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

Looking back 17 years

I’m not big on looking back, especially at past blog posts. This morning, though, searching for something else, I found this post from here, on September 28, 2005:

CRIKEY PUBLISHER SAYS NEWSPAPERS ARE “ON THE SKIDS”

In yesterday’s edition of Crikey, a daily emailed publication of news and comment, Publisher Eric Beecher commented about newspapers in the context of the appointment of a new editor for the Sydney Morning Herald, a newspaper Beecher once himself edited. Here’s what Beecher had to say:

17. Editing the SMH is about cost cutting, not creative journalism

By Crikey publisher Eric Beecher

The Sydney Morning Herald has a new editor – Alan Oakley, currently editor of The Sunday Age. “I am privileged to take on the best job in Australian journalism,” he said yesterday. “It is a challenging time for newspapers. I will concentrate my efforts to ensure that we are continually meeting the evolving needs of readers.”

Oakley, who is a popular choice, may feel he is taking up the best job in Australian journalism (it certainly felt like that when I had it in the late 1980s), but I suspect it won’t be much fun.

Newspapers like the Herald that depend solely on classified advertising for their profits are on the skids. Fewer people buy them or respect them, and their classified ads are migrating inextricably to the internet because it’s a better, cheaper medium for that kind of advertising.

Unfortunately, this consigns their editors to saying one thing (“I will concentrate my efforts to ensure that we are continually meeting the evolving needs of readers”) but doing another – cutting costs and eliminating jobs. These days, editors of papers like the Herald are more like executioners than editors.

Quality newspapers are a sunset industry desperately trying to prop up their historically high profits by cutting costs. Over the past week in the US, for example, six of the country’s more prestigious newspapers – including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer and San Jose Mercury News – have sliced hundreds of editorial and non-editorial jobs. And no-one believes this culling was anything other than business as usual for big newspapers.

Fairfax CEO Fred Hilmer said yesterday that Oakley’s appointment means the Herald “is in excellent hands for the future.” Unfortunately, that can only mean that Alan Oakley knows how to wield the knife.

I agree with Beecher’s comments about the viability of newspapers relying on classified advertising. Okay it won’t happen today or tomorrow. It will happen though. The economics of online classifieds make it inevitable. Newspapers cannot compete with the flexible search, production costs and mobility offerings of online advertising. Playing games with giveaways and competitions to drive sales will not fix that. Nor will offering free advertisements. Nor will free newspapers. Newspapers have a bright future if they focus on content.

I worry for the traditional newspaper supply chain in Australia. Newsagents are not prepared for the effects of the changes even though we are in the middle of them already with considerable supply changes impacting our businesses.

I disagree with Beecher’s comments about the viability of quality newspapers. Respected content (news, analysis and opinion) delivered exclusively in a print form will deliver sales of sufficient value to attract certain advertisers. Okay it’s more of a hope than a belief. People like Tim Porter and Jeff Jarvis and others have suggested how it may be achieved.

There is no doubt that this is a time of enormous disruption for newspapers. Denial only makes the road harder to navigate.

This: I worry for the traditional newspaper supply chain in Australia. Newsagents are not prepared for the effects of the changes even though we are in the middle of them already with considerable supply changes impacting our businesses. proved to be true.

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Media disruption

Is it too early to put Christmas cards out in the newsagency?

The answer, based on evidence, is no.

Through one of my shops we have offered boxed Christmas cards in-store and online all through the year. Online sales have ticked along while in-store has been slow. Then, in July, online sales increased further, and at the start of this month, sales spiked further again.

The online sales indicate that planners are thinking of and buying for Christmas from the start of July. We have seen enough early sales to encourage us to continue with the year-round approach, and to know some possible trends for this year.

I post the question Is it too early to put Christmas cards out in the newsagency? today because some newsagent colleagues tell me they will hold off putting out Christmas until the start of November. In my experience, that would cause the business to miss revenue there for the taking.

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Greeting Cards

Join me on a visit to the awesome Woods Grove in Brooklyn, New York

Woods Grove is one of the best gift shops I have seen. I am grateful to visit there a few weeks ago, and speak with one of the owners. Here’s a short video in which I share some highlights.

The visit was part of a newsXpress retail study tour where we visited a bunch of innovative and successful local indie retail businesses relevant to the Aussie newsagency channel.

