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newsagency marketing

It’s first communion season

This is a valuable, local and family-oriented season with which newsagents can easily and perfectly connect – without coming across as being too commercial. It’s a good fit for our channel.

Cards, gifts, crosses, photo frames and rosary beads are some of the items that work well.

Basket data analysis shows a typical basket of items can easily pass $50.00 in some communities.

On social media, this season is an opportunity to share respect for the traditions of the season while at the same time representing that your business can help families celebrate the occasion.

Newsagents in marketing groups should already have the right product and collateral for easy and branded marketing.

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newsagency marketing

Licenced product opportunities are valuable

Every year it is the same … licenced products perform well. Even movies that perform to average numbers at the bios office support products that sell well in retail. Then, there are the stand out licences, on which we can bank results, like Harry Potter.

Detective Pikachu looks good. The early indications are good due to the multi-faceted engagement with the licence – game, movie and the Switch.

We use licenced products in my stores to attract shoppers who would not usually think about us for plush and game related products. The licenced products usually lead to other purchases as we stock up what we can to play deep into a licence. This is where having supplier relationships beyond the traditional helps.

I especially like it when I can drive purchases from traditional categories, like cards, from a licence play. Unfortunately, too often, there is a lag for licences from that category.

To newsagents not playing in the licence space, I suggest you look at it. The new traffic opportunities are worth it.

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newsagency marketing

Pitching cards for guys

I took some photos of guy cards at one of my shops yesterday and used them to put this video together for newsXpress members to use on social media. It is deliberately simple, short and narrow if focus. By narrow, I mean I deliberately selected cards offering humour – I’ll do a different video on expressing other emotions.

The video is a small part of a broader strategy around male card giving. I want to help newsagents sell more and be seen by more people as the destination for cards, especially male cards.

In our card departments it can be chaljenginnto find a car because of a sea of colour. The video calls out some cards people could / should identify with.

For those wondering why the whole card is not shown, that is a design choice.

newsXpress releases between four and six new videos each week for use on social media. They cover cards, stationery, gifts, jigsaws, games and more. They, along with a library of social media images and other collateral are available for newsXpress member use anywhere.

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Greeting Cards

Here’s a simple basket-building tip

Stock Angel Flames from Jasnor and place some stock at the counter. Yes, people will purchase them on impulse. I have seen this work in city and country, high street and shopping mall, big and small businesses. Make sure everyone working in the business can explain the product in 30 seconds. The right explanation significantly increases purchases.

This advice is part of the newsXpress one percenters – many simple, no-cost, steps you can take to maximise existing traffic, increase word of mouth recommendations and drive new traffic. The one-percenters advice is one piece in a big jigsaw of that newsxpress does yet it is full of low handing fruit opportunities – easy and fast to implement with almost immediate returns.

Is this a pitch for newsXpress – yes, if you wan it to be … no, if you try the idea for yourself, without obligation.

A good marketing group is whole of business in attention covering big picture strategy through to small focus tactical, like this Angel Flames idea that has been part of the newsXpress pitch for more than twelve years.

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marketing

Helping indie retailers say thank you

My POS software company offers indie retailers a range of collateral for pitching shop local. Some is created exclusively while other collateral uses an existing base and enhances it for purpose.

Friday, I released this video I put together using existing imagery for indie retailers to use to say thank you to local shoppers. The video is unbranded, making wide use easy. Click here to download a copy if you would like to use it.

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marketing

Newsagency marketing tip for when there is no season

Too often, retailers are driven by seasons, obsessed by seasons. Everyone hops in the one boat to focus on the one calendar event. While I understand that, I also see it as a missed opportunity.

In my shops we play more outside of the major season focus, often creating local seasonal opportunities of our own. This works because we have no competition and because we do it with minimal or no capital outlay.

This is on my mind today as we are between Valentine’s Day and Easter. Smart retailers have one or two mini seasons or focuses running right now as being up now with easter is too early. These same smart retailers will, during Easter, have at least one other local ‘season’; or focus running, to broader the appeal of the shop to passers by and on social media.

