Is Father’s Day the same-old in your newsagency this year?

What have you offered for Father’s Day 2016 in your newsagency?  Is your gift offer the usual mix of mugs, stubby holders, fishing rod BBQ lighters, frames, drink coasters, coffee table books, pens, man cave signs, retro signs for the garage, lottery ticket packs, golf related gifts and / or dad joke books?

It is through these annual seasons that attract extra shoppers to our businesses that we should seize the opportunity to reposition our businesses.

By reposition I mean we should not carry the traditional items for these seasons.

Our major season offer should be completely fresh and focus on new stock, items we did not carry for this season last year. We should change the range, change the message and change our focus. Our businesses need to look different.

You want people saying aren’t you a newsagency any more? I quietly cheer when I hear this.

So, today, the last major retail day for Father’s Day 2016, take a photo of your display, take note of what you have offered and commit to not doing the same thing next year …unless, of course, your sales are up this year on last year and you did offer the traditional Father’s Day gifts mentioned above.

We have to break the pattern for these major seasons for the sake of our future for if we keep doing the same thing year in year out we will lose shoppers who have moved on.

You don’t want to be known as the old school newsagent, there is no future in that.

Independent gift shops face the same challenge, the need to chase change, to redefine the appeal of their business during major seasons by pitching items they do not usually offer at that time.

It is hard work, redefining the approach of a season from scratch when you may have done the same thing with the same suppliers for many years.

The thing is – if you don’t do the hard work your seasonal sales will fall and your year round sales will fall and this is not good for the business or you.

So, I urge you to look at your Father’s Day 2016 and be prepared to put that approach behind you in pursuit of a completely fresh offer for next year.

Gifts are not what they used to be.