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Greener newsagents saving paper

runlist.JPGMore an more newsagents are eliminating paper from their businesses by using devices such as the iPhone, Android based phones and even Apple’s iPad for tasks which would previously have been done using paper.  The Samsung phone in the photo is being used as an electronic newspaper home delivery run list.  This list is generated by newsagency software and dropped onto the phone in a matter of seconds.

I know of some newsagencies which have eliminated up to fifty pages of printing a day by providing access to delivery runlists to drivers electronically.

This is a good green story for the newsagency channel. Add to it the move away from paper printed monthly accounts to electronic accounts sent by email and the viewing of newsagency management reports electronically rather than in print and you can see smart businesses cutting printing costs, cutting carbon emissions and reducing paper usage.

Now if only we could reduce paper wastage from magazine returns.

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Environment

Covering magazine cover art with a price sticker

paranormal-coverup.jpgThe new low price sticker on the cover of Paranormal which went on sale yesterday obscures a key image on the magazine cover.  While I can understand Gotch wanting to pitch ‘new low price’ I think they covered an important element of the cover artwork – is it the face of Jesus?  Now before anyone gets het up, I think it’s a bit of a laugh.  Personally, I don’t take this magazine too seriously.

While I am on about these new low price stickers though, I have seen them on several issues of imported titles in a row, indicating that the price is not so new.  Indeed, this was pointed out to me by a customer on the weekend.  They said it was false advertising.

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magazines

Promoting the covers of Harpers Bazaar

frank-bazaar.JPGOur Frankston store has done a terrific display promoting the two covers of Harpers Bazaar.  This issue cashes in on the confusion over the announcement of the winner of Australia’s Next Top Model.  The column covered with the display (click on the image for a larger version) is covered on all four sides – each promoting a different magazine.  The Bazaar display is what customers see as they enter the store and head to the magazine department.  It is also next to our main newspaper stand.

At my Forest Hill store, all bar one copy of Bazaar came with the Amanda cover.

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magazines

Promoting Good Health for impulse purchase

frank-goodhealth.JPGWe are promoting Good Health magazine to customers at our Frankston store as they exit the business into the shopping mall.  We chose this position for the title with the feeling that it works as an impulse purchase as customers head to the counter or leave the store.  Who knows?  Decisions about the best location for a display are a challenge.  In our case, we have two intrusive columns to cover and magazine displays dilute the intrusion.

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magazines

Read your newsagency marketing group contract carefully

I have been asked by a newsagent to look into their situation with a marketing group which they want to leave.  Their reasons for wanting to leave are not central to this blog post except to note that in my view they are legitimate.

Like many newsagents signing for something which sounds like a money spinner (remember Bill Express?), they signed the marketing group contract without reading the detail.  It turns out that they have a five year contract and a further year during which they cannot be part of any group.

This store is in a shopping centre which requires them to be part of a marketing group.  So, they cannot leave as they aree required to be part of a national group.  The only way out of the marketing group is for them to sell their business.

I have suggested that the newsagent take the matter up with an appropriate department in their state as well as with the ACCC.  I suggested the ACCC as the contract is not fair in its handling of this situation.

They have apparently been told by the marketing group that they can leave is they buy their way out by paying the marketing group tens of thousands of dollars.  I suspect this is the amount of money the marketing group would have made off the newsagent.

Even if they stay with the group under sufferance thinking their time is up at the end of 5 years and they can then move on, it still all falls to pieces because of the one year of being required to bot belong to a Marketing group, they then find they cannot debrand or leave the group as some landlords will not allow a non branded Newsagent in their centre especially for 1 year.  This is a year of no marketing and no branding – I’d expect sales to be lost as a result.

Plenty of newsagents are happy with the marketing group in question.  My concern is what happens if someone is unhappy.  Why the need to lock them in?  It is not as if this group is investing any money in the business.  Bill Express locked newsagents in and look at what that cost the channel.

Newsagents looking at any marketing group need to read the contract carefully.  Do not believe the sales pitch, believe only what is in writing as it is this which will dictate the terms of divorce should it come to that.

The friends I am helping will know in a couple of weeks whether their latest efforts at divorce will work.

Disclosure: I am a shareholder in and a Director of newsXpress, the newsagency marketing group serving 175 proactive newsagents around the country.

