retail

The Priceline billboard in Pitt Street Mall offered a voucher if I pressed the button – so I did. Spend $50 and get $10 off.

It’s a clever use of the billboard but old school compared to interactive billboards in some European and Asian countries where offers are tailored to the person in front of the billboard … or better still – where offers are sent to your phone based on past purchases from other retailers. That’s the future of mobile marketing to shoppers.

Further to my post on the weekend about not discounting before you need to, I was surprised to see GAP is Sydney yesterday offering 40% off everything in store. While they control the entire supply chain of what they sell, the 40% off sign suggested to me that they’re having a soft Christmas. They’re smart retailers, I’m sure they are doing this because it works for them – probably because the discount is in their price. The shop was full.

In the newsagency on Saturday a guy in his early thirties was speaking into a Chatter Santa saying over and over my Mum is an idiot. Chatter Santa was repeating it back to him, over and over.

I heard this from behind me and looked around to see what’s what. His mum was standing next to him rolling her eyes.

You see and hear some crazy things in retail – especially at Christmas. 3 days to go.

I found this shopping list note on the shop floor the other day and loved the opportunity to see what one shopper was looking for and where they are looking.

Take a look under Gift Shops. We have an excellent range of coffee mugs and plenty of teacher things.

I didn’t see who dropped the note. I don’t know if they purchased from us – however, the note was onear our mugs.

There was a second note, folded with the first, for what they were to look for in Target and Chemist Warehouse.

From Target, this shopper was looking for calendars, Forever Friends products, Top Gear / car products and a large cup for dad. We can help with each of these. I don’t know if we did.

I am fascinated by the groupings on the lists by shop. It reveals how some people shop as well as the challenge of attracting shoppers to shop on impulse with us as we were not on their list, not obviously at least. It also reinforces the importance of marketing the business by purchase destination.

We have to think about what pulls people into our businesses. This time of year, cards are an obvious choice. If we have an excellent range of Christmas cards at the front of the shop that could be the lure. It’s what a card shopper attracted to the business notices next which matters. There needs to be a second lure for when then are finished shopping the Christmas card display.

The same is true if they step into a newsagency because of the better magazine range … whet else is pitched to that shopper, what is done to gets them shopping the shop?

Every destination needs to have another opportunity nearby. Each opportunity encourages shoppers to break away from their plan, to move away for their shopping list.

The two lists I picked up from the shop floor this week reminded me of the challenges and opportunities we have in our newsagencies as we leverage existing excellent traffic and evolve into retail businesses of the future. It also reminded me of the value of talking more to shoppers to learn what they are looking for.

I would love to be able to read the lists of every shopper in our shopping centre who has one. I appreciate it is impractical … but it would be fascinating, educational and inspiring.

We all see it in our shops, the product left abandoned far away from its usual location. Usually, it is a common product, nothing particularly noticeable. Sometimes, it is a personal product – and I wonder whether there is a back story to it being abandoned.

On the weekend I found a personalised Christmas bauble, for Matthew, shoved in with our men’s health and fitness magazines. I got to thinking about why Matthew was abandoned: had he been naughty and this was punishment, had the customer found something else to spend money on, had Matthew brought it down to a parent to show them?

While the future of the newsagency does not hinge on answers to these and other questions, I enjoy letting my mind wander when I see things like this. It personalises what goes on in the shop and is a factor in how I look at my time in the business.

In many ways, many times a day, people’s lives are touched – in good and bad ways , happy and sad ways – by experiences in our businesses. Thinking about this helps our connection with our own businesses. the thoughts personalise our connections with our businesses.

While I will never know the real back story of the abandoned Matthew Christmas bauble, it’s been good to think about it.

Almost daily there is a reminder that we are not our customers and we should not assume we know what our customers will like. One of our team members thought these Be Jolly wind ups would not sell. In a week, almost all are gone. I like it when this happens as each occasion is another lesson learned.

The more we experiment outside what we usually do the more we stand to learn.

When I saw the products name Fatties I did a double take … they really called a product Fatties? That’s what I thought. I saw it a few days when I was overseas. The store owner said it was popular. I guess it is a cultural thing. I’m not sure a hot water bag grand called Fatties would take off here. Maybe this is a reminder that I am not my customer.

There are some newsagents currently running an ink sale where the sale prices are their regular prices. It’s not a sale. The discount claim is a breach since the ‘discounted’ prices are the everyday prices of the newsagents involved.

The Age today has an article about this behaviour of retailers advertising things being on sale or discounted when they are not. Read the article if you discount.

The young girl was giving her dad a hug as she said this right after purchasing another Beanie Boo on Saturday morning. Thanks Dad! That’s twenty-nine I’ve got now.

While she was a joy to see, it was more moving to see the Dad’s smile.

After completing the purchase they stood at the display talking about the next one to purchase.

We know they will buy from us because they use the discount voucher from each purchase for the next purchase and because we have the best range in the shopping centre – better than Toyworld and the majors who stock the same brand.

Watching father and daughter was a reminder of the value of the habit based shopper who relies on your business to build a collection. Understanding the role we play for them helps us be better retailers. It also makes us more aware of allied opportunities.

Being known in a region as the go to supplier for collectors is an excellent loath through which to redefine your newsagency business. Some have been doing this for years while others will read about it here for the first time. We can grow our businesses – by being engaged retailers.

I sensed from the nod and smile as he left that the dad is grateful we provide this opportunity for him to share with his daughter.

The Zoodle store at Manchester Airport looks terrific. It stands out from the crowd. Looking at the model in detail, I am impressed with their leveraging of brands such as Disney, Peppa Pig, Where’s Wally and Thomas the Tank Engine. Look at the bullhead – stunning.

Zoodle encourages kids to read books and play with toys.

Central to the business in this transit locate is a strong value proposition. For example, a 3 for 2 offer on all children’s books.

We have a Zoodle at Melbourne airport but it does not look as good as the manchester store.

I am surprised we are not seeing more of these WH Smith created Zoodle stores.