Scratchies in the scratchie bay
I was in a Tattersalls outlet yesterday and noticed that they had Intralot scratch tickets in their old Tattersalls scratch ticket bay. Has Tattersalls softened their stance? It would be a most welcome move if true.
Are you selling Vodafone recharge?
Newsagents selling Vodafone recharge from the TAFMO / Touch computer based platform will need to move quickly to establish a supply relationship with e-pay as Vodafone recharge is about to be exclusive distributed by e-pay. The sign-up process can take two weeks because of the checks involved.
Don Burke cuts through the pile of newsagent mail
Newsagents receive a ton of correspondence every week. Most of this communication is from suppliers telling us what to do, where to place product, what displays to create and the like. It is a pleasure to receive the letter we received from Don Burke. In the personally signed letter, Don thanked us for our support. Recognition like this encourages us to remember Burke’s Backyard and find other ways to support the title – because he acknowledges the support.
Before other publishers say what about me, I’ll acknowledge that we do receive recognition in other ways and I have blogged about that here before. What touched me about Don’s letter was its simplicity and the personal signature. It makes the recognition more personal and that is highly motivating.
Newsagent training opportunities
Tower Systems is running free online training on magazine management and newspaper home delivery management which non Tower newsagents may find useful. While some processes are Tower specific, general training is provided which could save time. If you would like to participate please email bookings@towersystems.com.au. You’ll need broadband and access to a phone for a toll free call. The sessions are:
- Magazine Management Workshop – 24/02/2009 2pm
- Home Deliveries and Customer Management – 26/02/2009 11am
- Magazine Management Workshop – 26/02/2009 2pm
Promoting mobile recharge drives sales
These generic posters we made to promote mobile recharge are helping to drive sales in our shops. They take less space than branded posters. Placed appropriately, they remind customers and you can see them add a recharge to a sale. If you would like some of these A3 posters, drop me an email. I will arrange for them to be posted to you. You can also download them. I am happy for anyone to use these posters.
Are we having trouble choosing a digital camera?
Judging by the number of magazines being sent to newsagents with advice on choosing digital cameras, it seems Australians don’t know how to choose the right digital camera for their needs. The four magazines in the photo is not representative of the full range many newsagents receive. Magazine distributors are overfeeding newsagents not only with digital camera magazines but in most categories. I suspect it will be too late for the health of the channel when (if) distributors realise the damage their poor management has caused.
Sydney Gift Fair good value
The Reed Gift Fair in Sydney is well worth a visit by any newsagent considering playing in the gift space. It runs until Wednesday this week.
Judging by the number of newsagents there yesterday, many are now playing in this space. It is terrific to see newsagents expanding beyond the traditional. Some were looking at homewares, others at traditional gifts and even one newsagent looking at garden furniture – now that’s really outside the traditional.
Every newsagent I spoke with was excited about expanding with new products.
Another Bill Express screen
Lack of compliance and consistency across the retail newsagency channel is our biggest challenge. In Sydney yesterday, I saw another newsagency with the Bill Express light box still up and working. It is situations like this which invite suppliers to look outside our channel for a more consistent and disciplined network of retailers.
UPDATE (23/02): I was in a JB HiFi store today which had a DialTime light box on display. On the side was a note: Not working. I take back what I said about newsagentx and compliance.
Newsagency ombudsman, a good association role
There are many issues and disputes which newsagents encounter where the supplier is prosecutor, judge and jury. While some newsagents capably stand up for themselves, many do not. There are forums in some states available to small business, including newsagents, yet they are rarely used due to ignorance and lack of knowledge about the operation off the newsagency channel.
Associations have an opportunity here to create an ombudsman role. This could be funded from member fees as well as a supplier levy.
The newsagency channel ombudsman could hear disputes and adjudicate in line with a charter of operation agreed by newsagents and suppliers.
Such an office could provide a neutral ground place where account, supply and other disputes could be heard and mediated quickly – before things get out of hand.
