Promoting Great Bakes partworks launch
We’ve been promoting the Great Bakes partwork on the lease line, facing into the mall and it’s been selling very well. Given the mess that is partworks supply in Australia we go out hard with the first issue – using the dump bin approach in the photo. This works, delivering a good return on the space allocated for the launch and deeper in the shop for subsequent issues.
Australian newsagents need to get in early on the partworks opportunity
I was reading at The Telegraph online about the Official Starships Collection, a new partwork in the UK from Eaglemoss. The information in the report coupled with local magazine sales data and the success of non-circulation science fiction products provides us with enough information to set our expectations about sales of this new series – months or even a year before it reaches Australia.
It’s frustrating newsagents are not part of the conversation. I’d love to talk with Eaglemoss about what we could do with partworks if the scale out and distribution were better handled. So many missed opportunities.
Here’s some of the report from The Telegraph online that I found interesting:
The launch of The Official Starships Collection has been long awaited by some, Eaglemoss began test marketing the collection in May 2012 and was due to officially launch in the UK and Ireland in February of this year but due to extraordinary demand for the publication as well as other manufacturing issues, they were forced to delay the official launch until August 21st 2013. Retailer WHSmith sold almost 7000 copies nationwide within the first 2 days of the first issue being available.
Eaglemoss has not officially announced how many issues will be included in the collection, however the first 30 have been confirmed and include a number of Federation vessels, from all series in the franchise, as well as a Borg Sphere and several of the more common Romulan and Klingon ships. Those hoping for a Borg Cube will have to subscribe to the publication, which is at this time rumoured to be running to a total of 70 issues (R.R.P. £9.99), which could set the most avid collector back almost £700.
Resurgence of interest in the Hello Kitty brand
Several newsagents commented on Hello Kitty when the new partwork was launched recently. From what I can see in Australia and overseas Hello Kitty is alive and well. The mega-brand is being enjoyed by a new generation. But the older generation has not forgotten it by the looks of the window display I saw last week in Vans store.
As I mentioned here, we’re enjoying good success selling Hello Kitty gift lines along side the Hello Kitty partwork.
Brands are vitally important in retail and even more so in newsagencies as we transition our businesses from being general stores into more specialist focus retail outlets.
Here’s how a partwork can make you real money
Thanks to the attention driven by the new Hello Kitty partwork we had a customer a couple of days ago spend $117.45 on Hello Kitty products, on impulse.
By ordering in Hello Kitty product to time with the launch of the part series was genius on the part of our team member responsible.
This is the type of action newsagents need to engage in – being proactive retailers based on trends they see in store. It’s action that can be taken within a budget, even a small budget. magazines and cards provide wus with excellent guidance as to brands and trends we can tap into to drive sales.
While some newsagents will prefer to be agents making a percentage from products and services controlled by others, I am certain there is more money to be made by us exerting more control ourselves. Every day I see examples – like this Hello Kitty one.
Now if only we could get partworks supply sorted out.
Gotch and Network fail publishers and newsagents on partworks allocation
There is no better illustration of the diversity in the newsagency channel than partworks. Some newsagents hate partworks with a passion. Some newsagents love partworks with a passion.
The newsagents who hate partworks tend to display them poorly if at all and early return – angered at the freight cost. Newsagents who love partworks often sell out and vent anger at the delay in getting more stock to sell.
A smart magazine distributor would give newsagents control over their partworks allocation. I suspect that if they did this the channel would sell more partworks. Newsagents would be happier and publishers would be happier.
Why is it so hard to implement smart partworks allocation?
Promoting 30 best loved recipes partwork
We’re promoting 30 best loved recipes book collection partwork with our food titles as well as at the front of the newsagency. This partwork is an easy sell for our older customers whereas many recent partworks have appealed to a younger shopper.
We put partworks at the front of the shop on the lease line as well as in-store where it’s appropriate for the subject. For a bit of work and space we get an excellent return. Our focus is make the most of issue 1 and 2 and then manage time and space accordingly.
