Greeting Cards

We are loving these personalised Christmas cards because customers are loving them. They show off local wonderfully in the design and that they are made locally to us.

It’s small touches like this that can enhance your local connection and encourage local support. We have found a range of suppliers through which we can do this, including this wonderful local card supplier. We continue to seek out more.

These cards are also helping us drive basket depth at the counter as they are an easy impulse purchase.

The release of the Bluey coin products through Australia Post has provided an excellent opportunity to pitch all things Bluey in the newsagency from the magazine to the toys to the plush to the latest release of Bluey licenced cards from Henderson Greetings.

We have had the Bluey cards since they were first released a few years ago. They have been a hit commercially and creatively. It’s good to see the licence renewed for Henderson as they have served it well with their Aussie made products.

While the magazine, toys and plush are cool, it’s the cards that have the broader appeal given those shopping for cards. We have found counter placement to be terrific for boosting impulse purchases. It’s an easy win.

Bluey is an easy win. Currently, there are 1.4 million Bluey related searches in Australia. If you have an online shop with Bluey products available, leveraging searches for the keyword ought be a priority. You can do this through thoughtful product names and descriptions as well as supporting blog posts. This type of marketing costs in time only. It is easy to engage with.

I’d note that leveraging the Bluey keyword is challenging because so many others are trying this too. You have to be smart and you have to have a range of content. One blog post, for example, is not enough. Publish several on different Bluey topics. Have as much product as possible too. This raises your profile with the search engines.

If you are not an Australia Post LPO and have not had access to the coins, there are other Bluey products you can access to make the most of this mega-licence. My advice to newsagents is to embrace the Bluey opportunity, even if you think you do not currently serve that customer. This is a licence that surprises with its broad appeal.

If you do have the Bluey cards, toys, plush and magazine, my advice today is to place it all together, in the window or somewhere else people will see it. Ride the coattails of the coin release for an easy sales boost.

It makes sense when you think about it. Unemployment is up, more people are either out of work or not getting the hours they want. These people and those close to them are more likely to preference Australian made is they have a choice.

Buying Australian made is a choice plenty of Aussies lean into. This is more true I think in economic conditions in which we find ourselves at the moment.

In the greeting card space it is easy for us to pitch Australian made in newsagencies. All we have to do is to turn the card over and point to printed in Australia, which you will see on cards from several Australian card companies. That these businesses are also Australian owned is a bonus. That their cards perform well, driving good year on year results, extends the bonus.

If you stock Australian made cards, pitch that on social media and in-store. Be grateful and proud to support Australian made. This is a good shop local pitch without sprouting the cliche chop local lines. A photo is a good social media pitch, each too.

When people talk about unemployment or the economy we can join in the conversation, or we can show through our actions that we are doing what we can to support Australian jobs and the Australian economy. Greeting cards are an excellent place in our businesses for doing this.

I think it is better for us to show through our actions and for me the easiest and best step we can take is to preference Australian made products. It’s an easy step we can take, too, with a guaranteed win based on the data I see from hundreds of newsagencies.

If you have Australian made cards, be sure your staff know how to pitch Australian made, talk about it on social media, talk about your commitment to Australian made in the context of helping address unemployment, show them at the counter, use shelf-talkers in-store and be proud.

card companies with non Australian made cards may pitch deals to buy your business. While it’s up to you, I am of the firm view that Australian made is a big selling benefit here right now, and we have hundreds and hundreds of wonderful Australian made cards we can stock.

The local Aussie newsagency should, in my view, be the best place in town pitching Australian made.

Looking at card sales year to date, their average for 2024 verses 2023 is 2% growth. That average does not tell the real story though.

I’ve seen data for newsagencies achieving 20% year on year growth in 2024 over 2023. Those achieving this are working on their card department, usually with two card companies in place and on the back or a store level data-driven pocket / caption review.

I have also seen data for plenty of newsagents lies reporting a decline of 10% and more. One was as high as 30%. Typically, the stores experiencing decline have these attributes:

• One card company dominating supply.
• Orders are done by the card company without store level consultation.
• The card company has provided cash or fixtures for the business to lock them in.
• new cards are put out by a merchandiser and not staff in the store or the business owner.
• There is no card shopper loyalty program.
• Cards are only pitched in the card department.

