A blog on issues affecting Australia's newsagents, media and small business generally. More ...

Learnings from Magento Imagine 2018 for small business retailers

I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Magento Imagine 2018 conference in Las Vegas ten days ago. Magento Commerce is the world’s leading e-commerce platform. My POS software company is a partner and has its POS software integrated with Magento.

At the conference, with several thousand other tech and retail people, there was plenty to learn, including from execs from an Aussie retail business I found myself sitting next to.

Here is a video I shot in the office last week for Tower customers. I share it here as some insights may help folks here think about their own web strategy.

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Newsagency management

VANA in conflict with ALNA as a result of commercial arrangement with MyLotto24

In a move set to further consume politicians and regulators and divide the newsagency channel, VANA, the association representing some Victorian newsagency businesses has endorsed MyLotto24, a business that invites punters to bet on the of lottery draws.

What are the directors of VANA thinking? Not thinking at all in my opinion. I get that they are excited y the percentage of commission from deposits newsagents take and the trail commission for online deposits from accounts they introduce and commission VANA will make if a commission has been negotiated. However, the future of most Aussie newsagency businesses is not agency business. The days of the agency are over.

The article published today by Fairfax raises a few concerns including this quote by Chris Samartzis, the VANA spokesperson, speaking about the ban to be considered in federal parliament:

“The unintended consequences of a blanket ban will only serve to erect a monopoly with zero competition in the market place.”

The monopoly was erected more than 100 years ago when states established their own lottery businesses.

There are other issues with the inadequately researched article by Fairfax such as the mention of 1,200 outlets but I’ll leave them for another day.

The Australian newsagency channel was healing. Actions in recent days by NANA and VANA have taken representation of newsagents back years. I question whether a unified approach is possible from this.

ALNA has run a strong national campaign on this matter and offered strong representation on other national issues, issues  beyond lotteries. It is unfortunate two small state groups try and grab attention from important issues of national importance for all newsagents.

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Ethics

WHY YOU SHOULD VET EVERYONE WHO ASKS FOR ACCESS TO YOUR BUSINESS DATA IF YOU HAVE YOUR NEWSAGENCY FOR SALE

When you list your retail business for sale, I suggest you have a clause in the agreement with the broker requiring them to get approval from you before they provide any business data to any party enquiring.

I am aware of several situations in our channel where a party has enquired and used the data obtained through the broker about the seller’s business to directly approach the landlord to seek to take over the lease.

I have been told of parties using the business data and a relationship with a landlord to facilitate them getting a business for no goodwill.  I am told of newsagents who have lost considerable sums because of this.

My advice is that you should personally approve every party you permit to have access to your business data and that you make this decision after careful through and consultation.

Yes, there are unscrupulous parties in our channel who fake interest in buying a business to provide them access to information they can leverage to their advantage and your disadvantage.

I appreciate the temptation to provide data to every party that enquires about purchasing your business because you are most likely keen to sell. Please do not let your keenness blind you from careful consideration of every decision you make through the process. You can’t take back data you have shared. It could be that you realise too late that a party on the other side is not honourable, as have others I have spoken with.

What I have written here is more relevant for shopping centre based businesses than those in high street situations as shipping centre landlords are, in my opinion, more likely to work with other parties to the detriment of an incumbent tenant. I have seen this happen too many times in our channel and in other retail channels, to the harm of the seller.

  • Be careful who you trust.
  • Vet everyone who seeks access to your data.
  • Control who has access to information about your business.
  • Make thorough notes abut every discussion.

I get that some will see my comments here as paranoid. That’s okay. All I can do is share my opinion. I could considerably focus attention by naming names. I won’t do that here because they would sue for sure. All I can sale is seller beware.

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Ethics

Beyond Lottoland for newsagents

Beyond Lottoland and the battle consuming time and money, here are some key issues I think newsagents ought focus on and need support to work through:

  1. Loss of revenue as a result of migration of over the counter purchases online.
  2. The magazine distribution model: oversupply, undersupply, supply consistency.
  3. Magazine financial model: 25% is not enough.
  4. Stationery: how to be competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace.
  5. Relevance: how to ensure this in a rapidly changing marketplace.

This last point is the most important in my view in that it encompasses relevance of the physical store, relevance online, attracting new traffic, being of service in more special interest areas and being competitive if a retail landscape that is more completive than ever before. It is a catch-all point as it also relates back to the previous four points.

