The personalised Christmas ornaments released by newsXpress through its stores have been selling very well.
What is most interesting is that 90% of all the many names ordered are unusual names, names you would not see on any named product stands released by traditional name product suppliers.
Shoppers have been happy to pay up front and return to collect their personalised baubles once made.
This is incremental sticky business. I label it sticky because it causes a return visit and because it gets the shopper thinking about what other personalised items the store can source. This is a big question for people with family and friends with unusual names.
These baubles are an example of one way we can make our own success, literally. They are something the majors do not and will not do. The margin is excellent. The simple counter pitch is effective.
At the back end, the whole process is tech driven with no paperwork involved. A purpose built website is used by the engaged retailers. This also facilitates useful data analysis, to better inform other developments in this personalised space.
This personalised bauble initiative is part of a larger piece of work in this space being driven by newsXpress for its members, as part of an overall new traffic campaign.
very very original !! NOT !!
Mark you have online websites for a number of lines which are sold by Newsxpress stores like these, beanie boos and others. When someone purchases online from these sites do the member stores benefit in anyway or only the owners of Newsxpress?
Steve different sites operate in different ways. For the baubles, newsXpress members pay a wholesale price for the goods, so regular retail margin applies. For the Beanie Boo, Jigsaw, pop culture and other sites, newsXpress members get all the revenue except for a 3% handling fee to cover card processing and site management. Plus, the store has the fulfilment relationship with each customer, offering opportunity for future sales.
The tech beauty of the sites is that in a single transaction a shopper can purchase from as many shops as they want. This is one of the factors driving excellent sales as people shop by what they want, not where they purchase.
Selling to shoppers you will never see, shoppers often living in other states, is bonus revenue. That 97% of the sale price goes to the local newsXpress store is appreciated by many of the participating businesses.
The newsXpress web strategy continues to evolve. What has been achieved has been acclaimed technically. At the local business level it is loved as there is no additional capital expenditure required to tap into the revenue stream.