With more newsagencies operating as retail-only businesses, newspaper publishers need to review how they handle distribution of giveaways designed to drive sales. Some distribution newsagents refuse to provide retail-only newsagents with suffiicient stock while others provide plenty.
By sufficient stock, I mean enough of the gifts for their own newspapers as well as for supermarket customers who will visit the newsagency and ask for the giveaway.
I have seen a situation where the distribution newsagent operates in competition to the retail-only newsagent and restricts supply of the gifts in a way which stops the retail-only newsagent providing the level of customer service the newspaper publisher would want to see. Such restriction defeats the purpose of the gifts.
We see this far too often now. Giveaways are to build sales, limiting the giveaways to the distribution agencies only is a bit like doing a letterbox drop to all in the suburb less that lady at No 27 because we don’t like her!
Hi Mark,
Have you considered that it not always the distribution agent at fault (although I have no doubt in many cases that it is).
The amount I keep for myself is less than I need to service my own customers, yet I have 3 lookalikes where many of my home delivery customers go to collect their giveaways. They also receive less than they require.
On top of that I have approx. 50 more subagents, who depending on the promotion and the size of the subagent might get none.
A choice has to made over how many to give everyone, at the end of the day whatever allocation model I choose someone won’t be happy.
Unless we receive 1 giveaway per paper, it is a difficult process to manage, especially for a promotion which you know up front will be a dud (eg yesterday’s Postcards with the Sun).
As we are the authorised newsagency, we are the one’s who are always blamed.
Dean,
I accept that it is not always the distribution newsagent at fault.
A situation on my mind is one where the distribution newsagent kept more supplies than necessary for their business and provided the bigger newsagency (a sub agent for newspapers) with too little. The result was poor customer service and a backlash against the offer.
Has anyone read the Rob Lake article re newsagents future entitled “Agents of their own Destiny”
Spectator news quoting I believe Crikey on Branding and how newsagents live in the past?
Reference to the article is Business Spectator. Sorry left the word Business out.
A couple of links to articles of interest
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Agents-of-their-own-destiny-pd20090831-VFB8H?OpenDocument&src=is&is=Retail&blog=Brandish
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/The-newsagents-new-model-pd20090804-UKVYM?OpenDocument
The group mentioned in the Business Speectator articles is zombie of the VANA Futures project which VANA ditched.
Thanks Mark,
That’s exactly how the article reads, outdated misinformed and incredibly inaccurate.
Indeed. The articles read like press releases.
Why is VANA worrying about this.
They can’t even get their core offer right.
When you call, they don’t bother to return your call. Makes me wonder why I bother to pay my membership fees.
I have a better chance of getting the answer I need off this blog than from VANA.