retail Support, your Area Logistics Manager or Area Sales Manager to discuss further.

Kind Regards,

News Corp Australia

1 likes
Newspapers

Selling outside your newsagency – a free workshop for newsagents about online, how to, where to and when to

Join me online for a free workshop this Monday, October 17, at 10:30am Melbourne time in which I will explore with you how, when and where to sell to people who will never shop in your shop.

I will share experiences:

  • Selling interstate.
  • Selling overseas.
  • Dealing with fraud.
  • Packing and shipping.
  • How to sell what you don’t have in your shop.
  • Pre-selling.
  • Payment methods.
  • Marketing, including Google image advertising.

I will also cover factors that may mean online is not for you.

In addition to the group websites my business has created for retailers in the newsXpress marketing group, I have single-store online shops connected to three of my retail businesses, each in a specialty niche, each attracting good business. I’ll take you under the hood to see what that looks like and explain how any retailer can do this.

This is not a sales or marketing event. It is pure business advice you can go use any time that suits.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86896859959?pwd=aFdTdGNuSXZvOUxuL1pFUWpya0FzQT09
Meeting ID: 868 9685 9959 Passcode: 877510

Online is here to stay, and sales from online are growing. My goal with this session is to provide information so you can make informed decisions about online.

While the session will be recorded, I will decide after the event whether I release it.

3 likes
Newsagency management

Good comms from News Corp in Vic. re possible weather impact to newspaper deliveries

News Corp sent this to VIC newsagents this afternoon:

13 October 2022

Weather impacts on Friday’s newspapers in Victoria

Dear Newsagent/Retailer,

As you are aware, there continues to be severe weather conditions across most of Victoria, resulting in flooding and a large number of road closures.

This may impact readers of tomorrow’s newspapers.

Your deliveries may arrive later than normal. Please advise your staff and customers accordingly, and convey our apologies.

The safety of everyone engaged for and on behalf of News Corp Australia in producing and delivering our products is our main priority.

Where relevant, a reminder to always exercise caution whilst performing deliveries and to ensure that you never enter flooded roads.

For the latest flood and weather warnings see www.bom.gov.au/vic/warnings/ and https://emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/ along with advice from your local authorities.

If you have any concerns on this matter, please don’t hesitate to contact News Retail Support, your Area Logistics Manager or Area Sales Manager to discuss further.

Kind Regards,

News Corp Australia

4 likes
Newspapers

Moving away from a notebook, to reMarkable

For many years I have used a notebook for my daily ToDo list and for making notes through the day while on calls or in meetings.

A year ago, I moved to the paperless reMarkable, a tablet-size piece of tech that feels like paper when you write, bit is cloud-enabled providing more facilities than you get from writing in a notebook.

At the time of the move I figured it would be fun to play with new tech – who doesn’t like a cool gadget?! I figured I’d go back to pen and paper, because that’s what I have done when I have tried other tech solutions in this space. But, here I am, a year later, using my reMarkable every day without fail. I’ve not used a notebook or journal since.

I like that I can write in my own hand, and draw as appropriate, and that what I write on the reMarkable paper-like screen, is digitised, stored and searchable.

I mention this today because the move sees me spending less money on notebooks, and pen refills. I suspect this trend will gather pace as tech is used more to enable collaboration when people are not in front of each other. This all plays out into the type of stationery we sell in our newsagency shops.

For anyone interested, here is a video of the reMarkable device.

FYI I have no commercial connection with the reMarkable company or its products whatsoever. I’m an everyday customer in love with this product.

5 likes
Stationery

Interest in the Queen has faded

If magazine sales are anything to go by, interest in the Queen has faded. While coin and higher-end collectible sales remain strong, in the magazine space, a cover of the Queen is not driving sales like it did a few weeks ago.

I expected some of the collector one-shots may have still been selling well today, but they are not based on data I have seen from a range of newsagency businesses, city and country. large and small.

I mention it because it was on my mind yesterday, considering space allocation in-store. For something like this, a one-off news story phenomenon, I think it’s better for us to call time on space allocation rather than waiting for suppliers to make that decision. We are paying for the space after all.

5 likes
magazines

The challenge of illicit tobacco in Australia

Talking with a newsagent the other day I was surprised at the extent of illicit tobacco products available at retail, impacting sales of those with legal tobacco products.

I mentioned this to someone outside our channel but who has tobacco products and they said the illicit route was the only way to make money. Hmm…

The ATO provides a pathway for reporting illicit tobacco: making a tip off.