What I have in mind is something more comprehensive than advice. I see it as more structured than the ad-hoc defence run by some of the more proactive associations and marketing groups today. There could be rules and case management to ensure that the process is fair on all parties. Most of all, this would be an opportunity to diffuse issues before they get out of control.
I’d like to think that suppliers would welcome an ombudsman role as it might help issues get resolved in a more valuable way and before they take action.
It is this level of practical help where associations can make a difference.
Cross media deal in South Australia
Advertiser Newspapers (part of News Corp) and Channel 7 Adelaide yesterday announced a cross media deal to deliver a new multi media news and current affairs service. I’d expect to see more of this is the type of cross media platform partnership as the disruption of traditional media, which we have seen in the US and Europe in recent years, picks up pace here.
Hiding the copier with art
Click on the thumbnail for a larger copy of the photo showing how we are hiding the back side of our photocopier with an art display. By itself this display would not work but when seen with the display capping the next aisle it presents a good retail story. We continue to move art around as we have found that this helps find new customers.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer partwork out now in newsagencies
It is great to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer partwork series launch in newsagencies. The popular TV show targets a demographic we like. Early indications are that sales will be good. We certainly have people requesting future copies be put away – this is part of the unique service newsagents offer. Our putaway service is a reason we have partworks and other retailers don’t. Overseas, partworks are sold in supermarkets. Australian newsagents are fortunate to have the opportunity.
Usually, when I write about partworks, people comment publicly or privately to me about the unreliability of supply and other challenges associoated with them. For some time I was a vocal critic of partworks. I took up an invitation to look behind the problems and develop something which works for my business. Three years on it works a treat. Supply is good. In return I provide accurate sales data. Occasionally there are bumps but these are fixed.
I will acknowledge that I am lucky to have access to the people who can fix problems and therefore don;t have to deal with call centres. I have put it to stakeholders – publishers, importers and distributors – that a thorough review of the partworks supply model could drive excellent sales growth. From a newsagent’s perspective, it all comes down to supply consistency through the entire series. This can be easily fixed.
Intralot network down in Victoria
The Intralot network is down in Victoria today due to an Optus network problem. This is also affecting access to the Intralot help desk. Optus people have been working on the problem all day. I am posting this here as a service and not for commentary.
E-ink display touted as newspaper replacement
PC Pro reported yesterday that NEC is preparing to launch a 19.5 inch e-ink display with better contrast than newsprint and a very fast refresh rate. There is online talk that this screen gets closer to a newspaper experience. I know that newspaper publishers are certainly watching this and other technology which enables them to make their content more accessible.
If I were a newspaper publisher I would have money invested in products like this and other mobile devices as they are the replacement for the current newspaper distribution system.
Whether we (newsagents) like it or not, this paperless newspaper reading technology will evolve and, eventually, become ubiquitous.
Women’s Weekly starts 2009 well
The Australian Women’s Weekly has kicked off 2009 with a bang. Starting the year with the Obama family on the cover was a brilliant move and following up with Magda Szubanski and her weight loss story in the latest issue is proving to be as popular. My only minor complaint is the free cookbook on the cover – it covers Magda. That said, the word of mouth around this issue is very strong. Newsagents rely on the traffic and sales of AWW. Indeed, other publishers have relied on AWW to drive the health of the category. Let’shope the strong start to the year continues.
Finding readers for The Week
A customer commented that they need to come up with a good news summary for the week because he didn’t have time to read the papers with all the news around. I mentioned The Week to him and he was surprised that a title matching his exact description existed. True story.
I believe in The Week. It is a good magazine, filling a need. That said, I am not sure that their marketing campaign has worked.
We are trying a different approach by promoting it more consistently with newspapers, at least to put it on the radar of newspaper buyers. For the next few weeks we will have it on the stand in front of newspapers and see if that helps with our customers.
Delivering a good laugh with the newspapers
Robyn Ritchie from newsXpress Whittlesea this morning delivered the newspapers for the first time. Their regular driver has relocated following the loss of his home in the bushfires. Robyn and one of her girlfriends hit the road early and tried their hand at the whole newspaper throwing thing. She said the only complaint they are likely to get is about the noise they made as they laughed their way through the round.
