As part of my session at the ANF Convention on the Gold Coast today I have asked newsagents and their suppliers this question.
What do we stand for?
This is a crucial question which newsagents must answer individually and collectively.
In my first conference session this morning, suppliers and newsagents agreed around convenience, being local and service. While these are good, I suspect we need to stand for something which drives cut through consumer attention. Some stores stand for range, others low prices every day and others the happiest shopping experience. These are unique selling propositions which can be represented and which guide every business decision.
How does being local guide our business decisions? Are our products local or our employees local? How does convenience guide our business decisions? Do we really make shopping easy? Are we open convenient hours? Are our shops laid out to facilitate convenient shopping?
What we stand for has to be so compelling and clear that it is reflected in every decision from shop design to staff training to product range to business marketing.
This is a conversation I would like to have with many newsagents – what do we stand for?