Our online classified start up, Find It, has been attracting strong interest from newsagents with many already agreements in advance of our launch later this year. Many more have booked for launch events commencing next week. Newsagents are important to our business model as we see an opportunity to leverage their footprint to extend the reach of an online business.
Two or three of the 100+ calls from newsagents have concerned me. They say that every supplier is out to rip them off at some point so we must be no different. Our pitch is that they can become a Find It newsagent for no cost and they can opt out at any time. They see this easy approach as demanding a catch. While this response is in the minority, I had not expected it at all. One person I spoke with today says they prefer the sale or return over supply under supply tough trading terms approach of a magazine distributor because it’s what they have grown up with. They worry about Find It because “you want me to take initiative, at least with magazines I just put them there and if they sell they sell”.
While I am confident that Find It will deliver to newsagents new traffic and new revenue from a unique online classifieds model, the launch process is uncovering some newsagents who have lost the enthusiasm for building a business.