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

Author: Mark Fletcher

Netball magazine out in newsagencies

netball_mag.JPGWe received Netball magazine yesterday for the first time. As happens with Network Services, we were not asked if we wanted this title or whether we had the space. The title (new for us) arrived without any collateral so we put it on the shelf and hope that someone notices it. This in itself is a challenge because it is the only title of its type and we only received two copies.

In placing the title, I wondered, do we put it in the sports (mainly men’s) area or in with women’s health titles? We went with sports. I may give it a counter push next week because it strikes me as a title people will purchase if they know we have it.

I’d prefer magazine distributors to ask before they send me new titles. I’d also prefer them arrive on our shelves with coillateral tactics which are designed to help them find customers. Just getting shelf space in a newsagency does not achieve this.  that said, we permit our national network to be used this way.

The barrier to entry for magazines reaching our cahnnel is too low.

As for the Netball title itself, it looks pretty good. The challenge is finding those with this narrow interest.

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magazine distribution

Another demo of a magazine on the iPad

VIVmag is a lifestyle magazine which is currently only published in a digital format. The publishers, like others recently, hae put together videos to show how they may embrace the Apple iPad as a delivery channel for their content.  While not showing off much detail of how the reading experience would work, it demonstrates the power of video content.

VIV Mag Motion Cover – iPad Demo from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.

What is interesting is that magzzines and newspapers will change how they gather and produce content. Sending a still photographer out to capture images for a store will change with video being used more and more. This is one area where content on the iPad will differ to the print version.

There is no reason why a channel like the newsagency channel cannot use this video footage to enhance the shopper experience.

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Media disruption

Driving book sales at Easter

book_sale_fhn.JPGWe are running our traditional Easter Book Sale. I say traditional because this is now our fifth year. We know from book experts that Easter is one of the top three seasons for book sales.

We have two large table on the dance floor with books displayed and grouped by special interest. Hero books like the Curtis Stone cookbook for $14.95 are to the front or the Gordon Ramsay books.. As the photo shows, we raise the books to show the whole cover. This part of the display faces customers as they leave our counter. We have a different display facing customers as they enter the business.

We have the Easter books in a separate display with our Easter offer of egg, gifts and cards.

We give over so much premium floor space to the book sale because of the margin in each item and the sales efficiency – they do sell well on impulse, you only have to watch customer behaviour.

Books are a terrific impulse purchase opportunity. We also use them to find new customers – we have four page brochures going to homes around our centre this weekend. These exclusively promote our business. We also get good book business from word of mouth since we have become known for these sales.

Books also fit well with magazines, we find that they appeal to similar customers.  We can promote one category near the other and drive incremental business.

The book sale is a newsXpress initiative.

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Book retailing

Bill Express hearing update

Fpr those wanting an update on the Bill Express investigation in the Supreme Court, click here for the report on yesterday’s proceedings.  It’s all about Julian Little, the Bill Express Director who drove the relationship between the ANF, newsagents and Bill Express.

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Bill Express

More coupons for newsagency receipts

receiptrollartwork.jpgMy post yesterday about promoting OK! and Who on newsagency receipts sparked emails and calls from suppliers and newsagents wanting to know more. It’s an easy process to included this free marketing collateral on receipts. It makes sense to get more value from the receipt than just as a record of a sale. Click on the image to the left to see a range of coupons we have prepared to trial in our newsagencies over the next few weeks. While we have done this promotion for years, the new coupons breathe new life into the opportunity.

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marketing

Maybe this time for John Tickell’s book

john_tickell.JPGIn October 2008 we received John Tickell’s book from a magazine distributor. We supported it and it failed. It should have never been distributed using the magazine distribution model. Earleir this week, we received stock as part of our book sale. This time around, it has a more appropriate price ($3.95) and a better margin (more than double). Magazine distributors take on inappropriate products sometimes yet they do not accept responsibility for the financial cost on newsagents. This time around, I am happy to have John Tickell’s book.

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Book retailing

Limited interest in magazine barcode technology

It is interesting to see US publishers play with barcodes which, when scanned with a laptop or phone camera, fire up video content.  Bonnier is the US is doing this with their WakeBoarding title.  By interesting I mean from a gimmick sense.  While there will be a curiosity factor with the technology, people who want video content will get it directly for themselves.