The less we follow the heard and the more we engage with unique opportunities the broader the potential of our reach.

What minor seasons or focuses to you engage? … this is 100% up to you, the products you have, your local area, your interests.

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marketing

Facebook advice for newsagents

I have been sharing advice here and in workshops for newsagents about Facebook for years. Smart newsagents have an engaging page, or pages, with fresh local content designed to reflect their business more so than brands they sell.

Facebook remains the most cost effective way to reach new traffic shopper opportunities for newsagents.

If you do a search of this blog you will find plenty from me about the Facebook opportunity, including this advice on how to use Facebook to market your business, which I have updated for this post:

Growth in the number of likes for your business Facebook page(s) is as important as growth in shopper traffic through your front door.

I see a direct correlation between the two, if you use Facebook well. Of course, if is the important word in that statement.

I have been actively using Facebook for business for many years. It is an excellent platform of reaching new customers and talking with existing customers. It is an important tool in business growth.

HOW DO YOU GET MORE LIKES ON FACEBOOK?

This is simple, provide good content, content that gives people what they come to Facebook for – entertainment, inspiration, a laugh. The more you do this the more your post will be liked and shared. The more likes and shoes the more people you reach.

Growth in likes for your page begins with your content. If your page likes are not growing, look at your content.

While you can ask people to like your Facebook page, resulting likes may not be as valuable as those who like your page of their own accord.

You can also buy likes. That, however, is a waste of money.

HOW DOES A BUSINESS USE FACEBOOK WELL?

Businesses that use Facebook well entertain. This can be by making people laugh, smile, feel emotional or be happy overall. They do it by being human, real and engaged. They do it by not trying to sell. They do it y not being commercial.

Photos are real, not studio shots, showing products in use more so than on the shelves. They show customers, happy customers.

They share something of themselves.

A newsagency uses Facebook well by not writing about products newsagents sell.

Remember, you have seconds to get their attention, to stop them from scrolling ahead. Seconds.

  1. Photos should be taken by you, of a single product. A photo of a wall of products is a waste of time.
  2. Videos work well, showing how a product works.
  3. Don’t primate lotteries as that limits your age reach.
  4. Only rarely promote product readily available elsewhere.
  5. Add value in your posts, local info and more.
  6. Make fun of yourself.
  7. Be personal.
  8. Do not engage a social media consultant – they are a waste of money and most likely will not understand your business and the customers you can attract.
  9. Post often.
  10. Do not obsess about your numbers.

HOW DO MORE LIKES OF YOUR BUSINESS TRANSLATE INTO MORE SALES?

Someone engaging with your business Facebook page is similar to someone browsing your shop. Both can lead to sales.

People being on your page and engaging with your page brings them close to you and proximity = sales.

The more people who like your business Facebook page the more people you can pitch and offer to or reach out with an event or product announcement, them more people who will hear what you have to say.

Take Facebook seriously as a key business tool. The benefits are real and valuable.

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Management tip

What not to do in your newsagency business website

I am seeing some newsagents make a basic mistake with their business website by making the site an online version of their shop.

I think this is a mistake.

My advice is to make your online presence different to your shop. Buy all means sell some of what you sell in store, but present it differently, probably best done without using a newsagency name.

Being online is an opportunity to find new shoppers, shoppers who might otherwise not shop in a newsagency.

Being online is vital in small business retail today. However, be smart, engage with shoppers in unexpected ways. through windows they would not usually apostate with your business.

Look at your website as a separate business, a place to play. a place where there contractions of being a newsagency don’t exist.

By all means disagree if you like. I share this advice based on years already in this space with several single retail store websites trading successfully out of my shops but using styles and presences that are not immediately identified with the shops.

