newsXpress stores across Australia this weekend are running a nationally co-ordinated and promoted sale that is gaining terrific attention. This is the second such promotion in the last month that leverages the national footprint of 230 stores and an online and social media presence reaching deep into the community.
What is interesting is that technology has been the key to link the businesses together, to get them to act as on with a common purpose and single national message around a single national offer.
What is even better is that the promotion is for a product category that newsagents are not known for, a product category attracting more males than females and an age group appeal of between 18 and 34, a highly sought after group for the newsagency channel where at least 60% of shoppers are female and 70% of shoppers are 35+.
While you could see this post as marketing for newsXpress, my objective in writing about this is to share an example of how a group of newsagents can work together on a national campaign with a single national purpose. As all the stores in the group share common suppliers, common pricing and websites that connect them, making such a pitch is easier.
The campaign is different to the old-school mid year sale, Christmas sale and back to school sale our channel has been known for. Personally, I think those sales serve little purpose today because they are in crowded marketplaces with big business competitors who attract far more attention.
To me, the best sales are when others are not running sales and where you can structure the sale to maximise the GP opportunity as well as the margin dollars result. That has been the focus of the latest two campaigns.
The latest campaign kicked off with a tease on Facebook, on several different Facebook pages, on Wednesday this week. That tease post reached 50,000 people in a few hours. In-store, the result was people calling asking about sale items. Over Thursday and Friday I heard from retailers saying they have seen new customers as a result of the promotion.
While magazines, newspapers, stationery and cards remain important categories, it is new categories through which we can attract new shoppers – as long as we work together in such a way as to leverage the national footprint.
Tell that to the defunct useless ANF
who cannot get their act together for anyone
p.s. Have a look at their web site then try and find Victoria Tel Number for VANA OR better still try and find their number to ring.
We were sold out bad..
David the associations serve no place in today’s landscape in which newsagents exist. The fees are better invested in the business in the form of new stock or marketing. There is good news out there of finding new traffic and achieving a higher than average GP. yes, good news.
Some in associations will roll their eyes and say here goes again complaining about us. The only question newsagents should have about their association membership is – what can you show for it in your business? $800 a year should result in revenue of at least $3,000. If you are not getting a reasonable return, quit the old boys club and invest the money in your business.
@david – VANA have their phone, fax, email and postal address on the bottom of every page I just checked on their website. Including the homepage.
I’m probably still classified as a new comer (11 years in the industry) but this latest initiative by newsXpress has me very excited about where we can take our businesses. Old school sales are dead……Gerry has one every weekend…….! To be able to be part of “out of the square” thinking is very refreshing. Without me sounding like an ad for newsXpress either…….it has been my best business decision ever to be part of a proactive forward thinking group.
Mark
VANA is a progressive organisation and my fees are more than covered by the income generated.They should run the National association.
My Post was about the ANF and the insipid way they pretend to look after Newsagents. I have been in the Industry 27 years and the ANF have never been a coherent body. They are a waste of a Retailers space…