How to report

It only takes a few minutes to make a tip-off and you can remain anonymous. If you know or suspect phoenix, tax evasion or shadow economy activity report it by:

  • completing the tip-off form (the form is also available in the Help & support section in the ATO app)
  • phoning us on 1800 060 062
  • lodging an unpaid super enquiry about your employer (but not about another business)
  • writing to us – mark all letters ‘in confidence’ and post to

    Australian Taxation Office
    Tax Integrity Centre
    Locked Bag 6050
    DANDENONG  VIC  3175

If you prefer to speak to us in a language other than English, phone the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 13 14 50 for help with your call.

Tax professionals can provide information by calling 13 72 86 (Fast Key Code 3 4).

Remember to make note of the reference number when you submit your tip-off form. You will need to quote it if you want to add any information later. You can make a tip-off in other languages.

There is also this infographic at the ATO website:

I understand the frustration some feel at time spent making reports like these. The thing is, the more reports the greater the engagement by those in a position to enforce. That’s got to be the hope at least.

Footnote: I haven’t sold tobacco products in my shops since 1997 when we quit cigarettes too create a more family-focussed shop.

12 likes
Ethics

Don’t get in the way of what people want – management advice for newsagents

In business I often see retailers get in the way of shoppers through shop floor placement, product ranging decisions and other moves. I see it online, too, and online is what I want to talk about today …

Too often, small business build a website for their business that is niche-focussed, and they steadfastly stay within the niche, missing opportunities to win sales to people looking for other items.

For sure, it is vital that a website have a USP (unique selling proposition), a focus. But, it is equally vital, and valuable, that a website for a local retail business, like a newsagency, offers other products. It could be the other products that surprise you with results.

In one of my shops, the smallest shop I have, we have a niche website focussed on Christmas ornaments. We have other products there though, non-Christmas products. we put them there over a year ago, and they tick along.

One of the ranges we put there was Giving Plates and it is this range I want to discuss here today. Over the months we have climbed the Google rankings for Giving Plates. Today, we are #1 for a giving plate search. A consequence of this is, for example, is $300 in sales of these over this weekend.

The focus of our website on Christmas ornaments remains, and it ranks very well with Google for that focus. The other products we have added to the website, the products outside the core focus of the website, benefit from its position, and this is where real value is achieved for the business.

If we kept the website to its niche focus, we’d miss these other sales. Not stocking these non niche or core products online would, in my view, be us blocking certain revenue, bankable value for the business. In dollar terms, we’d miss $50,000+ a year in sales. I say we’d miss them because almost none of the people who shop with us online come into our shop.

Online is brutal, fast and valuable. It’s critical we embrace it and do so is a way that does not block what we could achieve for the business.

Did we think the Giving Plates would sell online? No, not really. We thought people would prefer to see them min person and that they would be nervous about having them posted. Both assumptions were wrong. The good thing for us was that even though we thought we knew how people would react, it did not stop us allowing people to show us how they would actually react.

It’s wonderful empowering shoppers to do what they want. It is through their freedom that we can learn more about what we and our businesses can achieve.

So, what does this mean? If your website sells books, put other items on there. If it sells baby products, put other items on there. see what I mean. You can do this in a way that does not distract from the core focus of your website.

17 likes
Management tip

A closed New York newsstand offers a beginnings of Covid snapshot of magazine covers

Fascinating …

4 likes
Social responsibility

News Corp provides South Australian distribution newsagents with rubber bands

News Corp is installing a new printer in South Australia and to provide a plan B in case there is an issue connecting their flat wrap machine to this for home delivery newspaper preparation, they have advised distribution newsagents they are providing them with rubber bands.

APC – Contingency Rubber Bands

7 October 2022

To all SA Distributors,

As discussed with your ALM, you will receive a quantity of rubber bands with your Newspaper delivery in the coming week – enough to cover you for 1 week of banding home delivery papers should an emergency contingency be required for wrapping and delivery of newspapers.

If you don’t receive these rubber bands, or if you have any questions regarding this please contact your ALM.

Regards,

Senior Area Logistics Manager – SA
News Corp Australia

On the one hand, I thought rubber bands, what?! but then I thought it’s good they have a backup option in case there is an issue with flat wrapping for a time.

6 likes
Newspapers

I think COSBOA is wrong on possible data law changes

Paul Smith writing at The Australian Financial Review reported yesterday that COSBOA opposes the small business application of changes to data privacy law changes.