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Newsagency management

Whoa: Optus announces significant security breach

Optus notifies customers of cyberattack compromising customer information

22 September 2022, 02:00 PM

Following a cyberattack, Optus is investigating the possible unauthorised access of current and former customers’ information.

Upon discovering this, Optus immediately shut down the attack. Optus is working with the Australian Cyber Security Centre to mitigate any risks to customers. Optus has also notified the Australian Federal Police, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and key regulators.

“We are devastated to discover that we have been subject to a cyberattack that has resulted in the disclosure of our customers’ personal information to someone who shouldn’t see it,” said Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, Optus CEO.

“As soon as we knew, we took action to block the attack and began an immediate investigation. While not everyone maybe affected and our investigation is not yet complete, we want all of our customers to be aware of what has happened as soon as possible so that they can increase their vigilance. We are very sorry and understand customers will be concerned. Please be assured that we are working hard, and engaging with all the relevant authorities and organisations, to help safeguard our customers as much as possible.”

Information which may have been exposed includes customers’ names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and, for a subset of customers, addresses, ID document numbers such as driver’s licence or passport numbers.  Payment detail and account passwords have not been compromised.

Optus services, including mobile and home internet, are not affected, and messages and voice calls have not been compromised. Optus services remain safe to use and operate as per normal.

“Optus has also notified key financial institutions about this matter. While we are not aware of customers having suffered any harm, we encourage customers to have heightened awareness across their accounts, including looking out for unusual or fraudulent activity and any notifications which seem odd or suspicious.”

To help protect against fraud, customers are encouraged to look to reputable sources such as:

 

For customers believed to have heightened risk, Optus will undertake proactive personal notifications and offering expert third-party monitoring services.

The most up to date information will be available via optus.com.au. For customers who have specific concerns, they can contact Optus via the My Optus App (which remains the safest way to interact with Optus) or by calling 133 937. Optus will not be sending links in any emails or SMS messages.

Media queries please contact Optus Corporate Affairs on media@optus.com.au

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Newsagency management

Good comms from news Corp. on AFL Grand Final engagement

News Corp. continue to engage well with retail newsagents. They have sent out this communication re AFL Grand Final engagement:

This may seem like basic stuff, and it is, but it was missing for a while from News for retail only businesses and it’s non existent from Nine in my experience.

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Newspapers

Tower Systems announces new free online marketplace for local independent retailers including newsagents

Tower Systems is launching www.findit.com.au, a free marketplace for local indie retailers like you. Listing products on FindIt will be free for Tower Systems customers.
 
Our goal for FindIt is to help customers looking online for items you sell, to drive traffic to your shop.
 
All Tower Systems POS software customers have access to FindIt for free.
 
We have built FindIt because of the growing importance of being online to in-store retail, and because some retailers are challenged with creating and running their own website. This is a no cost / low cost solution to help you be found online.
 
If you do have your own website, you will still be able to list on FindIt if you wish.
 
Retailers can choose to sell through FindIt, or just list what they have available in-store. If they do sell through FindIt, there is a fee of 10%. This covers Tower for credit card fees and Afterpay fees once that is live. It also covers us for credit card fraud claims. Retailers choose whether to sell through FindIt or not. Again, to list products and have your shop found is free.
 
We are hosting the website on a large secure and fast server in a remote data centre. We are also doing the backend SEO work to raise the Google profile.
 
Customers will land on the website from Google. As the ranking of the site increases, products on FindIt will list in Google results. Customers will be able to add items from multiple retailers to a FindIt basket in a transaction.
 
The FindIt website confirms the order to the customer and provides the retailer with a recipient created tax invoice. Retailers will be able to go to their FindIt vendor panel to download a picking slip.
 
 
 
  

 

Retailers choose the price of what they sell – it can be their web price or their retail price. In the Tower Systems POS software, retailers choose whether a product is listed online.
 
The image for a product will be the first image loaded for a product. If a retailer has a better image than the first one loaded by another retailer, it would take a manual process to change it, a process not currently in place. The same applies to descriptions. 
 
We connect products by barcode. If a retailer generates their own barcode for an item already on FindIt, it will treat that product as a new item.
 
The price will be the retailer’s price – yes, multiple retailers on FindIt could result in different prices for the same item.
The product description is the key. Our advice on this is to try and think about what someone is likely to type into Google.
 