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Newsagency management

Easter marketing tips for newsagents

I have revised previous Easter marketing ideas that I have published and offer revised content here for early advice on marketing your newsagency for Easter:

  1. Have fun. No matter what you do, make sure it involved fun.
  2. Promote gratefulness. Easter is a good this for people to be grateful for what they have, family, friends. It is a good season to put a stand of Thank You cards next to Easter cards.
  3. Show appreciation. Without being overt, appreciate local people who matter to you and to your business. Your appreciation of them on your business Facebook page is a terrific way to connect with appreciation in the lead up to Easter.
  4. Do good. Collect for something during the season. Given the animal theme of so much Easter product, maybe a local animal shelter.
  5. Promote reconnect with a friend – send an easter card. Give people a reason beyond the season itself to send a card. Offer a discount: but a card and get 25% of your next. Alternatively, offer to post an Easter card free for any customer.
  6. Give rabbits a discount on a set day or days. Give a doubt to everyone who presents as a rabbit. Promote it widely – get the local paper in for a photo. Make the discount worth it for them dressing up.
  7. Have a festival of tastes in-store. Invite customers to bring a plate of Easter traditional food to share with others.
  8. Invite a wall of stories. If you have a wall available, cover it with paper and invite your customers to write or draw what Easter means to them. this makes the season more interactive.
  9. Have an egg eating competition – who can eat the most in 30 seconds.
  10. Offer free fried eggs one or two mornings for a gold coin donation to a local charity.
  11. Make a giant papier-mâché egg with things you sell (old newspapers, coloured paper, paint). Go big, I mean really big. Taller than a person. Let the kids paint it. Make it a local thing for people to come see.
  12. Have an Easter Egg hunt for over 70s. Egg hunts are usually for kids but those over 70 will have a different recollection of the season from when they were kids. Cater to them with a hunt in your shop for tasty eggs.
  13. Respect the season. Easter means different things to different people. Respect this outside of the fun you may have. Be sure about your greeting and that it is appropriate. Maybe include a nice message on your receipts.
  14. Give away eggs. Freely and with a smile! Contact a chocolate supplier and buy in bulk.

Easter is considered by many to be a small season. I see it as full of opportunity and primed for fun in the newsagency. Chase year on year growth.

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marketing

Management advice on making Saturdays relevant in retail newsagencies again

Saturdays used to be big in retail newsagencies. For many it was the busiest day of the week. Today, Saturdays are okay, but nowhere near what they used to be fort most.

If your Saturdays are not what they used to be you can wallow in that reality or try and change it. My advice is to try and change it. Here are some tips you could consider

  1. New stock. Hold some new stock for unboxing on Saturdays. Let people know this plan.
  2. Declutter / quit. Use Saturdays as the day of the week you quit lines. People who love deals will like your focus on this one day a week.
  3. Teach. Invite people with with special interests to teach / share them in-store on Saturdays. This could include: knitters, those who crochet, scrapbooking, etching, hammering. The objective here is for the shop to be known as a place people can learn basic craft skills.
  4. Host parties. Monthly. Based on brands you sell. A part for each fun related brand.
  5. Play. Make it a day of fun in the shop sampling product and playing with things.
  6. Free cake. Everyone loves cake. Maybe do a deal with a local cake shop to have a free cake to be sliced up at a set time every Saturday.
  7. Draw prizes. If you do a lottery second change draw, draw it ion a Saturday with a bonus for the winner if they are in-store.
  8. New displays. Make it a day of major change, noticeable change, in the shop.
  9. Promote deals, maybe based on a Saturday Savers branding.

What ever you do it has to be about your business as it is the commercial outcomes you are looking for. I mention this so you can focus on what you need rather than what a local group may need / want ahead of you.

Of course, you could do nothing about Saturdays and your numbers in the future would continue the trend you are on today.

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Management tip

Pitch local offer a book exchange

Book exchanges are popular, again – in all sorts of retail situations including non-book retail. They take little space, require no work and they attract a following.

This photo shows one in the window of a cafe on Swan Street, Richmond. It shows how small a book exchange can be, how it can use space that otherwise may have little value.

Even if you don’t sell books a book exchange can work as it attracts people who like to read and these people could be magazine customers. I suspect they are more likely to be card customers, as opposed to people who do not read or write that much.

My suggestion is to try it, out the front of your store ideally and if permitted. See how it goes.

