It is great to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer partwork series launch in newsagencies. The popular TV show targets a demographic we like. Early indications are that sales will be good. We certainly have people requesting future copies be put away – this is part of the unique service newsagents offer. Our putaway service is a reason we have partworks and other retailers don’t. Overseas, partworks are sold in supermarkets. Australian newsagents are fortunate to have the opportunity.
Usually, when I write about partworks, people comment publicly or privately to me about the unreliability of supply and other challenges associoated with them. For some time I was a vocal critic of partworks. I took up an invitation to look behind the problems and develop something which works for my business. Three years on it works a treat. Supply is good. In return I provide accurate sales data. Occasionally there are bumps but these are fixed.
I will acknowledge that I am lucky to have access to the people who can fix problems and therefore don;t have to deal with call centres. I have put it to stakeholders – publishers, importers and distributors – that a thorough review of the partworks supply model could drive excellent sales growth. From a newsagent’s perspective, it all comes down to supply consistency through the entire series. This can be easily fixed.
The TV campaign for the Ben 10 partwork must have started based on the traffic beating a path to our doors yesterday. We’re at a 75% sell-through already and it is less than a week. We are capitalising on the opportunity by placing the product, for the weekend, at the front of the shop – to draw kids in with mum or dad in tow. Some of these kids also pick a pack or two of AFL footy cards while mum or dad purchase something too. This is how to make money from the early issues of these traffic generating partworks.
