The Baci chocolate bar packaged with the latest Feast magazine is sure to help drive sales of the soon to close title. We have it placed so the chocolate is on show – to leverage the value of the gift in the usual location as well as a secondary location. I encourage other newsagents to do this.
With Inside Out continuing with their Coles exclusive $6 discounted price I am not stocking it. Shame on the publisher for permitting one cheap price at Coles and a higher price elsewhere. Is this the only way they can sell the title?
I walked for fifteen minutes yesterday to a regular Sunday breakfast venue only to be confronted by a sign noting they are closed for the long weekend in Melbourne. This business is still establishing itself, it should not be closed, especially not on a long weekend when people have time for breakfast.
The experience got me thinking about how we communicate with our customers. I wondered what this cafe could have done. For a start, they could have let their regulars know a weekend earlier. They could have established a facebook page and let us know vis that. Or they could have setup an email list and sent us a note advising they are taking a break.
We need to run our businesses as if those who shop with us could go elsewhere and never return for the slimmest of reasons – such as being closed on a Sunday over a long weekend. Advanced communication is the key – so we don’t surprise shoppers with a change in opening hours.
My challenge to newsagents today is to think about how you communicate with your customers. Do you have a good path of communication? Is it two way? Or, are there surprises because of how you communicate?
This cafe runs its business as if it relies solely on passing trade. While there is considerable passing trade, there is also considerable regular local business. their approach to communication, or lack thereof, ignores this. The cafe’s sign also ignores weekend only patrons in favour of weekday patrons.
This video published on YouTube about a shopper experience is a reminder to all retailers that this is the era of the customer. Thanks to social media ad other online platforms, customers have never had such a loud and accessible voice. Whether you agree with Angela’s rant or not, the video makes for compelling viewing. Warning: there is some rough language.
We are promoting Better Homes and Gardens on the front of the magazine aisle with prime placement as well as location in the aisle – as the photo shows. As our top selling monthly, BHG is our best promoted magazine. We change it up as shoppers can become as store blind as us.
A few weeks ago I published An Urgent Action Plan to Avoid Closure of Your Retail Newsagency. I link to it again today as it covers responses to the questions I am asked the most. Complaining about your situation is easy, acting is hard.
Newsagents in regional and rural situations can be surprised when a new customer shops with them and it turns out the person is a local.
If you are in a regional our rural situation and have been surprised to discover a local who didn’t know about your shop, think how you can reach more like them.
It could be that with some carefully targeted marketing in your area you can reach new shoppers who could conveniently shop with you but don’t. Maybe they have an assumption about what you sell when your product and service offering is more diverse that their expectation.
With local letter box drops in rural and regional situations often more cost effective than in the city, consider engaging in a campaign to educate locals about your business and the products and services you offer which they most likely would not expect to find in your business.
Invite locals in for an experience beyond what they may assume and, hopefully, you unlock a bunch of new customers.
The alternative is to stand behind the counter waiting for people to walk through your doors based on their assumption of what your type of business sells.
Getting magazine adjacencies right takes time and thought. Investing in this can drive magazine sales.
Too often, the placement of magazines is done as a chore when it should be approached as an opportunity.
In placing magazines, consider the reader and place titles next to each other which appeal to the same shopper. Sometimes, adjacencies are best driven by the cover of an issue more so than the masthead itself. Mindfood is such a title. Sometimes it does not look right with Prevention while other times it does.
On the placement in the photo – wowed usually have the full cover of Prevention on display. We felt the Judy Dench cover shot on Mindfood warranted full cover display for a week at least.
Yes, these are things we think about – because we know that a thoughtful approach to magazine placement is a factor in our growth in magazine sales.
The young girl wanted to see all the lamb we had in stock so she could let one choose her. Her parents waited patiently, knowing this is how purchases for her collection were made. Sure enough, one of the lambs made the choice and the sale was processed.
We were happy to get the lambs we had left together so she could make the choice. With forty in her collection she was an important customer. We respect her process as we have seen it from many other collectors, young and old.
The passion of a committed collector is a delight to watch. I am grateful every time I get to see it as it’s a reminder that a sale is more than scanning a barcode and taking payment. It is often part of a bigger thing, something more important to the customer than a few minutes in the shop.
Patience with collectors is vital to winning more business from them.
