Author: Mark Fletcher

If size is a measure of health then I wonder about the future of computer magazines. What we have on our shelves today is Australian titles which are half the size they used to be two years ago.

The size of the magazines means they need less space and this is leading to a reduction in space allocation – our second time in a year.

The content content of computer magazines is changing too, morphing into a broader focus than their roots – in an effort to find new readers I guess.

It gives me no pleasure to say that I preduct we will see some closures in the computer magazine segment this year. Their traditional consumers are accessing more current information online.

We received more copies of the Australian Country Collections 2008 Diary today.  While I am pleased that they have delayed billing and have provided 33% commission instead of the usual 25%, it’s not enough.  For us to move these diaries we need to be offering at least 25% off.  The publisher ought to have provided this stock to newsagents at between 60% and 75% off.  This is what more mainstream publishers are offering for 2008 diaries now.  This scale out, without request by the newsagent, is an abuse of our retail network.  It is a good example of an unfair magazine supply model.

I had a customer ask which was the current issue if Pick Me Up – she was buying it for an ill neighbour.  It is frustrating having local and imported magazines with the same title and design – oh, an such a big difference in price.  No wonder customers get confused.  I’d prefer to be able to show the difference easily – maybe a sticker – local edition – at least something to help customers.

With Heath Ledger stories dominating the weekly magazines, we have created a display at the front of the newsagency:

Short on time last week and with or usual main counter magazine display stand in use elsewhere in the newsagency, we took the lazy approach and moved an old mini ACP Cookbooks stand to the spot next to the counter.

That was six days ago. A check of sales data today shows that the lazy move was good for the cookbooks.  Of course it was!  Location, location, location.

Yes, sales are up.  On Friday and Saturday I saw the stand work first-hand.  On each day, a customer came to the counter with greeting cards and while being served, reached across and bought a mini cookbook.  The sales kick we have achieved by moving the stand is greater than if we had done a pretty aisle end display.

Even though the stand is an ancient relic and is usually banished to the back of the shop, in the right place it works.  I’d say this is primarily because customers can see the full cover of each book.  Sure having the product in front of people is important as well.

Our commitment is to change our various counter upsell offers every week. This space next to the main register is proving to be very successful for magazines – clearly no matter how old or ugly the stand itself.  So, we’ll keep at it, moving magazines around, creating subject related featured which underscore our depth of range.

Hmmm, Energy Saving for Dummies and Water Saving for Dummies.  Do we really need these titles?  Here in Ausytralia the Federal, State and Local Goverbnments have provided considerable information on both subjects.  The energy companies, too, have provided considerable information.  Plus there are websites and other communication outlets connected to environmental groups and other community groups.  So, I wonder about the value of these $9.95 books, the production of which would have consumed considerable energy.  I think I’d prefer these titles not be distributed here.

We are playing into traditional society pressures by placing pregnancy magazine titles next to our wedding magazine titles.  Not that it matters but I was curious about what our customers thought.  I conducted a straw poll over a couple of days and asked four under 25 customers and four over 40 customers.  All the under 25s and one over 40 said it would be better if they were separated and thee over 40s thought they went well together.  Hardly earth shattering.  In a couple of instances my question led to a chat about other magazines and from that came valuable insight.  It’s always worthwhile talking with customers in the body of the shop.

Back to the pregnant wedding placement, we are going to think about how we can dilute the visual statement that one leads to the other.

On hearing the news of the closure of the Bulletin yesterday, Ben Kay managing our newsagency at Forest Hill and Simon Frost managing our newsagency at Frankston independently of each other whipped up signs promoting the last issue of the Bulletin.  They sold out.  Fantastic initiative.

We have tapped into the respectful approach Who has taken to Heath Ledger’s death and displayed the product at the front of the shop – but without the visual noise we would bring to such a display.

This issue of Who is a wonderful tribute, a keepsake for any Heath Ledger fan.  I am sure it will be a huge success.

I was wrong in my expectation that another weekly would come out early and publish today.

The Bulletin, the magazine for which Australia’s first newsagencies were created in the 1800s and Australians longest running magazine, is closing.  The current issue is the last according to the ACP Magazines’ announcement.  Given the link to the reason for which we were created, this is a sad day for newsagents.  Sure, the Bulletin was not a shadow of its former self.  It’s closure must give us pause to contemplate our own longevity as a channel – not in a doom and gloom sense but thinking about the future and the opportunities before those of us with the guts to seize them.