Better Homes and Gardens TVC
Check out the latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine TV commercial.
Notice the tagging of newsagents. This is good to see as it reminds shoppers of where to get the magazine.
Food magazine relay boosts sales
We are still seeing growth in food magazine sales as a result of the magazine relay I undertook a month ago, nice double digit growth. This is a category we shuffle a couple of times each week, responding to new titles as they come out.
We are maintaining excellent positioning for the anniversary issue of donna hay magazine while also promoting the latest issue of MasterChef and promoting the latest issue of Feast magazine.
I do the shuffling when I am in the store myself as I see this as a senior management task. Too often newsagents leave choices about magazines to be made by juniors … and they then wonder why magazine sales are not what they need.
I urge newsagents to look t the magazines and invest the time in completing relay. There is money to be made from a small investment of time.
Promoting the read ezy 2012 calendar
The counter is the best location for read ezy 2012 calendar. Shoppers often ask for this. Having it at the counter makes offering the upsell easy too.
With an excellent margin, more than double magazine margin, it’s a product worth pitching to anyone 65 and over and those with family and friends who are 65 or more.
This is the kind of product that some people will not think abut until late in the season – offering it to shoppers now is doing them a good service and driving sales basket efficiency.
The $1 magazine sale in the US
I don’t understand some US magazine publishers. At magazines.com there is a SALE running at the moment offering a bunch of magazine titles for $1 per issue or less. Time magazine, for example, is available for $16 for 28 issues, Good Housekeeping has 12 issues for $7.97. These are US only offers for US published titles.
Yes, the US model is different to Australia. But that different that they have to devalue their product this much? I’d want people to buy my title because of the value they see through reading the title rather than some cheap-ass deal.
Crazy.
Will newsagents ever learn about employee theft?
I have been working with another newsagent this week on an employee theft / fraud issue. It was the lax processes around managing cash which led to the newsagent being hit for at least $50,000. They did not worry about balancing their registers accurately each night, they also did not manage stock on hand. These weaknesses in processes invited the thief to act… and they did.
Check of the story in the Herald Sun yesterday about employee theft.
Newsagents are their own worst enemies sometimes. Here are some very basic rules to help newsagents avoid employee theft.
- Use your newsagency software properly including the full stock control facilities – they pay for themselves in no time with theft saved.
- Balance your registers at least daily. If cash is out by more than $5, hunt it down. Demand that employees are responsible.
- Use employee initials and codes on all sales. Yes they can fudge this. Just doing it is a hurdle many newsagents do not have today.
- Track stock on hand for tobacco products, transport tickets, phone cards with a face value, confectionery, ink cartridges, premium pens and, stationery. Start slow and work your way up. You will bank results from the work and eliminate the need for an annual stock take.
- Establish a theft policy and publish this to your employees.
- Change your system passwords monthly.
If the newsagent I was working with balanced their cash daily and tracked cigarette inventory they would have uncovered the problem much sooner.
Cutting the cost of employee theft in a newsagents is straightforward, all it takes is will on the part of the newsagent.
Moshie Monsters out today
An Australian edition of Moshie Monsters magazine goes on sale today. It has tremendous potential given the reported 5 million Australian Moshi Monsters users and given strong TV promotion on both free to air and pay TV starting today. Targeting 6 to 12 year olds, this new monthly title could help us increase traffic and sales in our kids section, a magazine section which has been challenged in recent years.
I plan on us making the most of the launch with a good display in a high traffic location. It’s the kind of title which could work at the counter, especially is at kid eye level.
To newsagents considering early returning this new title, I’d suggest you ask parents and 6 to 12 year olds.
Tapping into the pink ribbon campaign
In addition to promoting the Pink Ribbon magazine which comes free with The Australian Women’s Weekly this month, we are promoting this week’s Pink Ribbon issue of New Idea magazine. We also have the Hallmark boxed Christmas cards in-store raising funds for the Pink Robbin campaign too. So connecting all of this activity makes a lot of sense.
Drawing attention to these social issue related magazines connects our business with the campaign. This makes us more relevant than a supermarket which will typically do nothing special – unless they are paid to by the publisher.
Newspaper placement drives magazine sales
We achieved a nice lift in sales over the weekend and into this week with the placement of Better Homes and Gardens and Diabetic Living at the counter next to newspapers. We aim to change the titles we have at the counter in this prime location at least twice a week, making the most of the different shoppers we see in-store. Newsagents who don’t do this should try. It will usually take a couple of months to learn which magazines perform well with newspapers.
