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Fun

Omega Mart by Meow Wolf – an immersive and confrontative retail-inspired art installation

I am grateful to have been able to visit Omega mart by Meow Wolf at Area 15 in Las Vegas recently. This retail-inspired immersive art installation gets you from the moment you enter the shop.

It sells the most ridiculous of products.

Omega Mart challenges the senses, especially when you step trough the retail displays into the behind the scenes of the ‘shop’.

As a retailer I found it fascinating looking at the perspective of retail the artists brought to life in this. It was a very different cultural experience, one I enjoyed immensly, and one I have reflected on plenty of times since as I have contemplated retail of the future.

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Fun

National donut day

Today is national donut day and, yes, it’s a day created solely for commercial purposes, like some other days from which our channel benefits.

Anyway, we celebrated early at the office yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These locally made donuts were a delicious treat, a reminder that having fun is good, and tasty.

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Fun

Customers say the funniest things …

newsXpress stores were offered access to two limited mintage coins celebrating the Queen’s 95th birthday. The available allocation was taken up quickly. Then, a few days ago, the coin was withdrawn. It never left the mint, not only for newsXpress but for all retailers. We don’t know why. But, we had to communicate its unavailability to retail customers, coin collector customers.

Here is a terrific story from one newsXpress member and their interaction with a customer …

Was talking to one of our regular coin collectors today when the subject of the Queen’s coin recall came up. Innocently I said ”I wonder why”. Well, you hear it hear first folks – ”It’s because the Queen has been dead for 10 months!” AND he also informed me that Prince Philip has been dead for 5 months (that one I couldn’t dispute because he looked like death warmed up for quite some time). But it all has to do with the economy you see. I did not hear much more of what he said because all I could think of was ‘A Weekend at Bernie’s’. You’ve gotta love retail 😂

I agree, you’ve gotta love retail!

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Fun

The easy counter impulse line – Racing Babies

Racing Babies is a simple product, fun and almost disposable … a perfect impulse line at the counter. Purchased easily by people of all ages, this is an example of an easy, fad-like, product with which to drive basket value.

Racing Babies has worked for us this Christmas – yet another non-traditional product line working in a newsagency.

These counter lines change every few weeks. Get in, sell through, replace with something fresh.

Here’s a video from the maker, which has helped attract shoppers for the product.

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Fun

How does it feel to be open again?

On one day last week we counted How does it feel to be open again? asked of us more than. 50 times. Some who asked had been in plenty of time through lockdown, reminding us that retail sales counter conversation is often by rote and not expecting actual engagement.

The masks helped hide our responses.

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Fun

Buskers

I love this clip that I saw on Twitter. It’s a reminder of how good buskers can engage. In a high street situation, good buskers out the front of the shop are awesome. Now to  find buskers like these two…

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Fun

Fun content matters on social media

Sometimes, the best social media posts are those that are just because. You know what I mean, a fun image just because it is fun or a cute video you share just because it is cute. Posts do not need to have any commercial focus or intent, and often commercial benefits can flow.

This video is a good example of just because social media content.

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Fun

AFL Grand Final lunch

We’re celebrating in the office today ahead of the public holiday in Victoria tomorrow for the Grand Final parade.

You’ve got to love a state with a public holiday for a horse race and a foot game parade.

Anyway, we have cake and that’s a good thing.

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Fun

Newsagents feature in Take 5, on sale now.

While I’m not sure about the headline, it is terrific to see newsagents feature in the latest issue of Take 5 magazine. This is an issue to promote on social media as it humanises newsagents, makes us human and fun, if not wild! All good stuff!

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Fun

Managing challenging customers, and selling products

I have noticed more retailers using humorous signs at the counter to encourage less stressful encounters terms with customers. In some cases they are signs specifically for that purpose whole in others they are signs that are actually sold in the store. Here is one example I saw in a card and gift shop earlier this week.

I like this sign. It’s sharp but fun. It is part of a larger range that has been popular in the US for a couple of years now.

I saw first-hand that this sign work as a talking point with customers, which can lead to them looking at other signs in the range.

The key with using any signs like this, which are part of a range in-store, at the counter is to keep the counter clean of other distractions. This means no other signs. Plus, you need a quick response to any customer comment or query, to maximise the opportunity. The other thing I would do is change the signs regularly, thereby not focussing on one like this the could offend customers.

How we win some customers today is different to a few years ago. Just as what can constitute a gift today is different to a few years ago. Winning at both requires in playing outside what has been usual in our businesses.

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