Promoting Peppa Pig products and partwork
We’re promoting the new Peppa Pig partwork along with Peppa Pig plush and activity packs in a move that is driving sales of all products.
Our only frustration is the lack of stock of the Peppa Pig partwork. I am surprised the publisher was not more prepared for the success of this. The data on sales of Peppa products in Australia indicated the scope of the opportunity here. No matter, we’re selling all we can and reordering extra stock when it becomes available.
Peppa Pig is a good example of the value of brands in our businesses. By sourcing what we can from multiple suppliers we can leverage traffic generated by a partworks launch to drive margin dollars per sale. The result is excellent for us as it takes the small GP we make on the partworks launch issue and increases that many flow thanks to the 50% and 60% GP on the plush and other items.
This is another example of how newsagents can make money out of magazines.
Promoting Marvel Fact Files partwork
We are promoting the new Marvel Fact Files partwork with this aisle end display where we are using one of the Marvel cardboard cut-outs we sell in-store. This is a perfect combination of products from two suppliers working well together.
We’re seeing good sales, like we do of most partworks we receive. So far this month partworks have accounted for more than 20% of all magazine unit sales for us.
Promoting the bugs partwork reissue
I love this clever use of a spare spinner by a team member in one of my stores. The CAUTION sign at the stop of the spinner is a perfect cap for the stand.
Partworks continue to drive good traffic and sales in each of my newsagencies. We leverage this with front of store displays on the lease line – displays timed to work in with TV campaigns.
The payoff from partworks is worth the frustration. Partworks account for 10% of our magazine sales at the moment. The retention rate for at least the first four or five issues is good, justifying time and space.
Bad news for James Bond DB5 partwork customers as publisher runs out of magazine
Check out the letter provided by the publisher for part 65 of the loved James Bond DB5 partwork collection. The publisher says they have run out of magazines! Seriously! The publisher has run out of magazines.
When I heard this I thought it was a joke, a good joke to play on a dedicated partwork collector. What a hilarious joke on the fans obsessed with this car!
But then I realised it wasn’t a joke. The publisher really has run out of magazines. Instead of the magazine they provide a letter pointing customers to a page on their website. Does Australia not have printers? Does this buisness not engage in planning? Surely they would have known some weeks in advance in which time they could have printed something? They had enough time to print a letter, in colour.
Some avid collectors will not want to continue with the series. I expect some will ask for their money back – and there is a precedent for this. I understand that the distributor has already been asked the question abut this.
There will be newsagents who will say this is another reason to NOT offer partworks. It will be hard to disagree with them. This mess over issue 65 of the James Bond DB5 will generate considerable challenges for newsagents. Someone somewhere is responsible. It’s disappointing that the Australian importer did not have the courage to print a name and phone number on their letter. This shows they do not accept responsibility.
Newsagents could have sold more copies of Locomotives of the World partwork
The supply of the Locomotives of the World partwork is another example of how the distribution model does not achieve the sales it could. I know of newsagents who could have sold more stock had the allocation more accurately reflected local interest in trains. I know of others who will return their supply because of no interest.
had newsagents been able to control their supply of the first issues of the Locomotives of the World partwork I have no doubt the publisher would have achieved a better outcome.
Magazine distributors prove time and again that they are not expert at what they do.
Rush on Knit & Stitch partwork
Sales of the Knit & Stitch partwork have been excellent in the first few days on-sale – no thanks to the lack of reasonable supply of marketing collateral and a display unit.
We have Knit & Stitch placed on the lease line, facing into the shopping mall as well as deeper in-store. We’re chasing a sell out by the end of next week – for sales as well as for space reasons.
Promoting Batman Autombilia partwork
We have been promoting Batman Automobilia partwork launch with this aisle end placement. It’s working well, driving traffic and sales.
What I like about this particular partwork, beyond it being about batman (my favourite superhero) is it’s cross-generational appeal. On Saturday I saw a dad and his son discussing collecting the series together.