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magazines

Good old Collingwood forever

On arriving at the newsagency yesterday morning we heard a magpie caught in the cavity between our ceiling and the floor above us. We knew it was a magpie because it flew into the centre the day before. It sounded distressed and unable to get out.

Our Manager Jason removed a ceiling tile in the hope that the magpie would find the way out. He/she did in the afternoon, flew around the shop a bit, spooking customers. It then flew into the back room.

Jason and Jono, our magazine manager, opened the backdoor – which opens to a carpark – and hoped the bird would see the way out. They tried everything from coaxing to jumping. Nothing worked. Our magpie would not leave the ceiling of the back room.

Jason and Jono, tragic Collingwood supporters, hit on an idea. Jono sang the Collingwood theme song. Our magpie flew down from the back room ceiling and out the back door. I am not sure if he got to finish the song.

Reading this back it sounds like a metaphor.  It’s not.  This is a true story. Crazy things happen some days.

The story does make me wonder though about whether we are sometimes caught in a ceriling cavity waiting for someone to sing us down.

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retail

Making your own shop-a-dockets

newsagency_promotion.jpgWe are trying this ad on the bottom of receipts today to promote OK! and Who which come out tomorrow.  It has been set to run only on Thursdays automatically – so we don’t have to remember to include this.  Using the receipts like this makes them more valuable than just a record of a sale.

Other coupons we have produced contain offers to reward customers for loyalty if they come back within a certain time of the sale.  I think that sometimes retailers complicate loyalty programs and make accessing the prize too time consuming.

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magazines

delicious magazine as an impulse offer

delicious_mar2010.JPGWe are giving the latest issue of delicious a run at the newspaper stand. It replaced the Grand Prix program which did not work for us in this location. delicious is one of those titles which works well in impulse locations – hence our positioning with newspapers. We also plan to position it at the counter – it has worked well there for us in the past.

In addition to this newspaper location, we have a pocket in the food column with our weeklies as well as several pockets in the food category.  Our tracking of sales shows that we sell more copies of delicious outside the food category.

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magazines

Better Homes and Gardens flying

Two weeks in and the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens sales are up 100% of the average of recent issues in our Forest Hill store.  We are thrilled with the result.  It’s been driven by strategic placement of the title more so that amazing looking displays.

We will continue to promote this issue BH&G on weekends as history shows that there are sales to be made right to the last on-sale day.

While on strategic placement, Gardening Australia has also performed well for us over the last week as has 70 Family Meals.

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magazines

Staples launches bid for Corporate Express

Staples has offered to buy the shares in Corporate Express it does not own.  MarketWatch has more.  This was always expected once Staples acquired their shares in August 2008. Once they mop up the shares, watch for major moves on the retail and corporate stationery fronts.  Staples is a tremendously successful organisation.  Their stores are the benchmark.  I have seen plenty across the US and the offer is consistent.  They will be a tougher competitor than Officeworks.

I will be interested to see if the ANF acts on the rumours of it doing a deal with Corporate Express.

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Newsagency challenges

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Many newsagency team members will be dressed for St Patrick’s Day today.  A good dress up can give the retail workplace a real boost.  It can also allow our independent businesses to differentiate ourselves from the major retailers who tend to not embrace days like today.  While only a small step, dressing up is a good way to show off the difference.

As I noted earlier, we sold out of St Patrick’s Day stock twice over.  Our 2010 sales were more than doubles sales of 2009. The word of mouth business was excellent and demonstrated the value of committing to a minor season.

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Newsagency opportunities

Is this the magazine stand of the future?

Check out this video which shows how people with tablets could purchase magazines from a table (store) which could be placed almost anywhere.  The video was shot at the SXW trade show.

While people will come up with barriers to why this will not work, imagine this in an airport where there are plenty of gadget laden road warriors looking for something to read on a flight.

The demonstration is amazing.  It shows one way of purchasing product for the tablet-like devices.  There are others and will be plenty more.,  Most do not involve a bricks and mortar business.

Source: eMedia Vitals.

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magazines

Promoting Marie Claire

marie_claire_mar2010.JPGWe are promoting Marie Claire in a couple of places this week in support of the Witchery shopping offer.  With promotional space at a premium we have had to get creative in allocating space to promote the title, using high traffic areas to show off the title to people not looking for it in these areas.