Sometimes, the best road to a goal is not a straight line. This is how the book exchanges work for retailers I have spoken with. Offering the service pitches their businesses in a different light, it has people noticing them who in the past had not. One retailer told me the exchange attracted an avid letter writer, who had not thought of visiting their shop for stationery previously.

In retail today we need to leverage many ways of attracting shoppers to our businesses. The idea of a book exchange is one. I especially like it for rural, regional and high street newsagencies.

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newsagency marketing

Newsagency sales benchmark study results beg the question: what is a newsagency?

Core newsagency categories continue to decline while most ‘new’ categories achieve growth. More new categories are emerging too, in more businesses. This is why I ask the question what is a newsagency?

In the data for the Oct-Dec 2018 quarter compared to the 2017 quarter for 149 newsagency businesses I can see more businesses with a sustained gift department than ever before. The same is true for toys. Books, coffee and services are emerging, too.

Whereas in the past I’d see evidence of small engagement in some of these, now I am more likely to see a separate strong department delivering between 5% and 10% of non-agency revenue to the business, seeing the percentage contribution from traditional fall further.

I don’t think it matters at this point that a business identifying as a newsagency strays far from what that type of business once was. More so than the shingle or the self-identified type is products sold. For example, a business with lotteries is, in my view, more identified for that than anything else they sell.

At some point, however, business owners willneed to make a decision about identity.
For the purposes of these studies, I’ll continue to look at this as a newsagency channel, even though there are fewer products unifying the businesses in the channel than ever before.

Here is what I see in the latest benchmark data. Note: Each data point is the average, mean, of all data for the data point.

OVERALL BUSINESS PERFORMANCE METRICS.

  • Customer traffic. Down 1%.
  • Overall sales. Down .5%.
  • Basket depth.Flat.
  • Basket dollar value.Flat.

CORE PRODUCTS.

  • Newspapers. Unit sales. Down 9.5%.
  • Magazines. Unit sales. Down 11%.
  • Greeting cards. Revenue. Up 2%.
  • Stationery. Revenue. Down 11%
  • Lotteries. Revenue. Flat.
  • Tobacco. Revenue. Down 14%.
  • Agency. Parcels, gift cards, betting account top-up. Down 7%.

SPECIALTY PRODUCTS.

  • Gifts. Revenue. Up 4%.
  • Toys. Revenue. Up 3%.
  • Plush. Revenue. Up 4%.
  • Collectibles. Revenue. Up 3%.
  • Craft. Revenue. Up 2%.
  • Coffee. Revenue. Up 13%.
  • Books. Revenue. Up 7%.
  • Calendars. Revenue. Up 9%.

Magazines.
A big hit this quarter is in partworks results with revenue declines of 50% and more. That is to be expected given business problems with partworks in Australia. Weekly magazines lead the core category decline with many reporting 10% and more year on year decline in unit sales. This sits are the heart of magazine challenges in newsagencies.

Christmas.
The channel had a good Christmas overall. Christmas card unit sales were up 2% year on year on average while revenue was up 4% for the same period. Christmas boxed card sales were up 5%. Those who track seasonal gifts separately recorded 10% or more growth.
The results I have seen indicate a better Christmas than data published in news outlets a few weeks ago.

What does this mean?
It was a tough quarter for core categories but a good quarter for non-core.

There are businesses in the study that achieved double digit growth and others with double digit declines across the board.

The decline in traffic the core of papers, magazines, stationery and tobacco is not being replaced with sufficient new traffic. This matter needs urgent attention. Otherwise, we will see hundreds of more closures in 2019.

From what I can see, the newsagents doing best are those in control of their businesses. That is, those who do not rely on reps to order for them and those who do not rely on legacy newsagency channel suppliers.

The occupancy cost challenge continues.
Even in the best run newsagencies, the annual 5% increased in occupancy cost is not sustainable. In today’s market, I think 2% annual increases is fairer as that at least provides retailers an opportunity to keep up.

Landlords need to be aware of the changes in product mix, the challenges of low-margin core products and restrictions they place on what businesses can sell. They need to be flexible on rent so newsagency businesses can be sustained and thereby provide the service they want in their centre.

