Month: August 2020

Storytime: Father’s Day 2020

Storytime:  “I’ve got no idea what to write on a Father’s Day card.” I could retire if I got a dollar for every time I heard that. Father’s Day cards appear to be the hardest cards to write for so many. We’re not sure why.

Our advice when considering what to write on a Father’s Day card is always simple: think about what you would want discovered on the card years later. You know, when someone is packing up the home and are going through stored memories.

Since many cards are kept in boxes for sometime in the future, think about what you would like to be the memory shared when someone sees your Father’s Day card. Because, that card you give today is for today and for the memories down the track.

#FathersDay #Dad2020 #CardsAsHugs #Love

Father’s Day cards – 2020

Storytime:  Billie slid 3 Father’s Day cards across the counter. “This one’s for my husband, he’s awesome,” she said with a bright smile. “This one’s for my father-in-law. He’s perfect and we love him.” Billie paused with the last card. “This one’s for my dad, who died when I was 5. Every year I write a card and put it on the side table, next to his photo.”

Days like Father’s Day are for all sorts of heart warming memories. #FathersDay #Dad2020 #CardsAsHugs #Love

Helping small business newsagents have a terrific 2020

newsXpress is a newsagency marketing group that helps small business newsagents in Australia to run more enjoyable, successful and valued local retail businesses.

Most of our newsXpress newsagent member businesses are in regional Australia, on main streets, serving local shoppers and local community groups.

newsXpress newsagents are local families with kids in local schools, hiring local people, serving the local community.

Our local newsXpress newsagent businesses can be found in all states and territories of Australia. We are national but all of our newsXpress newsagent businesses are locally owned and locally run.

This is why no two newsXpress businesses will look the same. They sell products in service of their local community. They are responsive and engaged.

newsXpress helps its members to find products appropriate to their businesses preferencing Australian made because of what this means for local jobs because here in 2020, local jobs do matter.

Helping small business newsagents in this way, to run moire locally focussed and successful and safe businesses is a core part of the newsXpress newsagency marketing group mission – in service of all in the local newsagent business who rely on the business for income.

Here is a small part of what we have done with and for newsXpress newsagent business members already in 2020:

  • Early access to state and territory grants. Even where they did not quality for JobKeeper we helped plenty make the case for grant funding.
  • Rent relief. We have helped many newsXpress members with rent relief, which has ranged from 25% off rent for 6 months to 75% off rent for 6 months.
  • Bonus GP%. On top of newsXpress preferential pricing, 51 suppliers provided an additional 5% of GP April through June on all purchases in an exclusive
  • First with jigsaws. In February we pitched jigsaws as a growth category in a Covid world. Our members grabbed inventory, and achieved excellent sales.
  • Online with jigsaws. In March we turned on a national jigsaw website connected to newsXpress stores to win delivery and click and collect sales. It’s been a hit.
  • First with nesting. In March we identified nesting as a popular growth category. Members following our advice have added thousands of dollars in revenue.
  • New suppliers. We have brought on 15 new suppliers in recent months, almost all of whom have not previously dealt with newsagents.

There are many more items on this list, many more benefits delivered to local newsagency businesses as 2020 has rolled out and there is plenty more to come, in service of local communities around Australia.

newsXpress – helping Aussie newsagents be more relevant than ever

newsXpress helps Aussie newsagents run more relevant and appealing businesses, serving local communities in Australia with product they want – in-store and click and collect.

Through newsXpress local newsagents can easily sell online for delivery anywhere in Australia as well as for fast and easy click and collect.

This is the newsagency of the future – an efficient tech based model that delivers to local community products newsagents are known for like papers and magazines and plenty more products like awesome games, toys, gifts and more.

newsXpress newsagents bring to you the very best in toys, collectibles, jigsaws, games and other fun and enjoyable items that are helping to make 2020 a year of happy memories.

