August, 2010 | newsXpress Blog

The tactical Business Development Manager difference

newsXpress is the only newsagency marketing group in Australia with a team of Business Development Managers working right across the country to help members grow their businesses. Our BDMs help members in a variety of ways including tactical engagement.

If you look at the photo you see a stand offering an excellent range of cookbooks from one of our newsXpress preferred suppliers. The newsXpres Business Development Manager for this store kicked the display up a notch by gathering together the range of bookmarks from within the store and displaying these on the top shelf of the retail stand – within easy customer reach. This significantly enhances the purchase opportunity.

There is more to a good marketing group than just deals. The books and the bookmarks in the photo deliver excellent margin. By bringing the two together this store is more likely to achieve a deeper shopping basket and therefore a higher dollar margin per sale.

This is the smart newsXpress difference … always thinking beyond just margin and focusing on what you can bank by being tactical in-store with product placement.

Opportunities like this can only be seen through regular store visits. Again, newsXpress is the only newsagency marketing group offering this right across the country.

Masterchef success at newsXpress Pelican Waters

newsXpress Pelican Waters has been enjoying tremendous success with the latest issue of Masterchef thanks to this excellent retail display in-store.

The excellent display on the dance floor faces customers as they walk into the store. This is perfect placement for a compelling display – like we see in the photo.

newsXpress members are reporting above industry average magazine performance. This is due to engagement like we are seeing here at newsXpress Pelican Waters. As the only newsagency marketing group seriously committed to the magazine category, we are thrilled to see professional and compelling member engagement like this.

In Perth this weekend

newsXpress is well represented at the GNS Market Fair which opens later this morning in Perth. Our Perth pitch will be the same as we have already delivered with success at the GNS Market Fairs in Melbourne and Sydney – newsXpress is a full service newsagency marketing group offering access to a suite of products and service which will help you drive a stronger and more rewarding business.

We LOVE newsagencies and this shows in our Market Fair pitch and everything we deliver once a newsagent joins the newsXpress community.

Father’s Day TV commercial in Western Australia

Ten newsXpress stores in our Western Australian market, have come together and produced a TVC supporting the newsXpress Father’s Day Book promotion. The newsXpress support team have worked feverishly with our production company, utilising their local area marketing experience to accomplish a professional sales advert which will hopefully achieve the dual goals of driving traffic into stores and promoting the brand in the WA marketplace.

The TVC will run for the next two weeks on channels 7, 9, 10 and Win throught WA. We have been able to negotiate some great timeslots during the promotional period including the high rating Today Show and 9am news on Network 10.

This TVC features a special bonus to viewers, purchase any book in-store during the duration of the campaign and receive entry into the draw to win a fantastic accomodation package at the luxurious Riverglen Chalets, situated in beautiful Margaret River. The prize was kindly donated by Andrew and Tany Wagner of newsXpress Margaret River and is as much a nod to their generosity as it is to their belief and trust in the benefits of the newsXpress group.

The Best Book Deals for the Best Dad…Yours! – only at newsXpress!

Father’s Day at newsXpress Maryborough

At newsXpress Maryborough (VIC) Father’s Day starts on the dance floor (one of the most important places in any retail business) with an excellent range of gifts on the gift table and leads customers deep into the store.

Blending the Hallmark and newsXpress marketing collateral as they have done at newsXpress Maryborough makes for a professional and compelling pitch for the important retail season.

We are thrilled that newsXpress is made up of a community of committed, skilled and valuable retailers.

Father’s Day at newsXpress Robina

newsXpress Robina (QLD) starts their Father’s Day message facing into the mall, attracting shoppers with an excellent display which also promotes the MP3 player and sound system.

The blocking of the display under the newsXpress brand is professional and strong – it links the season with the retail brand.

The sound system prize for one lucky newsXpress Robina shopper is funded by newsXpress head Office as part of our commitment to provide high value shopper prizes to our members for key seasons.