Complete cover-up at The Australian newspaper
The Australian newspaper yesterday preferred to take money from an advertiser than promote the top stories of the day. The wrap around advertisement was further evidence for newsagents that publishers do not think the front cover is all that important in selling the newspaper. I remember battles in years gone by about obstruction of the cover and the claim by publisher representatives that showing the cover, and the headlines, was vital to driving sales. Defaults were threatened if they were obstructed. Now, it seems, who cares?
Vale Gary Angus
I was saddened to hear this morning of the death of Gary Angus of newsXpress Pall Mall. Losing any newsagent is sad, losing someone at their workplace is even more so.
Gary was a genuine character in the newsagency channel as well as in Bendigo, a loveable larrakin some might say. He was a great supporter of our channel and key suppliers. Gary will be sadly missed.
Over the counter bill payment is dead
I was talking with a newsagent last week who was keen for a bill payment option for newsagents even after the financial collapse some years ago of Bill Express. I was surprised as I have considered that over the counter bill payment is dead, not only in newsagencies but everywhere. Sure there are some who prefer to pay bills in cash but that number is declining from what I understand talking to people within Australia Post.
The infrastructure cost, not IT wise but cash handling wise, is too expensive for there to be any money to be made even if there was upside from a customer interest perspective.
The cost and infrastructure issues aside, as a retailer I question the cost to the business of the disruption of a bill payment transaction compared to the traditional newsagency transaction.
Newsagents hanging on to the possibility of a bill payment solution need to let go. Some still hang on to the promises made by a newsagency software company in the 1990s about their bill payment solution and their million dollar data centre. Smoke and mirrors as I said at the time.
Hmm … now that I have written this I bet there is an announcement showing I am wrong. If this happens so be it.
Simply Knitting magazine App
I noticed this ad on a business news website last week, pomoting an App being launched for Simply Knitting magazine in the US via the new Apple Newsstand facility. The latest developments from Apple in this space are certain to lure more publishers into pursuing subscribers through digital platforms.
I hope that newsagents are noticing these moves and are ensuring that their businesses are appropriately flexible.
October is too early for Christmas carols
At a shopping mall in Manilla last week I heard Christmas carols being broadcast to the shoppers – two and a half months out from Christmas. Seriously! Maybe they get in early so that they can start easter promotions at the end of December.
Featuring Prevention magazine
We are featuring Prevention magazine with this in-location display in our new women’s magazine aisle. We will usually maintain this double pocket allocation for the first two weeks, less if sales mean we don’t have enough stock for it.
We are careful with these in-location displays, ensuring that we only have one up in each space at any one time. They continue to perform as well as or better than an aisle end display. I think this is because they are closer to the destination of shoppers, where they actually start to look at what they are visiting for.
Since the Prevention moved to a full size format a while back it has been easier to display in more traditional magazine fixturing.
Promoting the magazine and the diary
Where possible this year we are promoting branded 2012 diaries with their companion magazine. While this will be a challenge the closer we get to Christmas, we have the space for it at the moment.
Girlfriend magazine and the Girlfriend 2012 Diary next to each other (see photo) offers a better chance of selling both. They are in an eye-level position … prime space.
We are also reminding our team members that diaries make an excellent Christmas gift. For example, the Girlfriend 2012 Diary is an ideal gift to the Girlfriend reader.
Talking about diaries, current indications are that there is no slowdown in diary sales, the plethora of mobile devices with diary facilities is not diluting the need for or interest in a hard copy diary.
Coverage on SA newsagent concerns over lotteries
Adelaide Now has a story on concerns held by newsagents about the possible privatisation of SA Lotteries. It is good to see the ANF agitating the state government on this issue which is close to newsagent’s hearts.
Newsagents need to agitate on this issue and indeed every issue which challenges their model. Our businesses are finely balanced, which each part of the business relying on the other parts for support.
Appalling retail customer service gets talked about
A couple of friends shared with me their story of appalling customer service they recently experienced in a newsagency.
They had been in the shop for 10 minutes or so, selecting around $25 worth of stationery to purchase along with a magazine. On their way to the sales counter, the stopped at the newspaper stand and picked up a newspaper. They were from out of town and wanted to decide whether to purchase it. Less than 30 seconds after picking up the newspaper they were hassled by the newsagent. The rudeness of the approach resulted in them putting the newspaper down and purchasing only the items they had already selected.
While a newspaper purchase would not have added much to their basket, it may have got them enjoying a paper which they would buy again.
I doubt they will go back in the newsagency. Indeed, their story of what happened is likely to encourage others to not shop in this business.
There was no need for rudeness, especially given the value of what they were purchasing.
Some people should not own a newsagency. Customer service is just about all we have going for us. Bad word of mouth about one newsagency reflects badly on the whole channel, unfortunately.