Our channel has the best range of card captions in Australia. It’s a foundation category for each newsagency and needs to be managed as such.

If your card sales this year so far are not up more than 2% on last year, you need to take action. If they are in decline, you need to take urgent action.

I see terrific upside for card sales in our channel if we manage the category ourselves and engaged with it daily in our shops.

Makes sense.

We have  good results for February in our bigger high street newsagency in Melbourne. It did almost $13,000 in card sales, up 6%. This is good growth in what or proving to be a first quarter of low card sales growth, around 2%.

We also did $1,000 in sales from the cards we direct-imported from the US and UK that we pitch away from our traditional card department and to a younger demographic.

The growth is spread across everyday as well as lifestyle. Valentine’s Day was also good.

Cards remain a vital category for our businesses given the margin and that card shoppers are loyal.

In my experience, the card department delivers good rewards for in-store investment by the business. We work the category on social media as well as in-store with co-location promotion in the window and at the counter as well as the more traditional location.

On February comparison, be sure to look at February 1 through 28, don’t use the extra day as that may provide a rosier picture that is unhelpful for month on month analysis.

It’s terrific seeing Gen Z and Millennials buying Christmas cards. Their preference from what I’ve seen is humour and relevance to what interests them.

Outside of the regular card department we have around 60 Christmas cards and ornaments selected to appeal to them. We have them situated so they can be easily seen from outside the shop, on the street – we do this to attract them inside.

While not for everyone’s taste, it’s important we play outside tradition if we want to reach more shoppers and, after all, we are not our own customers.

Here are some of the cards from this range.

We started playing in this space two years ago and it’s grown since, without any negative imp[act on traditional card sales. We play in this space all year round now and it’s delivered more than $15,000 in additional card revenue this year.

What should I write on a Christmas card?

What words should I write on a Christmas card?

What’s good to say on a Christmas card?

How should I write on a Christmas card?

What’s the best thing to write on a Christmas card?

These questions and similar are being asked hundreds of times every day on search engines in Australia at the moment. People what to know what to write on Christmas card, how to, and more.

This is an opportunity for local newsagents to provide this advice on social media. be the expert, the helper, the guide. Help them find their way to express themselves on Christmas cards.

Before getting into what to write on a Christmas card, remember that any card you give is for now, and for years into the future. Take your time.

What you write needs to reflect you, how you feel, how you want to be remembered.

The best way to figure out what to write is to take a piece of paper and start writing. This way you can figure it out through trial on paper and not on the card.

But, if you really are stuck, try these suggestions offering varying degrees of expressing feelings:

I never tell you enough how much you do mean to me.

Christmas is brighter thanks to you.

Knowing you is a wonderful Christmas gift.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

Thanks for everything you do for me.

I wish I was there to hug you in person.

Cheers.

You’re a good mate and I appreciate you for that.

If none of those give you ideas on what to write, you could go very basic and write to [their name] and at the bottom, from [your name]. But do you really want to be remembers for that?

Sometimes a Christmas card is a good way to share a memory. It shows you thinking of them, that you have fond memories.

Sending a Christas card is not an obligation. It’s an honour to be able to give them something they can cherish for years, something to ignite warmth in their heart years down the track. So, take your time, reflect what you think and feel. It’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s important, though, to be yourself.

What’s a good thing to write on a Christmas card? Write a greeting appropriate between you and the person for whom you are writing the card.

The best place to buy Christmas cards this year is your local newsagency, and here’s why…

• Newsagents have the best range of cards, often from different card companies. if you want a card for a specific caption like aunt, uncle, neighbour, teacher and more, your local newsagency is more likely to have these than any other retailer. In the everyday Christmas card range, your local newsagent is more likely to have more designs from which to choose.
• Newsagents are more likely to stock Aussie designed and made Christmas cards.
• Newsagents are more likely to have more types of cards such as money and gift card wallets, boxed cards and single cards.
• Cards in newsagencies are easier to shop. Take your time, browse at your leisure.
• Newsagents are more likely to have better quality cards, you’ll love how they feel in your hands, how they are finished. You can be proud to give these cards.
• Newsagency staff are more likely to help when you want. Just ask.
• You are more likely to save money on cards at your local newsagency as many run genuine value loyalty programs.