I love this simple yet effective display of plush I saw on the Wild Republic stand at the Gift fair in Sydney recently. It makes a broad range of products accessible to adults and kids. At the front of a newsagency, this display would attract new shoppers, younger shoppers and those who shop for young people. A display like this would get people looking at your business differently.
The display itself would be easy to replicate as it is made of a series of boxes. I love it.
A newsagent I know turned to their a representative from their main card supplier recently to serve the need for a 99th birthday card. The advice was offer then a 90th card and a 9th card. The customer loved it and bought the two cards.
I love this lateral and fun approach. I love that the customer embraced it.
Card customers welcome suggestions. I had one grandmother who could not decide between two different cards for her granddaughter. I cheekily said why not buy both – not expecting her to. She did. What a thrill!
I love this approach to promoting books I saw in the window of Elizabeth’s Bookshop in Sydney recently.
Blind date with a book invites you to purchase a book based on a few words written on a brown wrapper covering the book. The idea of the promotion is to get readers to try new things. Researching the idea online, I discovered the blind date with a book idea has been going round bookshops for a while. Whoever thought it up is owed gratitude as it offers another reason to consider buying books. For example, I could see myself purchasing a brown-wrapped book as a gift for the thrill of the surprise for the giver and recipient.
What a brilliant idea! I can think of ways we could adapt this for things we sell in the newsagency. For example, why not for a magazine or even a gift.
Kudos to Network for the opportunity to set supply quantities for a recent partworks. Their early communication of the opportunity helps drive engagement and this drives sales. Maybe I missed it but I have not seen Gotch provide the opportunity to set supply for the launch of Build The Mallard and today on Twitter they promoted the launch for Monday. With train titles popular in newsagencies it should do well. However, with supply of partworks regularly inconsistent I expect many will groan at a new title.
In a food shop the other day the server said No drink with that? It was kind of like a command to put purchase a drink in addition to what else I purchased. It made me think about what we say at the counter and how a poorly constructed sentence which should up-sell could fail.
Newsagent suppliers: Click here to download the flyer with details of the newsagent supplier round table.
I have organised three venues in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for newsagent suppliers to convene to discuss how they can help newsagents navigate to a brighter future. The latest newsagency sales trends by product category will be shared. Data points will include basket depth, basket mix, traffic counts, growth categories and more.
Newsagents can grow their businesses. Suppliers can nurture optimism. This forum aims to see how suppliers can help.
If you are concerned about the future of the newsagency channel, come along and participate. Access to the round table is free – I am funding it through my newsagency software company Tower Systems. Any supplier is welcome.
BOOK HERE
The Drover is an excellent book opportunity for newsagents. It makes for an excellent gift, especially as we prepare for Mother’s Day.
I know of plenty of newsagents who have achieved good sales of this wonderful all-Australian coffee table book. The Drover tells a wonderful story in pictures. I’ve seen people of all ages enjoy it.
Click here for a flyer on an offer for The Drover.
Read what Alice Mabin the author says:
It has been a real challenge but rewarding at the same time, to self publish and distribute my own book. The fact that book shops have not stocked my book has been a bit of a blessing in disguise as it has made me think outside the box to promote and distribute my book and still make it a success.
The Drover is a terrific small business story which should resonate with newsagents.
Footnote: I have no commercial relationship with Alice Mabin whatsoever. I endorse this book and the opportunity because I love Slice’s story.
ASIC recently issued advice on illegal phoenix activity which could interest newsagents and newsagent suppliers:
Illegal phoenix activity involves the intentional transfer of assets from an indebted company to a new company to avoid paying creditors, tax or employee entitlements.
The directors leave the debts with the old company, often placing that company into administration or liquidation, leaving no assets to pay creditors.
Meanwhile, a new company, often operated by the same directors and in the same industry as the old company, continues the business under a new structure. By engaging in this illegal practice, the directors avoid paying debts that are owed to creditors, employees and statutory bodies (e.g. the ATO).
Illegal phoenix activity is a serious crime and may result in company officers (directors and secretaries) being imprisoned.
While not all company collapses reflect phoenix activity, enough do for ASIC to publish this advice. It can be time-consuming and expensive to pursue those you may suspect have engaged in phoenix activity. A call to ASIC or your solicitor could guide you on a path that could help you resolve your claim to satisfaction.