The peak body representing thousands of Australian small businesses has warned against imposing the same new data privacy laws on companies of all sizes following the Optus data breach, saying it is unrealistic and unaffordable for smaller operators without extra government support.

The government and privacy commissioner have flagged changes to privacy laws to force companies to take their responsibility to protect sensitive data more seriously. This would include significantly raising fines and extending breach reporting responsibilities to small businesses with turnover under $3.1 million, which are currently exempted.

Alexi Boyd, chief executive of the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, told The Australian Financial Review it would be senseless to impose new rules that would be impossible for operators like hairdressers and mechanics to meet.

“It’s really crucial that the government, when they’re making decisions like this, consider the impact on small business people of any regulatory changes because ultimately, it will be them who spends the money and the time implementing them,” Ms Boyd said.

“They don’t have IT departments, very few of them have IT management consultants on call, so they will be the ones that have to learn what to do and implement this, and it will potentially be an increased cost of business.”

…

Ms Boyd said the government should follow an approach of “education first, enforcement second” with small businesses, which were now making much greater use of data through software subscriptions and smart point-of-sale devices to operate more efficiently.

She said the digitisation of small businesses had happened rapidly, and that COSBOA would support any measure from the government to help mitigate the risk for both the business owner and the customers, whose data that they hold, which she said could involve education programs and potentially financial assistance.

I own a small business focussed POS software company serving 3,000+ local retailers, and I own four local retail shops in Melbourne. I think the COSBOA position as put is ignorant, and selfish.

Too often I see private personal data disrespected, collected and stored without consideration as to security and necessity. While most businesses I have seen do not fail to respect the privacy of their customers in this way, enough do for it to be a problem.

From what I can see, poor privacy practices are employed out of laziness, not because of the cost of tech or ignorance as to requirements. From what I see, people are lazy, entering credit card details into software that can be hacked rather than taking an easier step of using a secure and separate platform.

The need to respect the privacy of sensitive personal information is not new. No notice is needed as to this requirement.

I hope the government issues new and stringent standards and that they apply equally to all businesses. This is not a time for us to be soft, not for us, especially not for our customers.

The CEO os COSBOA appears to use examples that, to me, are nonsense.

“How do you do that? How do you get a hairdresser, or a cafe owner, or someone who is a fitness instructor to start doing this? What are you expecting them to do?” she said.

“Also, where does the onus and responsibility lie? Does it lie with the software companies that are holding that data, or with the small business owner? How does that even begin to work? It’s not something that you can just flick a switch on, because every small business digitises differently.”

Why would a hairdresser or cafe owner have any private data? For a loyalty program maybe. But not private data like a licence, passport number or credit card number surely?!

And then there is the comment about software. It’s not complex. they party collecting data from the public is responsible as that is where any privacy representation is made.

Also, some software does not store data in a place under the control of the software company. In the cases where it does, the software company has to share the responsibility.

Now is not the time for lobbying to dilute responsibility. We owe our customers more than this.

Let’s see what the government proposes before we get lathered up for a fight about what we think may happen, and then, let’s put the interests of our customers first.

12 likes
Small Business

If you have 10 minutes, join me on a look at the difference newsXpress has made to this high street Melbourne business, and see the value of engagement with cards

One reason I own newsagencies is to show, rather than tell. The high street Malvern business is an example of that. Take a look at the September numbers in this business:

As I say in the video, everything we are doing in the business is what is offered and pitched to newsXpress members. There is nothing exclusive or unique in the approach here.

For sure, we are proud of the results so far.

And, yes, this business does not have lotteries.

14 likes
newsagency marketing

CommBank: Victoria leads on retail spending

The economic analysis published recently by the Commonwealth Bank is fascinating. The Victorian retail numbers are terrific, contradicting the narrative some have put out re the Victorian economy, and retail results in particular.

The overall result, too, is good for Victoria:

I have been looking at our September results and while I will have more to say on that soon, they match what the Commonwealth bank report is showing.

Of course, there are many factors that feed into growth: state, the local economy, actions by business owners. I guess my core point today is that here is an independent report presenting results that contradict the commentary or many about the Victorian economy.

4 likes
retail

I think News Corp. is saying they didn’t adjust production schedules for daylight saving

here’s what they sent retail; newsagents today:

30 September 2022

Daylight Savings

Dear Newsagent/Retailer

A reminder that daylight savings is due to commence this Sunday.

