I am seeing a strong start to diary sales in Australian newsagencies this year compared to recent years. This is terrific news for newsagents and their diary suppliers.
While some of the strong start of diary sales in Australian newsagencies can be attributed to Collins not repeating last year’s distribution mess this year, I think it also has to do with strong shopper demand for tactile engagement. Despite the prevalence of digital tools, many still value the tactile experience of handwriting notes and plans. The use of a physical planner is often seen as a way to reduce screen time.
Journal sales are way up this year – again because people love tactile engagement for not taking and journaling. There is a significant demand for premium, aesthetic, and niche stationery.
We are seeing people buy two and more diaries: for home, work, and more.
The diary customers we are seeing cover a range of shopper segments: students, professionals, office people, families, FIFO workers. People are buying them for different reasons too, beyond the everyday of noting appointments – time-blocking, goal-setting, personal well-being journaling.
Diaries play into a trend we are seeing around personal actions designed to support better mental health. Younger males are strong in this area from what we are seeing and from what we hear from retailers overseas.
To leverage the diary opportunity we have a broad range from the practical / functional through to the attractive and inspirational. We have tried to offer a range with broad appeal.
Thinking about the growth in the sale of journals to young males (18 – 35), here are some thoughts on creating a diary story to appeal to them:
For this demographic, a planner is often less about “pretty stationery” and more about what they’d consider personal mastery, performance, and strategic thinking.
- Goal clarity & achievement: We see influencers talking to this young male cohort online about goal setting and the role it plays in personal development.
- Reduced stress/regulated emotion: Plenty of influencers online (TikTok, Instagram and YouTube) promote journaling for its ability to calm moods and clarify steps toward goals.
- Improved focus (deep work): The time-blocking concept aligns with the goal of to prioritising high-value tasks and engage in “deep work,” which the same influencers often say is critical for personal success.
- A need for structure: This group diary users looks for a systematic, science-backed approach to eliminate guesswork and maximise efficiency.
How we sell to this diary cohort is different to how we might sell to a female 35+. We need to think about this when displaying diaries in-store – where we place them and how we present needs to be different, otherwise they may miss the opportunity.
It’s terrific seeing diary sales so strong this year in Australian newsagencies.