I could write about situations specific to our channel but I won’t. The best thing we can do in situations like this is to report them to the various authorities like the ATO, ASIC, the liquidator and known creditors.
I’ve noticed Coles using this publisher provided stand to host their free titles like Baby Toddler title placement I saw a while back. This would upset publisher reps if found in a newsagency. I support suppliers take – stands they supply should be used for products they supply.
It’s not often you see a newspaper apologise in a manner commensurate with how they ran the incorrect story in the first place. Kudos to Fairfax and the folks at The Age for their apology yesterday to the teenager they inaccurately identified. It would be good to see other Australian newspaper publishers follow this lead in the future.
The BriefMe app has been on Apple’s app store for two days and it’s popular. It provides the user with access to top trending stories across social media. While currently US focussed, I’m finding it useful for hearing about US stories not reported on here or as much through mainstream press. I trued BriefMe having read about it at TechCrunch.
What does this mean for newsagents: here is another app to disrupt how, when and where we can access news. It also disrupts the process of curating news. These are more than fads, they are trends that will not roll back.
I know some will say this is too much to consider to take in, that they are not that connected to care. Being aware does not need you to use these apps.
A newsagent at the counter you are like a human Brief Me when you talk about news stories which you and earlier customers have discussed.
Many retail businesses and retail brands are doing good through their product and shoppers are making decisions based on this socially responsible activity.
An early adopter was Hallmark through their support for the National Breast cancer Foundation. Internationally, The Body Shop set a high benchmark. Now, we have many retailers and suppliers doing good thanks to support from shoppers who want to do good.
I recently talked with the folks behind the Waka Waka solar powered torch. This brilliant product recharges using sunlight, making it ideal for all sorts of situations. When you purchase one, they give one away where it can do good. Take a look at this map and see where they are doing good with free torches.
It is products like the Waka Waka torch which we can source to do good through our businesses, to give our shoppers opportunities to do good on several fronts by shopping with us.
Click here to hear the terrific interview between 3AW’s Neil Mitchell and Australia Posts’s CEO Ahmed Fahour in which Fahour talks up sending Christmas cards and talks down sending Christmas greetings by email. He also notes that postage for Christmas cards is frozen at 65 cents.
Christmas cards are important to our channel. They generate traffic and drive deeper and more valuable baskets. We ought to thank those who talk up this segment of greeting cards and ourselves work hard to encourage people to send cards.
Check out the story published in The Standard about how a couple changed the newsagency into a gourmet food shop. This is one example of how to make your business in a small town relevant – by changing course and connecting with a regional USP.
I was pleased to see News Corp’s Courier Mail use their newspaper today and their social media platforms to make a plaintive call for the Indonesian Government to not kill the two Australian drug traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
While I prefer to see newspapers focus on reporting news, in this instance the front page call is a reflection of widely held community sentiment in Australia. It humanises a newspaper which often negatively meddles in politics.
I was thrilled to hear and see optimism among newsagents at the newsXpress newsagency marketing group national conference in Melbourne Sunday afternoon through to last night. The up-beat mood was joyful to see and hear as was the talk about growth categories, business changes to chase and competition to tackle head-on.
There were 180 attendees at the conference, 125 newsagents – from large and small businesses located in the city, country and rural and trading in shopping centre and high street situations.
There was a trade show with plenty of non-traditional suppliers pitching products you can expect to make at least 50% GP and some offering as high as 70% on.
The conference sessions on Monday were about how we run our newsagency businesses and opportunities for new traffic and insights we can leverage for a brighter future. A couple of international speakers from one supplier shared insights that will benefit people for years.
The group visit to the Toy Fair yesterday was incredible in that it focused on growing even further into a category our channel owned decades ago and is a growth category as sales are wrested back from other retailers. Seeing 40 to 50 newsagents on a supplier stand for new product briefings and to purchase is a good sight.
I am a Director of newsXpress and was a speaker at the conference so I’d understand if you think this post is a commercial pitch. I have not written this to tell you to join newsXpress or to even promote the group.
The purpose of this post is to say that with the right people around you and the right supplier partners, optimism grows and optimism can help you see a path forward for your newsagency. You can find those right people and right suppliers in a number of places. It starts with you looking – and that’s what I urge newsagents to do. It does’t have to be a marketing group – but it should be more than you working alone.
These last few days have been a reminder of the value of friends working together and supporting each other on a shared goal.