Production will run to current deadlines on Saturday night, impacting arrival times of Sunday’s papers by up to 60 minutes.

Please let your customers and staff know, and convey our apologies.

Should you have any questions, please contact your Area Sales Manager, Area Logistics Manager or the News Retail Support team on 1800 639 700 or via email at newsagents@news.com.au.

Kind Regards,

News Corp Australia

1 likes
Newspapers

The Lottery Corporation could learn a thing or two from Lotterywest about considering new outlets

Lotterywest has been engaging with existing retailers on the process of considering new possible locations:

Dear

In June we launched our new Expression of Interest process for sourcing new Lotterywest outlets and business owners, giving retailers the best opportunity to operate a successful lottery business in prime locations for player access.

New locations
Lotterywest identifies locations by assessing their potential to support a new outlet and is only approved after a thorough process that indicates unmet player demand, minimal impact to existing retailers and a benefit to the community.

New locations approved under this new process are now available to view via the Lotterywest website and on Retail Link.

Anyone interested in opening a new outlet for any of these locations must complete and submit an online application by 5pm, Wednesday 9 November.

Expression of Interest applications
Applications for new locations are assessed through a fair and competitive process, considering the most suitable combination of location, business type and business owner.

Business plan assessments, site visits and face-to-face interviews will be conducted with shortlisted candidates before appointing the successful applicant.

How to apply?
Please visit our website to view available locations, download our EOI Information Pack, and apply.

We are also holding an information session on Tuesday 4 October at 6pm. You can attend in person at our Lotterywest office or join online. Please email retail.enquiries@lotterywest.wa.gov.au to register your attendance.

If you have any questions, please contact Customer Services on 133 777 and ask to be put in contact with Retail Support or your RRO.

Kind regards,
Lotterywest

The most common complaint I get from retailers about The Lottery Corporation is their lack of transparency and fairness when it comes to new outlet consideration.

5 likes
Lotteries

Is the Optus data breach a big business problem?

Optus collected personal data from people, and, it appears, kept it long after the need for the data passed. Worse, if reports are accurate, Optus kinda left the data on the kitchen table with the back door open and the light on.

This is data requested initially from customers to check identity.  I’d like to know the government regulations / legislation requiring this identity check data to be stored.

The whole mess feels to me like a big business problem: overreach on data collection, no housekeeping to identify and securely delete data no longer required, poor data structure on data storage making theft of a useable batch easy, and inadequate protection of data required to be kept on-hand.

In my experience of decades working in software development, in government (CSIRO), big business (banks and mining) and in small business (Tower Systems), it’s the big business systems where problems like we have been reading about from Optus thrive.

In big business there are big IT teams, lots of stakeholders, lots of committees, lots of fingers. These are all very removed from the people personally responsible. In fact, who is personally responsible in a business the size of Optus: the CEO?, senior management?, the Board?, the Shareholders? … who knows.

In small business, if I ask a customer for an ID check for some reason, they show me their licence or passport and then return it to their bag or wallet. I don’t copy it. I don’t enter their details in my computer system. I don’t keep it longer than I need.

If I screw up and leave personal details of a customer out for anyone else to see or take, I am responsible. I know it. My customers know it.

Okay, it’s maybe not the best example. But, actually, it is. In small business we tend to be lean, and efficient, taking action necessary to get the job done. We, well I know in my own small business situations, I and those work work with me tend to not hoard things, we tend to not hoard data, and we respect value, and security. We use our safe for that, and we do not leave the door open or pass out the combination.

Small business owners are closer to their customers in a practical sense and in everyday life. We understand them and  respect them because our customers are us, or at least like us.

In big business, customers are numbers, pieces of data, and, too often in big business, data, especially old data or data not part of today’s push to drive the share price up is not as mission critical and may therefore be left on the kitchen table with the back door open – because no one was watching, wondering, or worrying about and for those who provided the data.

So, yeah, I read the Optus situation as a big business problem. Until there are share price impacting consequences for what has happened we should expect more events like we have seen in the last week.

16 likes
Ethics

A perfect, postable, Christmas gift, released at a perfect time

I’m so glad for the partnership between newsXpress and the Royal Australian Mint. These $10 Christmas ornament gifts will be a massive hit.

Coins have all but sold out since the death of the Queen and there is no indication off this slowing.

From a basket perspective, coin shoppers are valuable, often purchasing other items in-store, or online is that opportunity presents on the website.