Leveraging interest in Taylor Lautner
We are promoting the latest issue of GQ magazine is a good location so that Taylor Lautner fans are more likely to see the title. besides the usual GQ shoppers, there may be a Twilight fan or two who picks up a copy – hence the placement showing off the full cover shot.
We are also looking for time at the counter for this issue of GQ. I can see it as something which would be purchase don impulse by the shopper who is a fan of Lautner.
We are always looking at magazine covers for opportunities like this.
Our own Steve Jobs shrine promoting Rolling Stone magazine
We promoted the Steve Jobs cover story in the re-issue of Rolling Stone magazine with this behind the counter display at one of my newsagencies. The display looked stunning … there is no missing this as you enter the newsagency. Our goal was for the Rolling Stone story to be noticed by everyone who may possibly be interested in the story of the life and passing of Jobs. This counter display achieves that. It’s driving impulse business as well as good customer interaction.
Promoting the 10th anniversary issue of donna hay magazine
We have been promoting the 10th anniversary issue of donna hay magazine with this simple yet visually effective aisle end display facing shoppers as they enter the newsagency and head toward our magazine department.
I love the white cover of this issue, its stands out beautifully against the colour of all other magazines in a typical newsagency magazine department.
In addition to the aisle end display we have this issue of donna hay in with our food titles. when the aide end display comes down we will give the issue support somewhere else in addition to the usual location. Being the anniversary issue warrants more than usual support from newsagents.
Sunday marketing tip for newsagents: Newspaper headline art
If you want to run a customer competition which gets them creatively engaged with newspapers, consider a headline art competition. Keep it simple. Ask that they create an item of art using recent newspaper headlines. It could be visual or written art, as long as headlines are used. Get a local panel of art experts to judge the winner.
The prize does not need to be grand. The real reward is in entries and finalists being on show in your newsagency or somewhere nearby where you can leverage your involvement.
If the competition revolves around headlines in the local newspaper which is sold in your store all the better, especially for coverage of the event.
This marketing tip would be especially useful for newsagents facing competition from other outlets selling newspapers nearby.
Steve Jobs covers at the newsagency counter
We have both Time magazine and the re-issue of Rolling Stone with Steve Jobs on the cover at the counter, above our newspapers, this weekend.
This tactical placement is in addition to promotion elsewhere in the newsagency. There is no doubt we see a different mix of customers on the weekend, like in most shopping centres. This mix of shoppers is more likely to purchase these magazines because of their Steve Jobs coverage.
Promoting the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas feature
We are promoting the Christmas issue of Better Homes and Gardens with this in-location display in one of my newsagencies.
In addition to this terrific display, we also have the magazine in a stand facing into the mall and with newspapers – making the most of the launch week interest and leveraging the TV show from Friday night.
All the activity is working a treat, sales of BHG are excellent.
Newsagent calls for a direct approach to magazine publishers
Check out the call John Emmery from Riverstone News has put out to newsagents re one way for newsagents to approach the issue of over supply:
We’ve tried all sorts of strategies over the years to incentivise distributers to reduce over-supply of mags.
Here’s a (serious) idea. Please let me know what you think…
Send me your best example of over-supply for the month with the history. Here’s mine for example…
Business for Sale ( code 25020 – NET)
V11#66 20/5/09 rec’d 18, returned 9
V11#67 28/10/09 recd’d 19 returned 11
V11#68 28/4/10 rec’d 20 returned 12
V11 #69 15/10/10 rec’d 26 returned 21
V11 #70 29/4/11 rec’d 26 returned 22
V11#71 14/10/11 rec’d 27
I will select the best example of over-supply, publish on this address, then send it by post with a lemon to the General Manager of the PUBLISHER.
What do you think?
The only stipulation is that is must be a magazine you’re received in the current month – no ancient history, please.
John Emmery. Riverstone News. 0423 529 041
p.s. You might say that poor Network took over the above title from NDD and that some of the over supply was NDD’s fault. True, but they obviously took over the supply history too, otherwise my supply would have changed radically. So why did they ignore the returns data?
The magazine supply model is complex, way more complex than it ought to be. There is no doubt that for many titles we are not supplied solely based on sales history. Other factors can come into play including publisher action and distributor / publisher contracts.
The most success I have seen recently, as I have blogged here, has been as a result of direct contact with publishers.
Are newspaper publishers learning from doing newspaper home delivery?
With newspaper publishers taking on more direct home delivery services as a result of these being given up by newsagents, publishers are getting a better understanding of the economics of operating a home delivery service.
I wonder what the accountants in their organisations tell them about providing the service for the direct overprice and delivery fee revenue involved.