We need to grow the card shopper pool in Australia if we are to grow card sales in our newsagencies

Australians don’t buy as many greeting cards per capita as in the US or UK. I think our poor performance in per-capital greeting card purchases is, in part, due to the poor engagement of card suppliers and card retailers in nurturing the value of giving cards.

Currently, we offer cards to destination shoppers. It is only rare in retail that there is any consistent and considered effort to guide people to purchase cards on impulse, and to guide people to make their first-ever card purchase.

We have to grow the pool of card givers if greeting cards are to be usefully viable in retail in Australia.

So, how do we do that? I have some suggestions:

• Co-locate cards outside of your usual card department: in the window, at the counter, next to a high traffic dwell area in-store, among gifts. Count what you place so you can easily check if that co-location worked.
• Offer to write on cards: from the words to write to the handwriting itself, this offer from you could eliminate two barriers to people giving cards.
• Show what card memories are worth: connect with some customers who have cards going back many years,. Ask them for a photo with their collection. tell their story and do so with joy. Ensure your words capture the heart warming feeling the card collection has for those who have collected them. People need to see and understand the value of giving a card beyond the few seconds of handing it over and the recipient reading it.
• Talk about cards you love and why you love them on social media: Especially if you are a bloke. Make cards feel accessible. Give something of yourself in the posts. Show, don’t tell. And, do it in a way that people can connect with, and be encouraged by. This is especially useful it you are talking about cards outside the traditional.
• Offer first-timer training: host an event for a first time card buyer. Throw on some drinks and food. Offer support for them in making their first purchase. Have some fun. Be sure to actively pitch this at first time card shoppers.
• Hey check out this new card we just got in. Choose the right card, one you love, one that is truly different, one that pits a pitch you like (maybe locally made, and fun). Think carefully about the card and then, try the pitch for a day at the counter: Hey check out this new card we just got in. Hold up the card. Don’t say it to everyone as you don’t want customers hearing it and thin king it’s a script. Count the times you say it, and track the engagement., If it works, do more of it, with other cards. if it does not work, maybe re-calibrate the pitch, the card, or both and try again.

These 6 ideas are a sample of the ideas I have in this kit. They are all about trying to grow your local pool of card customers. All it takes is for someone giving their first card to see joy and delight on the face of the recipient. If they see that, they are likely to buy more cards, and hopefully do this from you.

Having your entire greeting card pitch in the newsagency in the card department is a missed opportunity in my view.

Expecting your card department and your card suppliers to take card of marketing for you is a mistake in my view.

Growing the pool of people who will purchase cards is critical.

Helping people purchase a card when their destination was another category in-store is critical.

Guiding card shoppers to purchase more cards each visit is critical.

Bringing card shoppers back more often for card purchases is critical.

For too long the Aussie newsagent channel has done well with card sales despite itself. It is time we invested in growing the card shopper pool and nurtured their efficiency for us. It’s on us to do this. We are the card retail specialists after all.