The extent of structural change occurring right now will not be realised by many until it is too late. While I appreciate this sounds alarmist, I do not mean it to be. Take online, while plenty of suppliers traditional to the newsagency channel have fully embraced online through multiple routes, most newsagents are yet to determine their online strategy.

Some of the points above would benefit from national association focus while others are best handled at the marketing group level. Again, point 5 is the most important as, in reality, it is all that matters for what comes next.

I have posted this today as a reminder to all newsagents, that while Lottoland is a hot topic, which has been used to pit newsagents against each other, there are bigger challenges that go to a future beyond this lottery competitor.

Our channel has a history, as agents, of expecting others to address challenges for us. In today’s world, we bear more responsibility ourselves, and in our own commercial communities, to determine our own future.

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Newsagency management

Celebrating the royal wedding: new traffic for the newsagency

I love these two displays in two of my stores leveraging the royal wedding opportunity. They are attracting new traffic and demonstrating the relevance of each business today. They are fun too. Plus, they pitch products people will purchase on impulse.

Magazines are placed adjacent, to maximise the opportunity. The interest in the wedding is extraordinary. It appeals to royal lovers and republic supporters in different ways. This is why the range of products on offer is so diverse.

The pitches you can see reflect how we can leverage major public events to broaden the appeal of our businesses beyond what has been usual traffic for us. The more people think of us for these unique occasions the broader the appeal of our businesses.

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Management tip

Lottoland campaign against newsagents and their national association, ALNA, turns nasty

In my opinion, the campaign run by Lottoland has taken a nasty turn with this press release issued today:

LOTTOLAND AUSTRALIA CALLS ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW PROPOSED BAN IN LIGHT OF PEAK BODY REVELATIONS

May 1, 2018

The CEO of Lottoland Australia, Luke Brill, today called on the Federal Government to review its proposed legislation banning online lottery betting in light of revelations that the body supposedly representing newsagents is financially broke – and has misled the public about its membership numbers.

Mr. Brill said that the previously unpublished documents, which had been obtained from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), confirmed that the parent company behind the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA) was facing financial ruin.

“These ASIC documents raise serious questions about the financial situation at ALNA and its ability to continue to operate as a going concern, let alone to represent the interest of its members,” Mr. Brill said.

“According to ALNA’s own auditors, the organisation is in financial disarray, with the auditors telling ASIC that there is ‘significant uncertainty’ as to whether the group will continue as a going concern.”

Mr. Brill also said that ASIC records confirmed that the Federal Government had been misled into believing that ALNA represented the views of 4,000 newsagents nationally, when it fact its membership numbers are substantially lower.

“We’re shocked and disappointed to find out that a body that the Government believes has over 4,000 newsagents nationally as members has in fact only 707 paid members – about 80 per cent less than claimed,” he said.

“This raises major questions about the true intent of ALNA and whether it has misled not just the Government and others MPs, but whether it has also misled the public.”

Mr. Brill accused ALNA of acting against the interests of newsagents by advocating for laws that would hand Tatts (now Tabcorp) an unprecedented monopoly, and appealed to the Government to reconsider the proposed legislation before it was too late.

“Rather than address the shocking state of its financial affairs, ALNA has inexplicably taken part in a $5 million lobbying campaign to convince the Government to ban online lottery betting, which will leave newsagents at the mercy of a Tabcorp monopoly,” he said.

“Given these revelations, we are asking the Government to put a stop to the planned legislation and start listening to newsagents on the ground.”

ALNA has responded with this release:

Response from the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA) 

1 May 2018

Adding another string to their ruthless bow of propaganda and deception, Lottoland have twisted facts and figures about Australia’s national industry body for newsagents.

The Australian Newsagent’s Federation (ANF) Board of Directors who trade as The Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA) has instructed their lawyer to investigate all legal avenues against the false allegations contained in Lottoland’s press release dated 1st of May.

Adam Joy, CEO of the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA) said, “The Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association is solvent and represents approximately 2,000-member small businesses. Any rumours to the contrary are unequivocally false and salacious. We have always been transparent and have nothing to hide. Our accounts are independently audited every year and are all available through ASIC, and clearly identify the solvency of our organisation.

“There has not been any misrepresentation of figures of any kind by ALNA – only by Lottoland who have been aggressively spreading defamatory rumours based on inaccurate and incomplete information.”

Lottoland has continuously worked to mislead consumers, governments and the general public, and are now seeking to maliciously defame the very same organisation they sought to conduct business with on three separate occasions.

