Displaying Dolly this month is a challenge. For almost two weeks we have had this on an aisle end. Now, back in its regular space, we have a problem. The free MP3 speakers which come with the magazine make for a display challenge. We have decided to build high. This draws attention to the offer but does mean we need to rebuild when it is knocked over. On the one hand I want these promotions but on the other I don’t like the disruption to the regular flow of a newsagency.
We have placed our Dolly right in the face of customers, more to the fact I need to sell them so I am not paying postage to send excess back. We received double our normal order of which we normally sell half of. More land fill.
thats always the case they send them to people that do not want them i tried to get extras 2 days later and they were all sold out
Our store does not rate to get give aways on this issue of Dolly just the plan magazine so be happy
As a human i will never be happy we are designed to winge it is what we do . But on a brighter note i didn’t realise that not all newagents got the speakers thats a load of bull we should all be treated equal no matter how far out of the way we are or what our sales are .
Shaun,
Why should publishers treat all newsagents equal? If their sales clearly demonstrate there is not a strong market in which they can pitch a particular magazine why would a publisher waste time and money on giveaways for that retailer?
Nonetheless, we have a very strong market for Dolly. Unfortunately, even with a front of store display the speakers are proving unpopular. I would think it is because most teenagers already have speakers that are far better quality than a freebie.
Jarrod , the problem with supplying one newsagent one product is that it looks even worse for the agent that does not get any ,the customer comes in knowing that it is on sale has seen it else where but yet this newsagent does not have what is on offer .The first thing the customer think is this guy taking the freebies off . I know this because i cop it all the time when woolies have there freebies customers want to know why i do not have them .
Jarryd,
We have got the speakers on display with an MP3 player we got as a freebie. Customers are connecting the music with the speakers (and they aren’t bad) and purchasing.
Jarryd
All newsagents should be treated equal. Havent we all signed the same contract, and dont we all jump through the same hoops.
And dont give that branding crap, as just because a store is branded, it does not mean they are better.
Gutful, While newsagents have the same contract with ACP, News, Fairfax and Gotch, operationally we operate different businesses. I suspect that you will see more business-focused contracts in the future based on compliance and performance and that these contraacts will underscore the differences between newsagencies.
On your branding comment, landlords say you are wrong. The brand, in some cases, is the leverage necessary to drive compliance. This is why they prefer brands.
Shaun,
I can bet customers wonder why Woolworths and Coles don’t always have the same freebies as newsagents as well.
From a newsagents point of view the situation may not seem fair when another newsagent gets freebies. But from a publishers perspective their approach makes sense.
Had a Gutful,
I think Mark and Nelson have already iterated my point of view. Suppliers, landlords, marketing professionals and industry commentators all believe branding makes a better store.
Newsagents need to stop jumping through hoops and become the ringmasters. Branding encompasses mechanisms that help work towards this.
I am sure that my customers could not give two hoots about the name of my shop .My shop is presented well ,shelves are full, staff are properly trained we all have the same uniforms .Unlike the newspower shop down the road that hardly ever puts his lights on never in uniform and rubbish all over the place .Personally to me being branded is just another fee ,sure you get some extra deals that we have to chase down and do our homework to find but at the end of the day no one has mentioned what the big benifiets are of being branded . I am only speaking from my point of view and i am in a small town so in the city things might work differently .
I agree with shaun on his comments. I do think with larger centers the branding issue is of upmost importance. But do not forget the newsagent on the street or strip. We can still deliver great sales & service.
Sorry about the tone but after a morning like I’ve had with my contract ready to be canceled because of a paper delivery.
Shaun, Gutful,
We are in a reasonably small town and in a strip shop. I don’t think all the members of marketing groups believe their investment is just another fee. Being branded is not just about the deals – these are secondary to a marketing groups primary function.
The name of your shop is NOT your brand. A brand is far more than just a name.
Great sales and service aren’t enough anymore. Consumers demand more. Retailers need more.
Shaun I would suggest you talk to some marketing group and their members to find out the benefits. Go to some of their meetings and see what goes on. Also – take a look at this document http://nxpblog.towersystems.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/nx_how-to-choose_2.pdf
In retail 101, branding might be significant but in the real world there are other factors.
The road I’m on, I share with six newsagencies, two are branded, myself and the other three are not. There is not a big difference between all of us in terms of presentation/products.
I “poach” customers from these other stores by using customer service, humor, being personal/local, etc etc. I’ve built up my regulars quite well.
I’ve thought hard about it and as Shaun wrote the branded store down the road does perform as well as him it seems. So I think it comes down to the enthusiasim of the owner of the store.
Jarrod i am not quite sure what you meen by consumers demand more and i am presuming you are saying that it can only be acheived by being with a brand ?
Jarrod i will have a read about it because at the end of the day if my business would run better with it i would look at it i am always keen to look at things to improve .
This sentence from michael is exactly why i feel i run a better business than down the road and i really believe it matters .
I “poach” customers from these other stores by using customer service, humor, being personal/local, etc etc. I’ve built up my regulars quite well.
Customers want to feel like they are your only customer and want all the attention if you can give them this then i am sure they will be back ..
Shaun,
When I say consumers demand more than great sales and service I mean that they also demand other things that good brands entail.
Keeping customers using good customer service is what more stores do. But there are a whole range of other things that appeal to consumers as reasons to shop somewhere. You may have built up a following of customers who respond well to customer service – but what about those who respond to other things? What advantage do you have if a competitor is offering the same customer service? What about customers who have a natural disposition to being loyal to a store? How do you entice them into shopping with you?
Not all brands are the same. When I use the term branding I use it in the context that encompasses all the aspects of the marketing group/franchise.
Putting a sign on one’s store and embracing the full potential of a brand are two very different things. If there is no difference between most of the six newsagencies on your street then I would say those who are affiliated with a brand are certainly not embracing it. The lack of difference could be a reflection on either the marketing group or the store owner.
Im not saying a store is automatically better because it is branded. But forward thinking stores with a brand are going to be better off than forward thinking stores without one.
Jarrod i entice them with other things as well even though i do not operate under a name brand i can still think of things to put in my store .We run copy shop out of our store with a graphic designer (my wife )We run the biggest range of gifts within 100ks ,we run the biggest range of novels within 100ks just a few examples. The only thing that makes us look anything like our competitors is scratchies and lotto .
Back on topic – the display is working. Dolly is selling.
Hey anyone want 20 lots of speakers ,they finally sent my back order it arrived on monday and now the new dolly has arrived .What a bunch of iddiots they have working at network.This just goes to show that they do not want to send stock to far away when it is a seller because i called them up when it first came out to get extras and they said it was sold out ………more like they were saving them for other stores that are closer if they were required (less for frieght) and as it turns out they were not needed so they sent them in the last few days just to scrape some more cash for the issue …..