Retailers will have the option to be either freight free or charge. If a retailer has product dimensions and have selected to charge freight, the Australia Post plug-in we have will calculate a freight charge. Retailers will also have an option, on their vendor page in FindIt to set a flat freight charge if you wish.
 
We currently serve over 3,000 local small business independent retailers. Across that eco system there are more than 100,000 unique products. FindIt has the potential to be an important marketplace. 
 
We are around 3 weeks away from launch. 
 
In terms of the launch tho, it will be soft, no major fanfare. We’re taking a Field of Dreams approach … building it in the hope they do come.
 
This is a new space for us and for our customers. There will be missteps along the way for sure. We will evolve the site based on what we learn from these and from your feedback. 
 
We are excited to help local indie retailers find new shoppers for your business.
Find out more about our Tower Systems POS software at our website, www.towersystems.com.au, where you can also easily watch demonstrations of our software. We only supply independent retailers. Plus, our software is Aussie made and supported.
 
For a personal demonstration or to discuss your POS software needs:
  • sales@towersystems.com.au
  • 1300 662 957.
15 likes
Newsagency management

Lottery Office competitor to traditional lotteries appears to be gaining traction

www.lotteryoffice.com.au, owned by Global Players Network Pty Ltd , is appearing in several social media feeds and while they are not engaged in paid advertising as much as in their past, traffic to their website is growing as this graph I pulled yesterday. The second graph shows keyword penetration in key groups.

I mention it because I suspect plenty of lottery retailers are not aware of this competitor that offers games related to overseas lotteries.

They pitch interestingly on Twitter. Here’s a post from yesterday, for example:

8% of their online traffic comes from people searching for lotto in Google. This keyword is searched 301,000 times a month in Australia. The Lottery Office ranks at position 6 currently in Australia.

I don’t know their revenue, or whether they are winning customers from sales of over the counter games. What I know know is that they are present in the marketplace, and pitching themselves well.

Their website shares more information abut them:

The Lottery Office is operated by Global Players Network Pty Ltd. We are Australian owned and operated and licensed by the Northern Territory Government. We have offices in Darwin, NT and on the Gold Coast, QLD.

The Lottery Office is unlike other companies. Our unique business model allows you to enter our own Government approved lotteries. When you enter one of our lotteries, we will then purchase a matching ticket in a major overseas lottery and we will claim any prize that is won from the overseas ticket and pay you the exact same amount. This ensures we are able to pay out any prize and not have to rely on an insurance policy like other companies. It also allows our players to have the chance to win from matched tickets with major overseas lotteries having prizes reaching into the billions.

I mention this so as to avoid confusion.

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Lotteries

This is how a supplier supports their small business retail customers

We started buying from a US based supplier (not the one I wrote about recently). They have unique products, nothing like them in Australia.

Their first order has just arrived. Yesterday, they asked if we ship as they have someone in NSW interest in a product of theirs we have just received. It was an easy sale.

Now, overnight, we have received 2 more similar leads.

While they could shop to Australia, and Aussies would pay shipping for their unique products, their choice is to support retailers who purchase through them and pass on leads.

It’s terrific seeing a supplier support its retail partners in this way.

7 likes
Social responsibility

News Corp needs to improve it’s engagement with online

A new issue of the House of Wellness advertising catalogue is out next week and people interested are told to take the coupon to a newsagency to collect. If you follow the links News Corp has published to see stockists you get a non-searchable list with truncated names.

The list is useless unless you want read through 18 pages. They could have easily made this searchable. It’s an easy fail by News Corp.

3 likes
Newspapers

We’re hiring: Retail Manager, newsXpress Malvern

We’re hiring for a Retail Manager role at our Glenferrie Road, Malvern, VIC, store.

Retail Manager: newsXpress, Glenferrie Road Malvern.

We are looking for an experienced retail manager, keen to manage their own shop. Someone with good current Aussie retail skills, ideally in innovative small business.

Product categories of interest are gifts, homewares, greeting cards and pop culture.

We provide considerable freedom, which is backed with encouragement and support from our head office team.

The use of current POS software is key to success as are online sales fulfilled through this business.

This role reports to our head office retail businesses manager. There are opportunities in the future outside the shop, too.

We own several suburban Melbourne retail businesses. They are run under management. Our retail managers spend most of the day in the shop, serving, working with customers, suppliers and team members.