“We find it ironic that Lottoland are attacking an honest Australian not-for-profit small business association when Lottoland’s very existence and history are based on stunts, loopholes and deception. Today’s defamatory comments further demonstrate that it is not the kind of business Australia deserves.

“From facing legal action for illegally and deliberately misusing trademarks of other businesses, being misleading regarding the winnings available, denigrating newsagents and then wanting to move their customers to Lottoland, and now making false allegations about the industry body that represents approximately 2,000 of these Australian small businesses, Lottoland continue to operate in a highly unethical manner,” explained Adam Joy, CEO of the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA).

Lottoland are based in the tax haven of Gibraltar, and have been granted a licence that allows them to run its Australian online business out of the Northern Territory while only taxing its gross profits earned on punting on horses, trotting and greyhound racing — three categories Lottoland doesn’t even operate in.

And they do all this while operating outside of the much tighter regulations, consumer protections, and higher taxes that official regulated lotteries adhere to.

Here are the facts:

“ALNA are the only national association representing newsagents and lottery agents in every state and territory of Australia, and are the only newsagents’ association with ACCC national collective bargaining authorisation.

“The Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association has a strong relationship with government for this very reason, and is known as a credible, effective organisation – because we are,” stated Mr Joy.

ALNA has clearly articulated to the government that we represent approximately 2,000 small businesses. ALNAs documents submitted to the government in relation to the concerning issue of lotto betting point to there being over 4,000 small businesses operating as lottery retailers whose customers have been impacted and mislead. As the only authorised national body it is not uncommon for us to refer to industry statistics.

Mr Joy explained, “ALNA only ever represents the position of its members and its board, which are newsagents and lottery agents across Australia. And in the interests of Australia’s newsagents and lottery agents, we independently and fairly advocate for them based on their feedback and requests. Our concerns regarding Lottoland have always been based on our members’ feedback, and independent of any other business.”

Auditors have determined that ALNA fairly present its affairs in all material aspects and have a clean report that is transparent and thorough and has disclosed all information required.

The last line of the extract that has been included in Lottoland’s misleading media release, states that ‘the auditors opinion has not been modified in respect of this matter’. For those who may not understand accounting terms, the Auditors are actually stating that the ANF (trading as ALNA) is solvent and is trading within the confines of the law. Any suggestion to the contrary by deliberately misrepresenting ANF financial information is unethical and defamatory. The correct information is publicly available through ASIC.

The false comments made about ALNA are in reaction to a soon-to-be-passed amendment to the Interactive Gambling Act, meaning the banning of betting on lottery outcomes. The Federal Interactive Gambling Act already makes it illegal to sell a scratchy online and play a poker machine online, and Lottoland’s business offering is another questionable model that is deemed inappropriate online. In other words, the main reason for the impending ban is consumer protection.

As Lottoland now faces the closure of the loophole that it operates in, it has pulled out stunt after stunt in desperate attempts to hoodwink the public.

Lottoland are an online wagering company and if they want to enter the lottery market, then they should consider a lottery license and completely change their product to one that is honest and operates within those much tighter regulations to offer consumer protections. Their business  is operating out of a legislative loophole and their approach is tricky and dodgy, and ultimately one that consumers should be concerned about.

The Lottoland release and the media coverage they get, especially on News Corp. platforms, speaks to the tough work faced by ALNA representing newsagents. Getting Tatts engaged and then politicians was there work of ALNA, on the back of relentless attacks on and mocking of small business newsagents by Lottoland.

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Ethics

Lotterywest pop-up trial

Lotterywest has announced a pop-up store trial:

We’re preparing for the first Lotterywest pop-up store at the Mt Hawthorn Streets and Lanes Festival on Sunday 6 May, as a trial project. This Festival is proudly supported by Lotterywest though our grants program.

We’ve partnered with local retailer Denise from The Mezz News, who will close her store and reopen 100m away as a pop-up (temporary) store at this exciting festival.

With 70,000 people expected, we’re aiming to attract new customers and educate them about our products and ways to play. Festival-goers will be able to purchase our products while seeing and experiencing firsthand our grant funding at work. It also provides a new way to showcase the retail channel and our lottery products in a way that is contemporary and where our players are.

We met with retailers in the surrounding area and they were very supportive of this initiative. We’ve also shared the details with the network through InTouch.

If this pop-up store trial is successful, we hope to offer other retailers the same opportunity at local events.

We look forward to giving you an update on the outcomes of the trial.

