I am using the MPA magazine performance report in our newsagency software to compare key directly competitive magazine titles to uncover growth opportunities.
The first pairing I have looked at, comparing year on year sales on a moving annual total basis is OK! and Who. Our OK! sales are down 26% while Who sales are up 10%. The titles are treated almost the same. The only difference is that OK! has a second location in the Bauer basket building stand on the shop floor.
The difference is greater than I expected. Who has sold 77% more units in the 12 months to now compared to OK!.
Real data like this comparing titled targeting the same shopper can help us be certain of the more valuable title for our business and to know which title presents the easier sales growth opportunity.
Sales data is a vital metric and I encourage newsagents to look at this as I have, comparing like for like titles.