While our retail businesses look a bit like a newsagency, they are not a newsagency. Our focus is on gifts, homewares and greeting cards. There is no confectionery product, no lotteries and no tobacco.

This is a full time role.

Want to know more, email us at newsXpress head office: help@newsxpress.com.au. Also, check us out online at www.cutenessoverload.com.au  and www.beanieboosaustralia.com and www.jigsawsaustralia.com and www.mintcoinshop.com.au.

No agents.

$60,000 – $65,000 + super + vehicle allowance.

0 likes
Newsagency management

Some pop culture brands are easy wins for retailers

The Golden Girls is a successful pop culture brand in Australia based on online searches, but not based on products sold. Monthly Google searches are sitting at 30,000+ yet there is little here in the way of products available from suppliers.

What fascinates me is the broad age and gender appeal of this brand. Like some other TV show brands from the 60s, 70s and 80s, it’s a brand with a ton of latent demand here.

Thanks to good data resources we can gauge consumer interest in a brand. It surprised me that the wholesalers with access to overseas businesses manufacturing products with these licences appear to not have done the search data research.

While The Golden Girls is on my mind at the moment, there are other brands even more successful, more often searched, than it for which there are no products in Australia. It’s frustrating and disappointing, and leading some retailers to explore unconventional routes.

I am interested in this because I think that in these niche spaces lay opportunities. Sure, it’s easy selling what everyone has access to. But, it is likely to be more valuable playing in these other spaces.

Now, I do get that the mug in the photo is =not Licenced product. It has been created in a way so as to not represent itself as genuinely Licenced. Rather, it is inspired by if you like.

3 likes
Newsagency opportunities

Newsagents: be careful in handling the extra magazine issues published to commemorate the passing of the Queen

The extra magazine issues out tomorrow present challenges for newsagents as you will have 2 issues of one title on sale at the same time.

Tower Systems earlier today published advice to its 1,700+ newsagency software customers. It’s in the Tower knowledge base and may change to suit changed circumstances:

Early Magazine Arrivals – Queen Commemoration Issues

On this page
Woman’s Day, New Idea, and Who will be releasing an early special issue on Thursday September 15th to commemorate the Queen. To avoid any billing issues with the title coming out twice in one week you will need to follow the below advice:

Subagents

You will have to manually change the orders for Woman’s Day, New Idea, and Who on Monday the 19th back to Friday the 16th. This will ensure that you have dockets and a corresponding charge for the Friday deliveries. To do this please follow the steps below.

  1. Go into your subagent orders screen & select generate orders & select the week ending date in which 19/09/2022 is contained. For Most users this will be 25/9/2022.

  2. Click Generate

  3. Go to the subagent orders screen and select the week ending that contains the orders for Monday 19/09/2022

  4. Locate and change each title with the arrival date of 19/09/2022 to the 15/09/2022. You will need to do this for each subagent who receives the title.

  5. This will then move the order back to the week ending in which the 15/09/2022 is contained.

  6. When you then arrive Woman’s Day for 15/09/2022, you will be asked if you want to change the arrival day from Monday to Friday. Select NO.

  7. You will then be asked if you wish to create a non-arrival for the title. Select NO.

These titles will show correctly on your subagent dockets and will correctly bill for that week.

Do NOT generate your subagent orders again after this point for the week ending that contains the 19/09/2022 as this will re-create the orders that you have moved. If you do you will need to go into each subagent grid for the week affected and zero out the Qty for each title 

Customer Home Deliveries

For home delivery customers we you will need to

  1. Print off the Run List for the 19/09/2022 and the 15/09/2022 on the afternoon of the 14/09/2022.

  2. Transpose any home deliveries for the titles affected to the run list for the 15/09/2022. Customer will be billed on Mondays as normal, providing you have NOT entered a Non Arrival.

3 likes
Newsagency management

Is The Lottery Corporation shifting focus to convenience and tobacco?

It feels to me like the folks at The Lottery Corporation are interested in new outlets in the convenience and tobacco retail niches to the detriment of the historically strong focus on newsagency businesses.

Okay, I don’t have evidence to support this. It’s why I say it feels like.

Any move referencing tobacco retail would be odd as it challenges the values of TLC. I mean, seriously, any support of tobacco businesses would be problematic for any partner. I mean, lung cancer …

It’s been on my mind recently because of colleague newsagents who have had to deal with new competitors, tobacco outlets, approved by TLC for a lotteries franchise.