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newsagency marketing

Lindsay Lohan mug shot helps sell Famous

famous-jono.JPGFamous magazine is running a promotion in selected newsagencies whereby customers are invited to stick their face in a cut out of what looks like one of the many Lindsay Lohan mug shots.

This is a fun competition designed to get shoppers interacting with the title – different to the usual posters and display stands which publishers use.

I like that there is a pocket for stock of the magazine on the front of the stand.

We have our stand facing out into the shopping mall – I figured this should work well given that the display is eye catching and is a newsagent only promotion.

The model in the photo is Jono from our newsXpress Forest Hill store – our magazine manager.

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magazines

Talking about the future of magazines

The San Diego NBC News Channel ran this story on the future of magazines on Friday.

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Media disruption

Nice Wiggles giftcard tie in

wiggles-giftcard.JPGThe Wiggles gift card we get from Blackhawk is providing a nice tie in for other Wiggles products newsagencies carry.  Many of us carry Wiggles branded cards, wrap, bags and the magazine already.  The giftcard gives us something we can easily sell to these customers in our stores.

The more we target products to the groups of customers we attract to our stores the greater the efficiency we can derive from our customers.

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Gifts

Halloween showing 15% growth

halloween2010.jpgHalloween sales so far this year in our newsXpress Forest Hill are up 15% on 2009.  Our 2009 sales were up more than 10% on 2008.

This year, we have more competition in our centre with four locations offering Halloween product including Coles which is just opposite us.  This competition is terrific as it promotes a season in which we have been well established for years.

It works particularly well where mum or dad shops with us for a card or a magazine and any kids in tow browse the Halloween table.

With three weeks to go, the best is yet to come.  Halloween 2010 could be the best season of the year in terms of year on year growth.

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Newsagency opportunities

Boxed Christmas cards kick off

boxedcards-2010.JPGOur boxed christmas cards have been out for a week and we are seeing some good sales already.  We have them in the highest traffic location in store – customers hearind to the sales counter pass them.  While we will move them, our feeling was that chasing impulse business was the best approach for the first couple of weeks.  It’s working nicely.

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Greeting Cards

ACCC informal review of Network takeover of NDD titles

The ACCC has been conducting an informal review of the take over of some magazine titles by Network Services which were being distributed by now closed NDD.  Click here to link to the page on the ACCC website detailing the review.

While I was aware off the review, as I was approached by them and interviewed, I was not aware that it had been announced publicly.  It would have been good for the ACCC to advise the newsagency channel rather than just list it at their website.

I know from my discussion with them on this issue and a recent discussion on another issue that contact from newsagents direct to the ACCC backed by data from their newsagency is useful to the ACCC.

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magazine distribution

Ripping up the front page of the newspaper

hs-oct9.JPGThe Collingwood AFL Grand Final victory book with the Herald Sun today is very popular.  I am surprised that customers don’t complain when we tell them we need to rip out the coupon.  That front page story is not as important as the Collingwood book I guess. The coupon for the book and the free seeds today are on the bottom left corner of page two.

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newspaper masthead desecration

Why bag Donna Hay magazine?

donna-hay-oct2010.JPGI was disappointed to see the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine bagged.  As a food title it needs to be browsed – one only has to watch how customers interact with the title to understand this.  While the free pot holder is a nice gift, is that, the magazine cover and the masthead enough to get someone buy the title?  Infrequent shoppers will want to see what is inside and this is what the bag stops. In a supermarket or convenience store where there is less browsing, maybe.  But not a newsagency where magazine browsing is a key point of difference we offer.

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magazines

New magazine – Younger You

younger-you-oct20101.JPGWe received twelve copies of Younger You magazine on Friday.  This is a new title from Independent Digital Media which is owned by IPMG, the people who own NDD.

I looked through the magazine and looked at sales of similar titles and decided to give it one pocket.  To allocate this pocket I had to reduce the space allocated to another title.  Had I not early returned some stock I would have eight copies sitting in a drawer or on a shelf.

Publishers of new titles need to take more of the risk themselves rather than sending what they think we may sell or what they hope we will sell.  With so many publishers using newsagents as their bank and warehouse it is no wonder newsagents get angry about their treatment.

Had I been given the courtesy of deciding if I wanted to try this title I would have said yes.  Had I been asked how many copies I would take I would have gone for four.  Selling out of four copies is better than being overloaded.