Looking at data for one store.
To address the point some make, usually people who have failed as newsagency business owners, here are some results for one business. Traffic: down 1%. Revenue: up 5%. Magazines: down 20%. Papers: down 19%. Cards: up 25% (33% of total revenue). Calendars: up 19%. Gifts: up 34% (11% of total revenue). Toys: up 61% (6% of revenue). Average sale value: $14.61, up 9%. Overall business GP 46%. This store is not alone with good numbers.

Mark Fletcher.
Email: mark@towersystems.com.au  Website: www.towersystems.com.au  Blog: www.newsagencyblog.com.au
M | 0418 321 338

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Newsagency benchmark

Galentine’s Day

Yes, this is a thing. It all started on the TV show Parks and Recreation. It’s a season within the season where gals appreciate their gal friends. Not overly commercial. More about fun and being social. newsXpress released to its members a pack of collateral and product opportunities. Here is one of the posters from the series.

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newsagency marketing

Now, Valentine’s starts

This weekend is the start of the real Valentine’s Day season in many retail situations. I know in my case that weekends are critical to purchase volume for the season. We have cards on the lease line. The photo shows what we have at one entrance.

This entrance display is for convenience and pitching range – it’s more that the two supermarkets nearest to us have.

We have our main Val offer pitched elsewhere too, providing an immersive and unique gift experience.

We also have a considerable range of non traditional Val, expanding the scope of the season into more of a fun offering, helping those who would not usually purchase for the season to consider it.

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Newsagency management

Pitching Valentine’s Day behind the newsagency counter

Here’s the pitch for Valentine’s Day behind the counter ion one of my stores. There is also an impulse offer at the counter as well as the main display on the lease line, facing into the mall.

Here is a version we created for social media, leveraging the collateral and Beanie Boos:

Online and in-store, we are using consistent collateral to help drive shopper engagement. The Boo pitch online is one of many. In fact, our core online pitch is about creating memories. Oh, and educating guys to shop early so as to not miss out.

Valentine’s Day is one of those seasons where there is a rush in the last week. In my experience, you benefit in the rush by educating people weeks out that you are in this space.

A note on the collateral: is deliberately targets a younger demo for the season. That’s how we see a big opportunity for the season, targeting those who do not regularly buy cards.

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Greeting Cards

Refreshed school holiday marketing ideas for newsagents

School holidays are a wonderful opportunity its for finding new shoppers for your business.

But most of all, to make the most from school holidays, you need to have fun!

Here are refreshed marketing suggestions to help school holidays be more valuable for your newsagency. They are just some of the ideas you could embrace. Hopefully, you will think of plenty for yourself.

  1. Stack the counter with items kids will love and want to buy or want to have parents and grand parents buy for them. Go to their side of the counter and build it for maximum engagement.
  2. Give educators a discount and a thank you. Give it a name. For example: a Thank you for teaching 0ur kids discount. Run it for school holidays.
  3. Make shopping for last-minute school supplies easy.
  4. Host local show and tell. Invite kids to create something, art, a poem, or something else connected to a local place of interest or local history. Host an in-store show and tell event where parents and kids can participate. The prize is less relevant than giving kids a voice.
  5. Teach about local. Host events in-store where kids can learn more about the local area.
  6. Let people play. Have products out and open for people to play with in-store. be the destination fun shop in town.
  7. Do product demonstrations in-store during the expected peak days, demonstrating thinks like a slinky, kinetic sand, slime, jigsaws and the like. Create some retail theatre.
  8. Publish posts on your business Facebook page with ideas of what people can do locally during the school holidays.
  9. Host an event appropriate to the season:
    1. A papier machier pumpkin mask competition for September holidays.
    2. A paper plane throwing competition for summer holidays.
    3. A Easter art competition for all ages for the Easter break.
    4. A winter bake off for Winter – maybe connected with the cookbooks you sell.
    5. Run a best joke of the holidays competition.

These refreshed ideas are designed to help you create a business during any holidays period that is looked at differently to the rest of the year, to help you gain a reputation as the best school holidays place locally.