There are newsagents and, then, there are newsXpress newsagents. newsXpress newsagents are a happy group, vibrant, changing and serving communities with funky and enjoyable products and doing this in ways that are relevant in 2020 and beyond. This is a year of wonderful change and newsXpress through its newsagent members is embracing the change.

From stationery, to birthday cards, to packaging materials, to candles, to gifts for him, to gifts for her, to gifts for yourself … your local newsXpress is bound to be able to serve your needs. Plus, it can do this online, too.

newsXpress is a wonderful place for celebrating, enjoying, remembering and generally engaging in live and the emotions of life.

We help local newsagents make businesses that are enjoyable and valuable for those who rely on the business.

This is the difference newsXpress brings to newsagents who partner with the newsagency group … we offer opportunities, not demands. Everything we do and suggest is optional, up to the local retailer to decide as to relevance for their local business situation.

Selling online has been part of the newsXpress newsagent opportunity for more than five years. Most of our members have an online connection through the online engagement opportunities newsXpress offers. This could be for local delivery, out of town delivery, click and collect and more. Online is one of a bunch of key differentiators that newsXpress offers its members and for which it has terrific runs on the board.

How newsXpress helps small business newsagents run more valuable retail businesses

newsXpress is a newsagency marketing group focussed on helping small business newsagents top run more successful and enjoyable retail business.

By understanding what is important to us you can discover what we focus on for newsXpress members. Based on our work with newsagents, here are the top things we hear in 2020 are important to small business newsagents.

  • Helping you save money. Because, cash is king.
  • Exclusive products. Through which to differentiate your business.
  • Helping you find customers you would not usually reach.
  • Helping you enjoy your business because enjoying your business is key for you and all who working the newsagency business.
  • Change is inevitable. COVID-19 brought about urgent change and newsXpress was engaged from the outset, supporting, guiding, helping … providing confidence.
  • Good business data can help reveal trends. newsXpress has been first with advice to leverage fads and when to exit.
  • Brands support newsXpress and member businesses. We put brands first.
  • We love to see and hear newsXpress members talking with each other, sharing experiences and insights. Great ideas have been discovered on a shop floor.
  • The journey. We prefer to focus on the steps we take today rather than where we might be tomorrow because we know in small business, in retail and in newsagencies, tomorrow is an unknown. We focus on what we know and the next step we will take.
  • New traffic. We chase products and opportunities to drive new traffic, people you do not usually see in your business – ideally, new traffic that will return.

Newsagents are demonstrating their value to local communities, value in helping keep people informed, helping people connect and helping people get through challenging situations.

Newsagents are core to local communities and newsXpress is core is its focus of support for newsagents. Every day we work with newsagents to help them, in practical and valuable terms, to help small business retailers in the newsXpress newsagency community to run better businesses.

Better can be a subjective term. To us it is a business that is more enjoyable, more profitable and more valuable.

The help newsXpress offers is personal and nuanced to local needs, based on what the newsXpress newsagent says they need or what the objectives are for their personal situation

newsXpress helps Australian newsagents turn their situation around

newsXpress has plenty of experience in turnaround situations, helping newsagents. While we will not reveal details of our strategy here, we note that it takes time, commitment, honest communication and a wish for change. We start by understanding the truth of a situation. We dig deep into the newsagent business data to get to the facts. This provides a basis for advice we provide.

Our turnaround work can consist of as little as suggestions on changes or as much as developing a comprehensive long-term plan.  Each newsagent turnaround situation is different – hence our position that a turnaround starts with understanding the situation of the business and the business owners.

We actively work with newsXpress members to understand the needs of their newsagent businesses, working individually, practically and locally.

This is another service from our engaged newsagency marketing group, helping newsagents create more valuable and sustainable retail businesses.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US?