This trial looks to be a good idea to me, especially their engagement with a local lottery retailer. It would be good to hear what WA retailers think.

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Lotteries

How to secure the goods you sell to businesses and others on account

If you have strong accounts business in your newsagency, business where you supply goods on account to be paid at a later stage, then the Personal Properties Securities Register (PPSR) operated out of the Federal Government’s Australian Financial Security Authority could be useful.

The PPSR was established by the Gillard government in 2012.

You can register your interests through the PPSR in a way that you have almost the equivalent to a floating charge over the business you supply. This means you could retrieve your goods should the customer or the individual you supplied go broke. You could force payment to you in the event they sell the business or other circumstances arise.

Click here to check out the PPSR business guide. You will read that using the PPSR could assist in establishing business finance, if a considerable portion of revenue is to account customers.

The PPSR is a low cost way to register security without the need for lawyers or accountants to become involved. Registering will drive consistency and structure, and provides security in the event of things happening you hope will never happen.

I mention this because of a conversation I had with a retailer over the weekend who lost several thousand dollars when a small local business they supplied went broke. Only secured creditors were paid out. being registered through PPSR may have allowed them to retrieve some of what they supplied. They were locked out by the liquidator as they had no security.

If you sell on account and have substantial business in this area, research the PPSR and see if it offers security of value to you. You have nothing to lose.

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Newsagency management

Promoting Mother’s Day cards at the counter

The impulse card unit we have at th counter is working a treat selling Mother’s Day cards for us. While then unit holds three different card designs, we often only place two so that more of the design at the back can be seen. This is key to achieving full potential of the counter unit placement.

It is a thrill selling out of Mother’s Day card designs because of this tactical shop floor engagement away from the main display.

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Greeting Cards

Pitching the Pacific Magazines UK trip promotion

Here is the promotional display we have placed near magazines to pitch the Pacific Magazines prize of a trip to the UK or a diamond ring. The display is drawing shopper attention right where it needs to to generate the title purchase – which, of course, is the goal of the promotion. We are also tactically supporting the promotion at several locations in-store.

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magazines

Making the most of the royal baby opportunity

I love this counter placement by the manager of one of my stores, pitching the royal baby special issues of New Idea and Who at the counter.

Placed with other royal family related products, this pitch maximises  – the opportunity for easy impulse purchases. It also mixes product categories to demonstrate our product range diversity.

Simple timely counter displays like this work for us.

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Impulse lines

News Corp. to sell regional and local newspapers?

From Mediaweek yesterday:

News Corp in talks with potential buyers of its regional and local newspapers

News Corp has opened talks with potential buyers of its regional and local newspapers, including private equity bidders, reports The Australian’s Dana McCauley and Bridget Carter.

Sources close to the discussions cautioned that the talks were exploratory and may not lead to a sale of any titles.

They said the company was obliged to review its options after receiving interest and no decisions had been made.

News Corp has hired investment bank Citi as an adviser. Potential suitors include private equity firms Anchorage Capital and Apollo. It is unclear which titles are involved.

Staff at some newsrooms were briefed on the situation yesterday.

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Newspapers

The story of the drunk paperboy

From ITV in the UK:

A 64-year-old paperboy who deliberately set fire to his employers’ house in a bid for revenge after his benefits were cut has been jailed.

Neil Hitchin poured flaming white spirit through the letterbox of Adrian and Caroline Watts’ home next to their newsagents in Waterfoot, Lancashire, while they were sleeping.

Hitchin had been working part-time for the couple for five years delivering newspapers, but failed to declare his earnings to the Department for Work and Pensioners, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Richard Archer said Hitchin was caught after Mr and Mrs Watts declared their employees earnings through their accounts and his benefits were slashed.

Hitchin initially planned to ‘fire bomb’ the job centre’ but then ‘switched his attentions and focus on the newsagents itself’.

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Newspapers

Supermarkets beat newsagents on stationery placement

I have visited more than ten supermarkets in the last two weeks to see their approach to everyday stationery, following up a hunch that they are having more impact on stationery sales in newsagencies than considered.

In each case they offered an excellent range, covering everyday needs. Easily shopped. Offering brands people know. At prices that do not feel too high.

While range is important, it is the location of the stationery pitch that drives success in my view. In every case, stationery was placed to maximise passing traffic. In more than half, it was placed at the end of the pet food aisle, and most of the times, toilet paper was in the same aisle. This is what you see coming out of the aisle.