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marketing

Product sampling key to success with food

I have seen terrific examples of success with product sampling over the Christmas / New Year period, including this sampling of locally made jam. The owner made some scones for the sampling.

With more transitioning newsagents selling food products, I thought it worthwhile to remind about the sampling opportunity.

While best dine on the shop floor, near the front of the shop to attract people, it can work equally well at the counter.

Make sure people can engage without touching food with their hands. This also gives confidence that it is safe. napkins or similar are often appreciated.

Keep sample portion sizes small, it is for a taste after all.

Have a card or small flyer pitching the product being sampled.

Consider an offer for those who buy following a sample.

Suppliers will often support a structured sampling program that features their products. Ask the question.

The best product to sample are those that are new and are unique to your business in the area. It is all about introducing customers to new things after all.

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newsagency marketing

Husband Christmas card campaign works

Over the last month, for newsXpress members, I have been engaged in a Christmas card marketing campaign targeting husbands. I’ve been pitching this across a bunch of Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as some Instagram. It has worked a treat.

Here is one post from last week.

While I have pitched to wives as well, the husband pitch is the one that has attracted in-store comment.

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marketing

Fast turnaround local videos drive social media engagement and sales

Four new ranges of products have been launched by US company Ty in Australia over the last month. The launches have driven in-store and online shopper interest to new levels. While the launch range was exclusive to newsXpress, the other three were not.

I decided we would produce in-house shot videos as a differentiator. This morning, we published the seventh video that we have made. There are more in the can ready for release.

The videos are made solely for social media. They educate about the product and pitch the newsXpress offer in a fresh and different light to what you see from other retailers. They pitch in a may that is not traditional for newsagency businesses.

Differentiation is key in the collectible space of what are essentially mass produced items.

Here is one of the videos we released earlier this week, which has had thousands of views.

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marketing

How changing a Facebook icon photo can lead to sales

We changed the small square Facebook icon photo last week and a few minutes later we had a sale of the item featured in the photo. The photo of the Harry Potter school bag was a hit. We used the photo because we liked it, not actually expecting to make an immediate sale. The experience was a timely rem under two regularly change this photo and to do it regularly.

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marketing

Marketing tip: Christmas marketing ideas

Every year I publish Christmas marketing ideas. This year, I have put together a small list of my favourite ideas.

  1. Pitch easy shopping. People often talk about how hard Christmas is. Be the local business that makes it easy. Tell people how you make it easy.
  2. Make the shop less about Christmas. Consider pulling back on the Christmas visual noise. Go for something simple, muted, respecting the season but making a calm statement. Consider declaring the shop a Christmas carol free zone – not because you hate carols but because you want to help customers take a break.
  3. Help people rest and recharge. Create a Christmas shopping rest and recovery zone. Offer free tea, coffee, water and something to eat. Encourage people to take a break in your shop – without any obligation for them to spend money with you.
  4. Let your customers help each other. Setup a whiteboard or sheets of butcher’s paper, yes keep it simple. Get customers to write gift suggestions under different age/gender groups. For example: Girls 18 – 25, Boys 55+. Encourage your customers to help each other through their suggestions.
  5. Make price comparison difficult. If you sell items people are likely to price compare with other businesses, package them so price comparison is not easy. Put items into a hamper as a perfect Boy 8 to 12 bundle for example. Or offer the item with pre packages services if appropriate for an item.
  6. Be community minded. Choose a local charity or community group to support through Christmas. Consider: a change collection tin at the counter; a themed Christmas window display; promotion on your social media pages; a donation to their work; a collection point for donations from customers.
  7. Facilitate sharing stories. Find space in your shop for customers to share their Christmas stories. It could be a story wall inside or in front of the shop. This initiative encourages storytelling by locals and better connects the business with the community.
  8. Leverage Christmas traffic. Encourage the Christmas shopper traffic surge in after Christmas. Give them a reason to come back. A coupon promotion or a discount voucher on receipts could be the enticement to get shoppers back in-store. Note: the Tower POS software produces discount vouchers to rules you establish.
  9. Become a gallery. Work with a school, kindergarten, community group or retirement village to bring in local art for people to come and see through Christmas. A small space commitment can drive traffic from family and friends of those with art on show.
  10. Make your shop smell like Christmas.
  11. Send cards. Send Christmas cards early in the season to suppliers, key customers and local community groups. This connects you with Christmas. Invite all team members to sign each card.
  12. Host a Christmas party. For shops nearby. You are all in the season together – let your hear down before things get crazy.
  13. Keep it fresh. Every week make significant change to your Christmas displays and promotions to keep your offer fresh.
  14. Share Christmas recipes. Each week for, say, four weeks, give customers a family Christmas recipe. This personalises Christmas in your business, creates a talking point and makes shopping with you different to your bigger competitors.
  15. Free wrapping. Sure, many retailers offer this. Make your offer better, more creative and more appreciated.
  16. Hold back. Don’t go out with everything you have for Christmas all at once. Plan the season to show off what you have as the season unfolds. This allows you multiple launches.
  17. Share a taste. Regardless if your type of business, bake a family recipe of Christmas cake, Christmas pudding or Christmas biscuits and offer tastings to shoppers on select days. This personalises the experience in your shop.
  18. Offer hampers. Package several items together and offer them as a hamper. Time-poor shoppers could appreciate you doing this work for them. We have seen this work in many different retail situations.
  19. Buy X get Y. Encourage people to spend more with a volume based deal. Pitched right, this could get customers purchasing items for several family members in order to get the price offer you have. Use your technology to manage this.