Launching the Batman Automobilia partwork
We’re promoting the launch issue Batman Automobilia on the lease line facing into the mall as well as placement with other partworks in-store. This co-location approach works well for us with partworks – sales this season have been good for us.
While not the most attractive unit, the dump bin approach works in terms of driving sales and the floor space it takes up.
Promoting new Barbie partwork to weekend shoppers
We are promoting the new Barbie partwork on the lease line, facing into the mall. Our weekend traffic is such that we’d expect to achieve most sales of this new title on the weekend – hence the placement.
We’re hoping that the Barbie brand will drag kids and their parents towards us who otherwise might not check us out in this visit to the centre.
Looking forward to Batman Automobilia partwork
I’m fortunate to have been sent the first tow issues of the new Batman Automobilia partwork due for launch on Monday June 17 from Gordon & Gotch. part two is the car from the 1970s TV series.
I had this car when it first came out so I understand the nostalgia value. The Batman movies also make the series compelling for the current generation beyond nostalgia.
The national TV campaign should drive excellent sales for us.
I have spoken with Gotch about allocation and the need for them to accept initial order allocation requests from newsagents. They say they can’t do this. I have stressed that they should. Proactive newsagents will usually want more and Gotch should find a way to accept and work with this – the result should be more sales.
The other challenge for us for this part series will display given the cars stuck to the front of the product. Our plan is to create a space toward the counter where the cars are the hero.
Art of Crochet selling out
Our sales of the reissue of Art of Crochet have been excellent. We’re not alone. I’ve spoken to plenty of newsagents this week who are reporting the same thing – the launch has been excellent and many newsagencies are sold our and scrambling for more stock.
The TV campaign has been for more successful that I or plenty of others expected.
Rocks Gems & Minerals partworks reissue?
Like many newsagents I suspect I was surprised to see the Rocks, Gems & Minerals partwork reissued yesterday – even though it did not look like a reissue thanks to new packaging and National Geographic branding. I don’t remember it looking like this last time around. The stock code in the EDI file points to the previous issue so this is connected to the previous rocks title we received.
72 copies, that’s what we received in one of our stores.
What do other newsagents think?
If we had control of our ordering, we’d have asked for 30. here’s what galls me and, I am sure, most newsagents. We have to pay to return the unsold stock. We are penalised for a poor scale out decision, we have to pay for someone else’s mistake. It’s a disgusting impost on any business let alone small business newsagents at the end of the magazine food chain.
And magazine publishers wonder why some newsagents are actively and openly discussing exiting the category altogether.
Supply is the problem. It is drowning the newsagency channel and no one in authority appears prepared to do anything about it. The result will be even more magazine sales lost from the newsagency channel to supermarkets.
Is this the oddest part series?
The Everything is Mathematical partworks was released in newsagencies this week. It’s an odd title, certainly not your usual part series. Beyond the limited appeal of the content, the retail package itself is dull, uninteresting. It does not led itself to retail display. This mar be a part series we kill off early given it drags us down and we’re not about to spend more than we should making it look good.
The comments from a team member in one of my newsagencies are insightful:
It’s a strange partwork in the sense of … who would want this? My first guess would be VCE teachers or students as the content is far too advanced to be placed with our kids magazines. I’ve placed it near Business, Science and I.T and we’ve sold the one since Monday.
I’ve checked out the website they promote on the front of part 1 – this is another reason to maybe ditch the title … no promotion of newsagents at all. I don;t mind being used to promote their model but they should pay me more than a few cents to do this.
Promoting Classic Pocketwatches part series
The issues canvassed here yesterday notwithstanding, we placed the first part of Classic Pocketwatches at the entrance to the aisle where we have our newspapers. We decided to not use the front of the shop because of focus there primarily is for Mother’s Day right now. We are really restricting magazine promotions at the front of the shop – unless they are excellent traffic generators.
The TV campaign for the Pocketwatches part series starts Wednesday so we’ll take another look at placement Thursday or Friday.