So, where is the best place to buy Christmas cards this year? Start at our local newsagent. And be sure to shop early, so you have the choice of more products, more designs.

Your local Aussie newsagency is likely to be locally owned and run. It’s where plenty of locals have got their first job over the years. It’s a shop that often supports local community groups and clubs.

Your local Aussie newsagency is a shop that helps locals connect with locals.

And how do your find your local newsagency? Do a Google search for newsagency near me and the map will present you plenty of options.

Remember, the Christmas cards you give are not for this year alone. Many people will keep them and look back on them over the years, remembering this Christmas, remembering you. Cards are like that, a sweet memory trigger, heartwarming, comforting. Choose your cards for today and for these memories into the future.

Where is the best place to buy Christmas cards this year? Your local Aussie newsagency. There are around 2,800 of us around the country, ready to serve you.

Engagement with Halloween has grown in Australia for sure over the years. we can see that on the streets, in sales of masks, costumes and home decor and in local events.

The one part that has not grown in Australia is greeting cards.

I am in the US at the moment and every card shop (large and small) has a big range of Halloween cards. All fun and spooky. Looking carefully at the ranges here, I am sure we are missing an opportunity in Australia.

Halloween is a good party season. It’s family friendly, and something we can lean into beyond greeting card sales.

It’s also a good season to push us into Christmas.

I’d love to see Aussie card companies play in this space.

For years now I have tracked early boxed Christmas card sales and followed through Christmas season sales and see in data over years a clear indicator for Christmas in early boxed Christmas card sales.

This year, I am seeing boxed Christmas card sales up on last year.

To me, this suggests a strong Christmas in our space.

We’re not doing anything out of the ordinary to pitch boxed Christmas cards. They are out on the shop floor, front of store, and online. No discounting. No deals.

The average early in the season boxed card shopper buys three packs. They often purchase other things at the same time. They are a good customer. Half the time a regular and half the time not.

Charity range is key to sales I have found. Indeed, it’s something customers comment on.

We’ve had boxed Christmas cards out for just over a month,. It’s been well worth it and have already received our first top-up order in a couple of locations.

I love this video created by a very creative colleague who runs one of my shops. TikTok is a terrific platform for reaching a valuable cohort of shoppers.

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.

I first heard that For Arts Sake was closing last week. I put it down to rumour. A couple of days later I was told staff were locked out of their head office. I reached out to the CEO but did not receive a response.

It does seem like the business is in a challenging situation.

I am sure other card companies are reaching out, seeking opportunities.

I feel for those who worked at the company and for small businesses who may be out of pocket if it comes to that.

If the reports turn out to not be true or if a positive resolution is found – great news for those who do rely on the company.

…

For what it’s worth, what I want from a card company is:

• Cards that sell.
• Cards I am proud to showcase.
• Regular range refresh.
• Opportunities to reach new shoppers.
• Aussie made.
• On time delivery.
• Good communication.
• Differentiation compared to big retailers.

…

I think the Aussie card market is undergoing change. There is growth in engagement in some co-horts and this is uncovering people buying cards not traditionally offered by the biggest suppliers in Australia.

There is less price pressure, which I like because the $1 and $2 cards look and feel awful.

Shoppers are responding to smart promotion of the category.

Newsagents can shine as specialty retailers compared to supermarkets, convenience stores and Australia Post corporate stores, which tend to mediocre in their engagement with the category in my view.

From the February 1956 issue of Boys’ Life magazine:

I saw this from Andy Meehan posting at the Greeting Card, Stationery & Gift Industry Gurus forum on LinkedIn.

For decades, major card companies in Australia won new business by offering a rebate on purchases, and we all loved it.

Newsagents would change card companies because of a bigger rebate offer. Oh, that and ‘interest free’ loans we could draw based on anticipated rebates.

