Most magazine publishers prefer their titles to be displayed on the flat stack- the flat shelf at the base of the magazine display. It is the only place, in traditional magazine fixturing, where the whole front cover is on display. Publishers prefer this because they think this is where customers look. Newsagents regularly receive bulletins from publishers and magazine distributors asking for this location.
Some publishers even go as far as asking merchandisers to move their magazines to the flat when in-store. This creates tension in some retail situations – it is the retailer’s shop after-all. (Merchandisers should not move stock without permission from the newsagent.)
My observations are that the majority of customers navigate to an area of a shop by what they see at or close to eye-level. Once they are in the area they want, around 70% browse by what is in the fixture and 30% browse by the flat stack.
While this will vary from newsagency to newsagency, I think it is a mistake for p[ublishers to primarily focus on the flat stack when guiding newsagents as to product placement.
I know of a newsagent in the city (Adelaide) who won’t use flat stacks. Woolworths et al make eye level space pay only.
I always thought flat stacking was only about high volume mags, not prominence.
Mark, ever browse your own shop and try looking at the flat stacks only, sore neck indeed…
Eye-level sales are (on average) 84% better than floor-level sales.
The waterfall arrangement (i.e. vertically merchandised runs that you find in a typical, well-run agency is ideal as a customer scans from left to right in a slight ‘wavey’ pattern until they find the item of interest. THEN they will scan vertically to find the assortment item.
For what its worth, I request a flat stack from merchandisers as the image is the most important thing in travel – images sell holidays and therefore travel magazines is the thinking.
I think waterfalls are not as powerful for my category – however please tell me I am wrong if your own data tells you different.
Q
Quentin, The challenges are scarcity of flat compared to teried space as well as the resources available when titles are put out.
In your category, many newsagencies would have one or two waterfalls. This means juts one or two flat stack spots.
One promotion recently which may interest you was a $50 account starter with NAB which was in Money magazine. Newsagents who pitched this in association with local NAB branches sold well.
Maybe a joint promotion with travel agents could work.