1 likes
Gifts

Looking back 17 years

I’m not big on looking back, especially at past blog posts. This morning, though, searching for something else, I found this post from here, on September 28, 2005:

CRIKEY PUBLISHER SAYS NEWSPAPERS ARE “ON THE SKIDS”

In yesterday’s edition of Crikey, a daily emailed publication of news and comment, Publisher Eric Beecher commented about newspapers in the context of the appointment of a new editor for the Sydney Morning Herald, a newspaper Beecher once himself edited. Here’s what Beecher had to say:

17. Editing the SMH is about cost cutting, not creative journalism

By Crikey publisher Eric Beecher

The Sydney Morning Herald has a new editor – Alan Oakley, currently editor of The Sunday Age. “I am privileged to take on the best job in Australian journalism,” he said yesterday. “It is a challenging time for newspapers. I will concentrate my efforts to ensure that we are continually meeting the evolving needs of readers.”

Oakley, who is a popular choice, may feel he is taking up the best job in Australian journalism (it certainly felt like that when I had it in the late 1980s), but I suspect it won’t be much fun.

Newspapers like the Herald that depend solely on classified advertising for their profits are on the skids. Fewer people buy them or respect them, and their classified ads are migrating inextricably to the internet because it’s a better, cheaper medium for that kind of advertising.

Unfortunately, this consigns their editors to saying one thing (“I will concentrate my efforts to ensure that we are continually meeting the evolving needs of readers”) but doing another – cutting costs and eliminating jobs. These days, editors of papers like the Herald are more like executioners than editors.

Quality newspapers are a sunset industry desperately trying to prop up their historically high profits by cutting costs. Over the past week in the US, for example, six of the country’s more prestigious newspapers – including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer and San Jose Mercury News – have sliced hundreds of editorial and non-editorial jobs. And no-one believes this culling was anything other than business as usual for big newspapers.

Fairfax CEO Fred Hilmer said yesterday that Oakley’s appointment means the Herald “is in excellent hands for the future.” Unfortunately, that can only mean that Alan Oakley knows how to wield the knife.

I agree with Beecher’s comments about the viability of newspapers relying on classified advertising. Okay it won’t happen today or tomorrow. It will happen though. The economics of online classifieds make it inevitable. Newspapers cannot compete with the flexible search, production costs and mobility offerings of online advertising. Playing games with giveaways and competitions to drive sales will not fix that. Nor will offering free advertisements. Nor will free newspapers. Newspapers have a bright future if they focus on content.

I worry for the traditional newspaper supply chain in Australia. Newsagents are not prepared for the effects of the changes even though we are in the middle of them already with considerable supply changes impacting our businesses.

I disagree with Beecher’s comments about the viability of quality newspapers. Respected content (news, analysis and opinion) delivered exclusively in a print form will deliver sales of sufficient value to attract certain advertisers. Okay it’s more of a hope than a belief. People like Tim Porter and Jeff Jarvis and others have suggested how it may be achieved.

There is no doubt that this is a time of enormous disruption for newspapers. Denial only makes the road harder to navigate.

This: I worry for the traditional newspaper supply chain in Australia. Newsagents are not prepared for the effects of the changes even though we are in the middle of them already with considerable supply changes impacting our businesses. proved to be true.

10 likes
Media disruption

Is it too early to put Christmas cards out in the newsagency?

The answer, based on evidence, is no.

Through one of my shops we have offered boxed Christmas cards in-store and online all through the year. Online sales have ticked along while in-store has been slow. Then, in July, online sales increased further, and at the start of this month, sales spiked further again.

The online sales indicate that planners are thinking of and buying for Christmas from the start of July. We have seen enough early sales to encourage us to continue with the year-round approach, and to know some possible trends for this year.

I post the question Is it too early to put Christmas cards out in the newsagency? today because some newsagent colleagues tell me they will hold off putting out Christmas until the start of November. In my experience, that would cause the business to miss revenue there for the taking.

7 likes
Greeting Cards

Join me on a visit to the awesome Woods Grove in Brooklyn, New York

Woods Grove is one of the best gift shops I have seen. I am grateful to visit there a few weeks ago, and speak with one of the owners. Here’s a short video in which I share some highlights.

The visit was part of a newsXpress retail study tour where we visited a bunch of innovative and successful local indie retail businesses relevant to the Aussie newsagency channel.

6 likes
Newsagency management
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