What many of us soon realised is that the rebate is worthless unless you sell the cards as it is only when you sell something that you bought at a discount off wholesale, which is, after all, what a rebate from a card company is, that you bank the rebate value.

Switching to a new card company because of rebate could be a mistake unless their cards sell as well as or better than what you have today.

The main reason to switch card companies in my view is to sell more cards.

It’s only when you sell cards that you make money.

Already in 2023 we have seen enough trading to consider 12% year on year growth in card sales as a reasonable benchmark against which to compare your newsagency business.

If a card company’s main pitch is the quantum of the rebate, my advice is question why they pitch this ahead of the actual products.

What you want, and need, is cards that drive new traffic and more purchases in each visit, you want product that perform above average. This is about card company choice and about how your in-store range is managed – two quite different things.

Cards are the best margin products in our businesses. They deserve our active management attention.

My advice is check your year to date performance against 2022. Are you up 12%? If not, think about what you might do about that, and consider it in the context of any rebate pitch put to you.

This has been on my mind because of conversations with some newsagents recently where rebate was the topic.

One stuck out – they said they would not switch unless a card company matched their current rebate. Their card sales are down 9% year on year. That decline is twice the overall business decline, meaning there is a problem with card range. They refused to look at any other supplier, thereby =not considering that range might be the issue.

I see any rebate as a pot I can draw from to help drive card sales, and I do that to fund a loyalty program, and more. each month I am seeing terrific results, like for April.

Yes, that’s 19% growth in 2023 over 2022. If I compare back to 2019, cards in this business are more than 50% up.

I know that if I get the card story right in-store and in socials pitches not only does that department benefit but the whole shop benefits because of card shopper dwell time. And, all that flows to margin dollars banked, which are far more value than the promise of a rebate in the hope of selling something.

This post is not about any specific card company. I am not suggesting you switch to any specific card company. My advice is that you make your business decisions on what you bank, and that spends solely on sales.

Looking at the Mother’s Day cards we have in the newsagency, I am reminded that our channel really does have the best range, not only for seasons but for all year round. And, by range, I really mean caption depth.

Looking at Mothers’s Day, sure, there is the one card for mum you want to buy. But, then, there are cards for grand[parents, friends, colleagues and more. The more card giving opportunities we represent, the more shoppers we can reach.

I think this is an opportunity for us, to pitch depth of captions to reflect on depth of range. It’s our point of difference.

Looking at what I have in a couple of my shops this morning’s these cards are an indicator of some of the depth of card range ion a newsagency that I am talking about.

Of course, I could have included the Nan, Nanny, Nanna, Granny, Gran and Grandma cards to show range depth too.

Mother’s Day is a perfect season to show our point of difference in the greeting card space.

Easter is one of those times of the year when we think of friends and family. We gather for means and celebration and when we can’t we often send a message.

An Easter card is a perfect way to let someone know you are thinking of them this time of the year. There are religious options, and non religious options. So many options for providing a memory they will be able to look back on over the years.

Cards are like that. They offer memories. No batteries required.

Most people keep the cards they receive. That’s why we say they are memories for years.

Easter cards can be tricky for some people who are unsure what to write. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Share a favourite memory or an inside joke between the two of you. Make it personal.
• Express your appreciation for their presence in your life. Tell them why they matter to you.
• Share a thoughtful message of hope and renewal. This is more connected with the tradition of the season.
• Use quotes that resonate with you or the recipient.
• Wish them a happy Easter and a joyful Autumn season.

A handwritten note goes a long way in showing your sincerity and thoughtfulness. What they feel when they receive the card will last long after they first open it.

Now, thinking about where to buy your Easter cards, newsagents do have the best range of easter cards in Australia. They have fun cards, cards for kids, cards for family members, cards for those you love. There are religious cards, spiritual cards, comforting cards, cards that are money wallets for cash gifts. So many different cards in your local newsagency.

The range of Easter cards in your local newsagency will be bigger and, often, easier to shop than elsewhere. You can trust that the cards are good quality too, not on thin stock with a cheap print job. The Easter card, after all, says plenty about the giver.

So, yeah, when you are shopping for Easter cards this year, shop at your local newsagency and see for yourself the difference in their range of Easter cards.