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magazines

NEWSAGENT ALERT: Beware of new magazine titles which are not new titles

I have noticed some magazines coming through as new titles which are not new titles at all.  They have a new barcode and a new title code but the titles have been regularly sent to us before.  There is nothing ‘new’ about them.

Thankfully, my newsagency software identifies the new titles and lets me find an existing title from my stock database.  In a couple of clicks I have all the sales and returns history for the ‘old’ title associated with the ‘new’ title as well as putaway, home delivery and sub agent orders.  This simple step facilitates business as usual.

This is vitally important since it is the historic data which enables me to early return oversupplied stock. These ‘new’ titles are among consistently oversupplied magazines.

Newsagents need to be vigilant in how they handle all new titles. If your newsagency software permits, link the new title with the appropriate existing title so that you can carry forward vital sales, sub agent and putaway data.

While I do not want to come across as a conspiracy theorist, I am sceptical about the reason for the change to the barcode and title code of any magazine.  Such a move can only benefit the publisher.

Maybe newsagents could share details of titles here.  Let me start the list rolling: High Performance Imports.

UPDATE (8/10/2010 13:38) Here are more titles to add to the list:

  • Handmade Country Xmas Gifts Special Vol. 28 No. 6
  • Creating Country Threads Xmas Special Vol. 11 No. 3
  • Country Home Ideas Outdoor Living Special Vol. 9 No. 11
  • Fast Fours & Rotaries Performance Special Nov 2010
  • Fishing Tips & Techniques No. 32
  • Street Fords Australia Project Car Special No. 73
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magazine distribution

Instapaper closer to aggregating articles

In 2005 I first speculated about the commercial value to publishers of setting articles free from a masthead.  Overnight, Instapaper announced moves to a paid model.  Instapaper makes it easy for users to collect content from a range of online sources for later reading.  This opens new revenue streams for online content providors.  It will also open new revenue streams for astute publishers who climb over their current barrier of expecting consumers to buy their content from their website.

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Media disruption

Promoting the Take 5 charm

t5-lucky.JPGWe are promoting the latest issue of Take 5 magazine, which comes with a free charm and a small book of book of good fortune wishes, at – where else? – our lottery counter of course!  This issue of Take 5 is made for a lottery counter promotion.  We also have it in our impulse stand near the store entrance as well as in its usual location.

Maybe I missed but I am surprised ACP did not make a BIG DEAL about the lottery counter promotion opportunity.

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magazines

Oprah likes the iPad for magazines

Oprah Winfrey, speaking at the American Magazine Conference in Chicago says she reads magazines on the iPad according to the International Business Times.  Her continued endorsement counts for something, look at her Book Club and the last presidential election.

Check out the comprehensive report in The Age today for an update on iPad sales – they continue to break records.   As I said when the device launched, it is a game changer.  We, newsagents, need to revisit our business plans.  I am disappointed that this blog appears to be the only place in the newsagency channel where the ramifications of the iPad and related technologies is discussed.

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Media disruption

Brilliant cover Scientific American

the-end.JPGWe have the best opportunity in a while to drive sales of Scientific American with the latest issue out yesterday.  What a great, eyecatching, cover!

We have placed this issue near newspapers in the hope of getting more shoppers to at least pick the title up.  My sense is that they will and we will see a sales lift as a result.

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magazines

Promoting Madison

madison.JPGWe are promoting the latest issue of Madison magazine to customers as they enter and leave the store.  We have stock in an impulse stand next to the display – to leverage the display into sales.

Given the shortage of space in our temporary location we will leave this up for just under a week.

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magazines

VANA election choice for newsagents

The non newsagent Director position on the VANA board has become a contest with Trevor Mason being nominated to challenge the long term incumbent Robert Wade.

Wade has served as non newsagent and independent Director for many years.  He outside the channel view has been useful as VANA has navigated some complex issues.

Mason was behind the Futures Project which sought to use newsagent funds to embark on a commercial venture that, in my view, had no relevance for an industry association.  He has gone on to establish a similar venture outside of VANA.  I would expect that some VANA members will want to know whether he will seek to reignite the Futures Project or anything like it if he is elected.

As I resigned from VANA in April last year, my right to an opinion is somewhat diminished.

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Newsagent representation
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