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magazines

AFL footy tipping competition

afl_footy_tipping.jpgRegistration is now open for the annual Tower Systems AFL Footy Tipping Competition this year. The competition is open to anyone.

Entry is free. I have put up prizes for the competition: First $250.00; Second $100.00; Third $50.00.

Sorry, but this year we are running the AFL competition only as we have missed the start of the NRL season. Apologies, to all the NRL fans.

To join the AFL tipping competition, please follow these instructions:

  1. Go to the Tower Systems web page www.towersystems.com.au.
  2. Click on the AFL footy tipping logo at the bottom.
  3. The footy tipping page will then load
  4. Click on Join, at the top of the menu on the left hand side of the screen.
  5. You will then be asked for a password to join, which is ‘tower’
  6. Click on OK
  7. Enter in your details and click on Submit Details. (Note you only need to enter information on the fields highlighted with an *)
  8. Make sure you note down your alias and passwords so you can log in again later, and enter your tips!

Each week, go to the Tower Systems’ web site – www.towersystems.com.au – click on the AFL button, enter your username and password and tip away.

Rules:

  1. Anyone can participate.
  2. Tips must be in by 5:30pm EST on the evening before the first game of the round, either Friday’s or Thursday’s. (No late tips will be accepted this year, no exceptions, none, nada, nope, no way, your late – you’re out for the week)
  3. Failure to enter your tips will see you get the Average score for the round minus 1 tip.
  4. To play you need join before the start of the season
  5. Have fun.
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Social responsibility

70 family meals featured at counter

family_meals.JPGWe have given our prime counter space to the 70 Family Meals cookbook released yesterday under the Woman’s Day brand.  I expect this to be a hit with our customers, hence the prime counter location where it will be an easy impulse purchase.

We understand that at this location we have a few seconds to influence a customer so  we take care in choosing the titles we place at the counter.  Our choices are guided by what we think will work and not what publishers tell us.   Our hit rate is pretty good.  In just the last two weeks we have increased sales for Rolling Stone, Gardening Australia and Better Homes and Gardens.

As the photo shows, our displays are simple and, crucially, buying from them is easy.

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magazines

St Patrick’s Day sell out

We are still a day away from St Patrick’s Day and we have sold out of the party and other items we purchased for the minor season – twice over.  Yes, we sold out of our first package of stock, ordered more and sold out of that.  Our creative team has put together a green themed display to at least have some St Patrick’s Day offer: green streamers and party supplies, Irish Echo, St Patrick’s Day themed Lovatts title and green apple liquorice.  That last item is sheer genius.

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Newsagency opportunities

Promoting InStyle magazine

in_style_mar2010.JPGWe are promoting InStyle magazine out the front of our newsagency, into the mall.  We are using this display and the special offer with the title this month t attract shoppers.  We are selective about the titles we place in this location.  They need to appeal to our demographic and we need to have a good mix of collateral for creating the display.  The variety of collateral received with InStyle made the display a breeze to create.  We plan to leave this display up for a week.

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magazines

Promoting Cleo

cleo_mar2010.JPGWe are promoting Cleo at the entrance to our women’s magazine aisle while maintaining the display from last week promoting Cosmopolitan on the rear of the display in the photo.  This display will be seen by around 60% of our shoppers.  It’s a location which works well for most titles.  We clipped some posters up (see the yellow strip) to create a display which we hope draws more attention.

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magazines

The Sydnning Herald!

smh_mar15_2010.JPGThanks to the ad for GIO on the front cover of the Sydney Morning Herald today, the newspaper masthead reads (on many copies) as The Sydnning Herald.    Not only does the ad cover part of the masthead, it also covers editorial content promoting a story.  I like the SMH, it’s a good newspaper.  It is disappointing that the people responsible for permitting this trashing of the brand don’t respect the asset they have.

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newspaper masthead desecration

Check out this newsagency

I got to see the Relay store at Wynyard station in Sydney tonight.  It looks impressive, decked out in bright red.  While this business is configured for a high traffic transit volume, there are ideas newsagents could take on board.  Their magazine fixtures display full face in most cases and can be easily reconfigured.  The fixtures and layout make shopping easy.  As I have written before, newsagents need to take magazine displays to a more professional and flexible level.

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magazines
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