Christmas is the perfect time to plan for next year. It is the time to do everything possible to leverage bonus Christmas traffic to benefit your business through next year.

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marketing

This is a true story of new traffic and sales growth in newsagency businesses

It happened last week and this week in newsXpress businesses across Australia. This exclusive range just about sold out in ten days, eight weeks before payment is due.

Let me show you a photo of the products. Then, I will explain what newsXpress did to make this a success for local shops and outline why any retailer in any location could have this success.

These products are called Ty Slides. Ty Inc. in the US decided to release them to Australia. Ty Warner, the founder of the company, loves small business and since newsXpress is their best Australian retail channel, we were given exclusivity.

We launched the opportunity to members in May, explaining what we would do to support the launch, to make it a success. Some newsXpress members ordered one pack for around $500.00 wile plenty ordered two and three packs.

The stock arrived in store at the start of November. We sprung into action with a terrific social media campaign.

newsXpress members started selling out of all stock within 24 hours. More than half all sales were online, with all online orders going to shoppers whop were not local to the supplying business.

Some newsXpress members reported more than $1,000.00 in online sales in a day.

Today, fourteen days since launch, many of our stores are close to selling out. They have banked the takings, eight weeks before they have to pay for the stock.

This is what a good marketing group does … it sources terrific product, educates business owners and staff as to context, drives shoppers to the shop our online and helps turn the sock into cash well ahead of the bill being due.

Best of all, a good marketing group helps you find new shoppers.

A good marketing group can only do this with an integrated and proven web and social media platforms.

This is a valuable differentiation for newsXpress.

The Ty Slide stampede for stock also brought people who purchased plenty of other Ty product from our awesome local newsXpress shop connected website.

Call newsXpress National Sales Manager Peter Francis on 0423 298 020 or email him on peter@newsxpress.com.au. 

  • See how our multi-layered web strategy delivers new traffic revenue to engaged newsXpress members.
  • Explore our strategic planning that offers options outside the traditional newsagency channel.
  • Hear how low cost shop floor changes are driving deeper and more valuable baskets.

We have one goal: to help you make your businesses more valuable (to you) and enjoyable (for you) to run.

PS. There will be some reading this who will say these products will never sell in their shop. The thing is, today, with online, you cannot say that as online customers are not local. We have solid evidence that proves that.

PPS. I joined newsXpress in 2005. Prior to that my newsagency was with nextra for some years and Newspower for some years. Joining newsXpress gave me genuinely fresh opportunities that I was glad to access back then. I own three newsagencies today, walking in your shoes.

Footnote: I am Managing Director of newsXpress Pty Ltd.

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Newsagency management
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