Elvis sighting at newsXpress Sarina

The team at newsXpress Sarina started an ‘ELVIS DAY’ tradition a few years ago by creating an in-store celebration on the 16th of August – the date of Elvis’ “disappearance” in 1977. They have a variety of Elvis related products on sale and went to the next big step this year by actually having the King in-store on the day.

They have promoted this event almost exclusively through their Facebook page which now has over 800 friends, and passing on hints to customers in store. The local paper, the Daily Mercury, will also be running a story about this fun event in their social pages, along with newsXpress preferred supplier, Gibson Unity featuring the event and products for sale in their upcoming newsletter.

Without doubt the highlight was owner, Mark Petersen in full Elvis garb and performing along to the ‘Around the clock’ Elvis hits through the store’s sound system all day. The response from customers has been outstanding and many were spied tapping their feet or singing along to the classics such as ‘Jailhouse Rock’, or ‘A little less conversation’. The team enthused by this outcome plan to make an even bigger event of the day next year, inviting particiaption from other lcoal businesses.

newsXpress Watergardens helps save the planet

newsXpress Watergardens has been selling good numbers of the newsXpress branded environmentally friendly shopping bags thanks to this simple counter display.

The message of Reuse! Help our planet! Reduce! on a sign with the bag pitches the bags to the real target customers – people concerned about the environment.

Besides the great environmental message, the bag also carries the newsXpress brand further out into the world.

Symply Too Good To Be True 6 rocks Forest Hill

Annette Sym’s Symply Too Good To be True 6 has been selling very well at newsXpress Forest Hill thanks to this power end display as well as tactical engagement designed to drive impulse purchases in the store. Extending the basket with a $28.00 purchase is a very nice outcome … made all the more easier thanks to newsXpress tactics.

Getting stock has not been an issue thanks to the newsXpress supplier relationship which keeps stock flowing of high selling titles.

Junior masterchef promotions at newsXpress

newsXpress has announced of excellent in-store promotional opportunities for its members based around the Junior Masterchef TV show which launches soon on Network Ten.

newsXpress stores across Australia are set to be the go to places for people wanting to engage with the latest instalment of the Masterchef phenomenon.

Our engagement with Junior Masterchef is part of our commitment to national brands.

Through this and other strategic offers, newsXpress is helping members better compete with mass merchants who love national brands.

newsXpress Darra sports new Interfit shopfit

newsXpress Darra, one of our newest members in Queensland, is showing off a very attractive and functional shopfit from Interfit. From the street and deep into the store, the Interfit expertise is on show. From a newsXpress perspective, this is excellent branding, promoting the value of a corporate approach to store look and feel.

Magazine sales growth at newsXpress Bairnsdale

Like many other newsagents, sales in the magazine department at newsXpress Bairnsdale magazine department were down on last year. As proactive newsXpress members, they made a series of strategic hanges to address the decline. These changes included:

Relaying magazines and introduced beacon branding at the same time

Implementing and actively promoting the newsXpress magazine club card. The newsXpress exclusive training video made implementing this easier for training staff.

Embracing in-location magazine displays with great success.

Pushing slow cooker and master chef titles aggressively. The growth in the food category has been spectacular.

Because of these changes, magazine sales at newsXpress Bairnsdale have turned around and they are now trading well above the industry average and showing good year on year growth.

Well done to David, Gina and the team!

Great uplift in instant lottery ticket sales

newsXpress Watergardens achieved an excellent uplift in sales of instant scratch tickets thanks to this smart front of store display as well as employee engagement with Intralot caps and the offering of a reward for customers buying a certain number of consecutive tickets without achieving at least one win.

There was an immediate and sustained lift in sales as a result of the well co-ordinated and managed campaign. This lift is sales was achieved from existing customers as well as from new customers attracted by the impressive display.

Well done to Renee for developing the campaign with Intralot aand to the team at enwsXpress Watergardens for such a successful campaign which represented newsXpress so well.

newsXpress supports members across a range of product categories including lotteries. This support can be in the form of co-ordinated campaigns like this one at Watergardens or more tactical offers designed to drive basket growth.

