Any publisher wanting to sell more magazines ought to read this – if they really want to sell more magazines that is. Rather than throwing money at expensive subscriptions sent through the mail, publishers could do better providing newsagents with deals for an over the counter subscription pick up.
Take the Bulletin. It retails for $6.25. If I subscribe, it costs $129.90 a year and they mail it to my home. In my shop I sell between 6 and 12 copies a week. I think I could sell more by offering an over the counter subscription – customers would have to pay up front for a year. The difference from the current subscription offering is that the magazine would not be posted – the customer would pick it up.
A regular Bulletin customer in a newsagency might buy 70% or thereabouts of copies a year. An over the counter subscription offer could get that to 100%.
Newsagents have excellent technology to manage subscriptions at the counter and back office including the ability to SMS text message customers when the magazine comes in.
Many customers would prefer to pick the magazine up. I’d like their traffic.
Publishers show in the subscription order forms in their magazines every issue how much money they will throw to acquire subscription sales. Let newsagents be part of the acquisition process and I’d expect net sales growth to be achieved.
While I can sell subscriptions now, they are for mail delivery. What I am proposing here is different.
As a small publisher this appeals a great deal to me as my magazine could get back into the newagency distribution chain and I would save on postage at the same time.
As a customer though, I’m not sure of the benefits. How is this better than the put-away system you already have for your customers? Those that request put-aways still have a choice not to buy them if the content doesn’t appeal that issue. But with a subscription, they’re obligated to buy (well, because they’ve already paid for it). If I have to make a trip the shops to collect a magazine I’ve paid for in advance, I’d prefer the convenience of it arriving it my mailbox.
Further, will you notify your customers that their magazines have arrived for collection? SMS or email? There is an added cost there, but I’m sure that will pay for itself through additional traffic as you mentioned.
Anot5her great idea, Mark. Retailer based subcriptions have been suggested in the UK, but I have never heard the case made so well. Tower Systems ability to SMS the customer when their magazine is ready for collection is certainly something that no system here offers so your proposal does hold merit. Whenyou add to that the another postal strike then for the UK it becomes quite compelling.
If you have no objections I will pass this post on to Retail Newsagent under your name of course.
Steve
I think the idea is great, especially if it means that ‘over the counter’ subscribers receive the promotional offers that are left out from mailed subs, AND still get a discount by paying for a year’s worth of issues in advance.
As an avid magazine subscriber, it always pains me when I see the latest edition sitting on the shelves (often before I have even received my mailed copy!) with a nice freebie.
In fact this year, Vogue Entertainment + Travel has had so many good freebies that I have missed, I am thinking of canceling my sub altogether!