I think it is this placement that impacts stationery sales in a newsagency. People doing their weekly shop can easily satisfy their needs without having to make a separate trip to a newsagency. further, they can do it somewhere they think lower prices are a focus , thanks to advertising saying so, rather than a shop they think is expensive.

Declining stationery revenue in the newsagency channel concerns me as this product category was core, it was a traffic generator. While I do not have shopper traffic intent data, I suspect the  number of people entering a newsagency to purchase stationery is down considerably from ten, five and and even one year(s) ago.

The easy businesses to complain about for declining stationery traffic and sales are Officeworks and Staples online. While I agree, I think the focussed and tactically located stationery pitch in supermarkets is having a stronger impact on our businesses.

What can you do about this?

  1. Review your range. Ensure it is focussed, efficient and fresh.
  2. Review your price pitch. Make sure it is relevant to today.
  3. Review your placement. Make sure it is tactically placed to leverage shoppers not looking for stationery.
  4. Reach outside. Talk about stationery, specific products, on social media.

The alternatives are to complain that some other party is responsible for the decline or to sit by and do nothing. Both those responses are unproductive.

Own it. Understand it. Fix it.

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Stationery

What if you spent your energy on this instead…

Considerable time is spent by some newsagents on lotteries – fighting Tatts, fighting competitors, dealing with onerous shop-fit requirements, arguing about digital screens for which there is no commercial proof of value, competing with the growing number of outlets selling the same products, competing with online.

What if all that time, worry and money was invested in alternative products and services for the business?

If you follow the trajectory of online revenue as a percentage of all lottery revenue for Tatts at some point newsagents with Tatts will need an alternative traffic source.

Thinking about this now, thinking about how to find new traffic, can be positive for the business as you could develop a plan that is more sustainable for the business.

I know it is possible to run a business in the newsagency channel without Tatts. I have three. There are plan ty, too, running successful newsagencies with Tatts.

I sold my newsagency with Tatts over six years ago. I can’t see myself taking on one with Tatts in the future. I like the freedom, not having to submit to rules that do not benefit my business, being responsible for all foot traffic.

I get that others prefer the certain Tatts traffic. However, with that comes obligation that is often not commercially valuable.

Hence, my question / challenge:

What if all that time, worry and money was invested in alternative products and services for the business?

What if… that is all I am posing here. I am not advocating. Rather, I am posing a question, which I hope will get you thinking and rechecking with your own opinion. Regardless of where you land, it is good to check in with your opinion, to challenge yourself.

Reading here and elsewhere, the energy spent doing what Tatts wants, arguing with them and complaining about them is considerable. What could life be like if you were freed from that?

The challenge I put here is somewhat like the challenge years ago of getting out of newspaper home delivery. Early adopters saw the benefits and this put them ahead on restructuring their businesses. Those who came late to the decision did not benefit as much. I wonder is that will be the case with over the counter lottery sales.

So, all I want to achieve today is to have you ask the question of yourself, to have you imagine what the alternative would look like in your business. What you decide is 100% your decision.

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Newsagency management

Anzac Day

Looking online for resources respectful of Anzac Day, I found this video. it is of a song, ‘On Every Anzac Day’. It was launched a few years ago at the Australian War Memorial during a performance by the song’s creator (John Schumann OAM) who wrote the renowned military tribute I was only 19. We can use content like this on our social media pages to join in respect for important occasions that Australians celebrate and / or commemorate.

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Social responsibility

Lottoland launches a petition

Lottoland is begging Australians to sign a petition to keep them in business in Australia. Here is their pitch:

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

The Federal Government announced in late March that it wanted to ban all forms of online betting on lotteries – the products Lottoland Australia currently offers to our more than 650,000 customers.

The Government says the ban will help newsagents but the truth is that there is no evidence our products have had any impact on news and lottery agents.

Why not?Because we do NOT sell any products that are also sold by news or lottery agents.

We do NOT compete with them.

In other words, the legislation is unnecessary.

YOUR CHOICE, YOUR MONEY

If the legislation is passed by Parliament, hundreds of thousands of Australians like you will be stopped from betting on lottery outcomes online.

We know you enjoy the occasional flutter, especially on multi-million dollar overseas lotteries such as El Gordo in Spain or EuroMillions.

That is why in just a little over two years, more than 650,000 Australians have joined Lottoland Australia.

It’s your money and it should be YOUR choice.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

If we want to convince the Government to reconsider its proposed ban, we need to act. We need your help.