I mention it here to put the topic on the record, to see if anyone comments.

I may be wrong. There may be nothing to see here. But, on the other hand, there may be plenty to see here. It could be a trend.

It wouldn’t surprise me given what we see in some overseas markets.

7 likes
Uncategorized

A roster and opening hours challenge for the national day of mourning, especially in Victoria

The national day of mourning for the Queen announced this morning presents challenges for business, especially small business retailers, like newsagents, and especially so in Victoria.

Friday September 23 is already a public holiday for the AFL Grand Final.

Now, we have the day before, September 22, designated a public holiday. It’s a Thursday, with attendant magazine challenges for plenty of newsagents,  too.

We’ll all have to consider opening hours and roster settings. Given penalty rates, it presents a challenge.

Since school holidays are already under way then, that is also a consideration.

Everyone has their local situation to consider. For us in suburban Melbourne, for example, it will be a half day open on the national day mourning I think. 7am to 1pm probably.

Most sales for many newsagents will be papers, at 12.5% GP and magazines, at 25% GP. Wages will cost around $45 an hour. You can soon work out the cost of being open on this new public holiday.

Maybe the federal and state governments could join in on the mourning and waive taxes and charges for a day. Of course, that’s a ridiculous and impossible suggestion. But I do wonder about the cost to all businesses of this new public holiday. In small businesses, especially, days like this increase the cost to business owners either in financial terms or demands on their own time.

I get that there are some in the community who will embrace and appreciate the national day of mourning, and I get that the country, as part of the Commonwealth, needs to be seen to do something like this, and that plenty of Australians will want it. What is frustrating is the considerable cost that falls to small business without consultation – which, of course, would be impossible in this rare circumstance.

I mention it merely to note it.

Also, it would be churlish to not note the economic value to flow from the passing of the Queen in newspaper, magazine and mint coin sales, and more I suspect. So there is that, for which I am grateful.

…

I am all for a republic. The sooner the better. The Queen dying doesn’t sadden me. I feel no connection to her. I’m not aware of anything good she did for me, or anyone I know. I am aware of her involvement, by proxy, and by looking the other way, in the removal of a democratically elected government in Australia, as documented thoroughly in The Palace Letters, by Jenny Hocking.

Bloodline monarchies have no place in democracy in my opinion.

Yes, she was a strong woman of influence in the world, and she was likeable and she was the official British Head of State. But, getting the seat because of bloodline and being surrounded by such luxury and opulence public funding is problematic to me, as is their invasion of well settled lands, like Australia, where the indigenous were slaughtered.

24 likes
Ugh!

Are media announces magazine publication plans for commemorating the life of the Queen

Are Media has provided this advice to newsagents re their current plans for commemorating the life of the Queen following her passing.

Monday 12th September on-sale:

  • Woman’s Day, New Idea, and TV Week to go on sale as normal

Thursday 15th September on sale:

  • New Idea and Woman’s Day, which were due to go on sale 19th September, will be brought forward and remain on sale for 10 days
  • Who will be on sale as normal
  • New Idea additional special commemorative one-shot will go on sale RRP $9.99=

Monday 19th September on sale:

  • The Australian Women’s Weekly commemorative issue one-shot RRP $12.99

5 likes
magazines

News Corp advises newsagents of supply increases this weekend

This comms was just sent to newsagents:

Dear Newsagent/Retailer,

Our Saturday and Sunday newspapers will contain significant news coverage related to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

In anticipation of increased reader interest, we have increased your supply for these editions.

Our regular weekend magazine inserts are printed several days before the newspaper is printed. This means that for this weekend only, we don’t have enough magazines to cover the increased newspaper supply.

You may find that this impacts your own supplies. If so, please let your customers and staff know, and convey our apologies.

And to minimise any possible delay in arrival times, additional delivery vehicles have been added.

If you have any concerns on this matter, please don’t hesitate to contact News Retail Support, your Area Logistics Manager or Area Sales Manager to discuss further.

Kind Regards,

News Corp Australia

And later today after emailing them I got this from Nine:

QUEEN ELIZABETH II SPECIAL EDITIONS – SATURDAY. Retail supplies will be increased for special editions of The Age and Financial Review on Saturday 10th September. Because of the late changes some country and metro AGE copies may be delivered without the Good Weekend magazine and on Sunday some copies will be without Sunday Life.

6 likes
Newspapers
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