Earlier this week I invited newsagents to provide two years of sales data, for a thorough newsagency sales benchmark study. I am please to say I have already received data from forty-five businesses. I am hoping to reach 150.
Here is the text of the email calling for submissions:
FY2018/19 NEWSAGENCY SALES BENCHMARK STUDY.
I invite you to provide data for a whole of financial year newsagency sales performance benchmark study. The benchmark provides data against which you can compare your business performance. Click here for my last report.How to participate.
- Please run a Monthly Sales Comparison Report for 01/07/2018 – 30/06/2019 compared to 01/07/2017 – 30/06/2018.
- Tick the category box. IMPORTANT.
- Tick to exclude home delivery and sub agent data.
- DO NOT tick the supplier box.
- Preview the report on the screen. Save as a PDF and email this to me at mark@towersystems.com.au.
- Read the report yourself and see what it shows you about your business.
I will email the results to all participating newsagents and publish the results on theAustralian Newsagency Blog as a service for all newsagents.
I am doing a whole of financial year study as this provides a more useful look at performance and trends than quarterly.
My work with this channel goes back to 1981 when I wrote newsagency software to manage newspaper home deliveries. That software evolved into Point of Sale software and has been rewritten as software technology has changed.
I own and run three newsagencies. Over the years I have had three others. I own newsXpress, the newsagency marketing group.
Tower Systems serves 1,750+ newsagents with best practice newsagency software, We are thrilled to note that our customer base is growing. We welcomed 37 newsagency businesses as new customers in the last twelve months. Overall, Tower Systems serves in excess of 3,500 small business retailers.
Mark,
I disagree that year on year will be more useful in understanding trends. The world is moving very quickly and trends can emerge and die over very short periods.
Whilst year on year might provide some understanding for how sectors performed historically. Understanding trends needs very recent data which is why analysts and governments focus on the last month.
For me your benchmarking over 3 months was valuable as it had relevance to my own recent performance. Year on year is nice to know, but more in a historical context.
My comments are not meant as a criticism. We are all greatly you perform this service which must be quite time consuming for you.
Colin I am continuing the quarterly. With the last one there are some data points that concern me. This year on year will provide some perspective. The next quarterly data call will be at the end of September.
And the results were ?