What can you do? Plenty.

  • You can sign this petition.
  • You can write, email or phone your local Federal Member of Parliament.
  • You can write to your local newspaper or call your local radio station opposing the proposed ban on online lottery betting.

Make your voice heard!

VOTE FOR CHOICE!

Give them their due, they are fighters. In fact, they came out fighting in Australia at launch, attacking and mocking small business newsagents, relentlessly.

I am not signing their petition.

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Competition

Gordon and Gotch dumps awful Mother’s Day gifts on newsagents

IF YOU ARE A MAGAZINE PUBLISHER, READ THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE IS A REASON NEWSAGENTS EARLY RETURN, IT IS WHY MORE ARE REDUCING MAGAZINE FLOOR SPACE AND EVEN QUITTING THE CATEGORY ALTOGETHER.

Gordon and Gotch sent Mum’s Gift Pack 1 to newsagents yesterday. It is priced at $14.99. Inside is a collection of what can best be described as junk. The random and unconnected items look like they are freebies collected and put into a pack.

Check it out.

This is junk. Newsagents contacted me saying they would be ashamed to put it out which poses the question: WTF GOTCH?

Pushing junk like this on newsagents, stealing their time and space, holding their cash, it makes a mockery of the magazine distribution model.

Whoever signed off at Gotch on this Mum’s Gift Pack going out to ought to explain to newsagents why they thought out was a good idea.

I have seen photos of packs from several newsagencies, as I did not receive this at my own stores, and I cannot make any sense out of this move, none whatsoever.

Having to put up with nonsense like this gets newsagents reconsidering their commitment to the category. That ought to worry legitimate publishers and have them calling on G0tch to explain what they have treated newsagents so appallingly, again.

In my opinion, the supply of this pack by Gotch to newsagents through the magazine distribution model is unethical, socially irresponsible and ignorant.

If the folks at Gotch are true to form they will remain silent on this issue. They do not engage. It’s a single lane one-way road on matters like this. And that is another reason newsagents look at cutting back on magazines. It is almost impossible to have a conversation with the company and when you do it usually costs more than the amount you are fighting over.

Things were supposed to improve when Network Services closed. They have not. They are worse.

This Mum’s Gift Pack represents another failure baby Gotch to understand the newsagency channel, another failure by Gotch to demonstrate respect for newsagents.

I urge magazine publishers using Gotch to approach their Gotch account manager and seek an explanation. Gotch needs to get its magazine distribution model right before distributing other products and even then they need to talk to newsagents before making that move.

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Ethics

The $3,000 transaction in the newsagency

At my small suburban high street newsagency on Saturday, not long after opening, we processed a transaction worth close to $3,000.00 for one customer. It was a new customer for the business, someone who contacted us through social media, chasing some of the high end limited edition collectibles we have access to.

We arranged to meet Saturday morning. Not only did they make the purchase, they made it clear they would be back in a few weeks. They are not local to the business but are happy to drive for the personal service and access to hard to find high value product for their collection.

This all happened in a shop that serves an older conservative community, a shop that deals daily with the challenges of competition from massive shopping centres (Chadstone, The Glen, Knox), a shop that has to reach way outside its four walls to fine people who will travel for what they want, a shop not relying on any high-traffic agency business to get people through the door.

I share this story today too make several points:

  • Any newsagent can achieve a sale of $3,000, even more, to a single customer. Plus, they can bank on repeat business.
  • Out of store marketing is key to attracting new traffic.
  • Having unique, loved, products is key to attracting new traffic.
  • Being accessible online is vital to serving people who find you online.
  • Promoting leveraging respected brands is more important than promoting your brand.
  • The first transaction like this will change our you see your business, forever.
  • What you can sell is not bound by your shingle, what you like or what you have sold in the past.
  • The sale was achieved 100% in the  business and by the business. There was no corporate support, no corporate spend. This is important to reflect that any newsagency anywhere in Australia could achieve this.

This story of what happened on Saturday is not isolated. I know of other newsagents who have done it and who have gone on to repeat the extraordinary sales from the new customer they found and others that person introduces to the business.

While for sure, our channel is surrounded by challenges, which can bring one down, there are also many opportunities for us, often outside what we have ever considered for our businesses before.

Be open. Connect with people who can help you be open. See out success stories and unpack them to learn whether you could try the same.

$3,000 at 45% GP is equal to 3,600 newspapers.

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Newsagency management
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