Magazine putaways are a point of difference for newsagents. While some have stopped the service, I still do as the value is clear. Likewise with customer special orders – where customers order from a catalogue and we keep these aside for them to collect.
The management process of customer special orders is almost the same as putaways.
The service can help you drive greater value from a supplier relationship and achieve a better return on inventory investment in that for most special orders you are paid in full or at least part in advance of the order being shipped to your business.
In any given week we have anything from 20 to 50 special orders coming in. Digging into the data for these we see that special order customers are loyalty to the business beyond what they have ordered. Indeed, like putaways customers, they more valuable than the average customer in the category.
I encourage newsagents to pitch the special order service, to use it as something through which you can grow sales without increasing floor space allocation or taking on further risk.
Special orders are another way newsagents can grow their businesses.
Mark, I was so pleased to read your post! Australian Family Tree Connections magazine promotes the newsagent Magazine Putaway Service on page 7 of every issue and we also take the time to describe it to callers who phone to ask where they can buy our magazine.
It is a wonderful service for us and I can see from your post how beneficial it is for newsagents.