Fishing fun at newsXpress Riverlink

The folks at newsXpress Riverlink know how to have fun when merchandising their store. Check out how they are promoting the Potty Fisher, one of the products available through a newsXpress preferred supplier for Father’s Day 2010. The display is eye-catching and sure to drive good sales – as well a generating a laugh in store.

The newsXpress Father’s Day range this year includes a range of fun items as well as the more traditional photo frames, dad’s books, mugs and other gifts. Early reports indicate that the range is working very well.

Basket building at newsXpress Knox

The VTAC Guide 2011, listing tertiary courses available in Victoria for 2011, is the type of product which shoppers will not necessarily visit specifically expecting to purchase. This is why a high impact display in a high traffic location, like the one created by the team at newsXpress Knox, is an excellent tactical initiative. Every customer approaching the counter is confronted with the simple yet highly effective display. This is why sales of the VTAC Guide 2011 have been so good.

newsXpress offers its members many basket building strategies and tactics. These can help drive sales efficiency without necessarily increasing business costs.

newsXpress Eli Waters shows off Father’s Day

You can’t miss the Hallmark Father’s Day card promotion at newsXpress Eli Waters.

The terrific display makes the Hallmark card range the hero and the opportunity to win an MP3 player and speakers the carrot to make the purchase. By showing off the actual prize it makes the competition real for shoppers in-store.

newsXpress has organised the free MP3 players for members as part of the newsXpress / Hallmark Alliance Program. newsXpress funds access to this for members carrying the Hallmark everyday range.

Free Donna Hay bag at newsXpress Bairnsdale

The team at newsXpress Bairnsdale is promoting the newsXpress exclusive free bag which comes with the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine with this excellent in-store display.

Displaying the magazine and the bag in the one display along with the promotional poster make the pitch simple and compelling – as the photo shows. The display is designed and placed within the store to drive good impulse business.

The team at newsXpress Bairnsdale understand the value magazine promotions to drive not only impulse business but to give the store a visual lift.

Symply Too Good promotion at newsXpress Watergardens

newsXpress Watergardens is promoting Annette Sym’s new Symply Too Good To Be True 6 book out the front of the store and generating excellent sales as a result. Capitalising on the excellent media coverage of the launch, the display is drawing shoppers to the store to brose and buy the popular title.

The eye-catching display by Renee deserves special appreciation since it was created without any marketing collateral from the publisher.

The columns at the front of the newsXpress Watergardens store are used well to promote fresh offers from the business – like other retailers do with fresh window displays.

newsXpress Bairnsdale shows off Hallmark storybooks

Gina at newsXpress Bairnsdale has recorded her voice in a Hallmark storybook and put it on display to show off how these books work. This is a brilliant idea and shows the real benefits of the Hallmark storybooks.

When you open the first page of the book you hear Gina say ‘This is to my darling nephew Jackson I hope you enjoy your book’ (or something to that effect). Gina says it with feeling and love and you could just imagine how happy the child would be to hear a family member read the book out to them. Gina’s voice does a lot more to sell this book than the display could ever do. What a brilliant idea!

Symply To Good To be True 6 promotion a hit at newsXpress Knox

The counter promotion of Annette Sym’s Symply Too Good To Be True 6 has been a tremendous hit at newsXpress Knox. Not only has Symply Too Good To Be True 6 sold extremely well but sales of editions 1 through 5 of the series have been excellent. Extra stock has been ordered, again, to keep up with demand.

The team at newsXpress Knox is following the newsXpress recommended approach and it is working a treat – driving excellent impulse business at the counter.

This is further evidence of the newsXpress difference working. Adding $7.00 in margin to a sale containing a single newspaper, a magazine or a greeting card makes that sale far more valuable. It also reinforces the value of shopping at newsXpress to the customer and is more likely to birng them back.

Extending the shopping basket through practical tactics is an important part of the what newsXpress delivers to its members.