I bet lots of newsagents can recall the first time they threw a newspaper. It’s a good thing to reminisce about. Up at Whittlesea things are a bit different thanks to the considerable challenges brought about by the fires. It is inspiring that Robyn and Neil are finding some laughter amid those challenges.
LAAV survey encourages a negative response on Intralot
I have several issues with the survey sent out by the Lottery Agents Association of Victoria about Intralot: It is poorly constructed – as if they have a specific outcome in mind; Some questions are push in nature; It has not been sent to all agents; and, the survey demonstrates the continued bias of the LAAV against Intralot.
I see little activity from the LAAV on the barriers imposed by Tattersalls against Intralot, barriers which deny Intralot fair and reasonable access in many retail situations. Take instant scratch tickets for example, they belong on the counter, next to online lottery products. Tattersalls successfully maneuvered it so that this could not be achieved.
I would hope that Tony Robinson, the Minister responsible, finds a way to achieve an equitable solution – for the sake of small business retailers, consumers and Intralot which paid good money for fair and reasonable access.
Bushfire generosity continues
The team at newsXpress Seymour raised $2,600 in five days through their loose change collection. That is a fantastic effort! At our own Frankston newsagency, no sooner had we banked $700 and we collected another $300. We are displaying each receipt for our customers – they tell us that they apprecaite our transparency on this and that this encourages them to continue giving.
Promoting OK! at the counter
We are promoting OK! at the counter at our Forest Hill and Frankston stores. The free mascara qualifies it for this prime impulse purchase position. The mascara itself looks more valuable than the usual free make-up with a magazine.
The additional benefit of setting up this display for the weekend is to remind our customers that OK! is now published on a Friday. Changing habit can take a while.
Using Magda to help Weight Watchers magazine
Thanks to a comment here from Deb at Glenhuntly newsagency a few days ago, we have placed Weight Watchers magazine next to the latest issue of Australian Women’s Weekly with Magda Szubanski on the cover. Inside AWW is the story about Magda’s amazing weight loss since joining Jenny Craig.
Hopefully, the opportunistic placement will drive sales of Weight Watchers and AWW.
Have you been surveyed about Intralot?
I have heard about a survey being circulated by the Lottery Agents Association of Victoria about Intralot. I have not seen such a survey and would appreciate receiving a copy if you have one.
Hot & sweaty magazines
Our team at Frankston is having fun pitching two magazine categories – lad’s mags and men’s fitness and lifestyle mags. Under the heading Hot & Sweaty they are pitching a range of titles at the counter which would otherwise not get such a high traffic profile.
I love this type of marketing – bringing titles to a high traffic area and opening them to impulse purchase. I especially like the fun in the Hot & sweaty tag – this pitches the magazines in a non-traditional way. It is the kind of approach which gets new eyeballs looking.
The display will stay in place for a couple of weeks before being replaced.
Profiting from the bushfires
A seller on ebay is offering the Bushfire edition of Who magazine for sale for $12.95 plus $2.90 postage. They are charging close to three times the cover price. There is no mention that they are doing this to raise funds for the Bushfire Appeal.
While it could be said that newsagents profited from the sale of this magazine, there was no price gouging. Further, many newsagents collected donations from customers and added to these from their own pockets.
Well done newsagents and suppliers!
It is terrific to see the level of support by newsagents and suppliers for Victorian bushfire relief appeals. I know from conversations yesterday that this is of comfort to people on the front line – those personally affected and those supporting them.
From spare change collected at our counters to support for magazines raising funds from sales (New Idea, Woman’s Day, Take 5, That’s Life, OK! and Who) to collecting product for donation to practical help. Those newsagents and newsagent suppliers who have supported fundraising and other efforts ought to be proud not only of their efforts but also of demonstrating how the newsagency channel sevres the heart of our nation.