By understanding what is important to us you can discover what we focus on for newsXpress members. Here are the top things we think are important:

  • Helping you save money. Because, cash is king.
  • Exclusive products. Through which to differentiate your business.
  • Helping you find customers you would not usually reach.
  • Change is inevitable. COVID-19 brought about urgent change and newsXpress was engaged from the outset, supporting, guiding, helping … providing confidence.
  • Good business data can help reveal trends. newsXpress has been first with advice to leverage fads and when to exit.
  • Brands support newsXpress and member businesses. We put brands first.
  • We love to see and hear newsXpress members talking with each other, sharing experiences and insights. Great ideas have been discovered on a shop floor.
  • The journey. We prefer to focus on the steps we take today rather than where we might be tomorrow because we know in small business, in retail and in newsagencies, tomorrow is an unknown. We focus on what we know and the next step we will take.
  • New traffic. We chase products and opportunities to drive new traffic, people you do not usually see in your business – ideally, new traffic that will return.

Storytime: dad jokes

Storytime.  Bob put his paper on the counter and said “my kid says to me today I’m hungry so I says to him, Hi hungry, I’m dad.” He slapped his hand on the paper and laughed. I couldn’t let this go, so I said “My kid said to me dad, can you put my shoes on. So I said, nah, they won’t fit me.”

Bob started telling the dad jokes a few weeks ago. I found out he was going to different shops telling jokes, giving us all a laugh. Now, we trade jokes regularly. It’s a hoot.

We have the best customers.

newsXpress helps newsagents transform their businesses

Every day, the newsXpress newsagency marketing group helps newsagents engage with their businesses in fresh ways.

Here are some of the practical benefits of our newsagency marketing group delivers access to for newsagents.

  • Regular Zoom meetings for members. From March 2020 to now these have been daily at 2pm and on Sunday at 4pm. Plenty who can’t make the meetings watch the videos of them.
  • Virtual trade shows. Where suppliers show products and answer your questions.
  • Better pricing from preferred suppliers with discounts off standard wholesale.
  • Better margin from special deals. Exclusive deals can boost GP by 25% and 50%.
  • Exclusive suppliers: like the Royal Australian Mint.
  • Seasonal A1 posters delivered to your store.
  • Strategic planning. Using our business data, we prepare insights for consideration and lay out a roadmap for change for your consideration. This is leveraging your own business data into an analysis report specific to your business.
  • Ready to go social media. We provide social media posts ready to go, branded and unbranded. With a mixture of text, image and video content.
  • Marketing advice on how to attract new shoppers.
  • Pricing advice based on evidence to maximise your profitability.
  • Member emails: management advice, strategic planning advice and supplier deals.
  • Better cash flow with central billing for almost 50 suppliers. We guarantee payment to suppliers and they like that. You pay us at 45 days end of month – extended terms.
  • Group website access. We offer several consumer facing websites that you can sell from.
  • Half price business website. A Tower Systems developed Shopify site for your business.
  • Everything is optional. We don’t force you to do anything we suggest.

newsXpress offers more than this, hellping newsagents to transform their businesses, finding new shoppers, encouraging a focus on shop local in practical and financially beneficial ways for the business and the local community.

We are grateful to our 200+ newsagent members for their encouragement, engagement and support. They make us what we are and help provide a 2020 of terrific accomplishment.

To find our more about newsXpress, start by querying at help@newsxpress.com.au. One of our team members will engage, answering questions and sharing practical information about how we help newsagents enjoy their businesses more.

Storytime: I don’t know what to write

Storytime.  “I don’t know what to write.” It’s a common comment people make when buying a sympathy card, more common from guys in our experience. They say it looking for advice. We had a guy in the other day who bought a sympathy card and asked for our help. “My nan died and this is for my mum,” he said putting the card on the counter. “I know a card is the right thing to do but what do I write?”

I offered what we have found to be the best advice. “Write what you’d like your mum to read a few years from now, something that reflects how you feel about your nan and about your mum’s loss. A happy memory maybe. People hang on to sympathy cards and what you write today will be a comfort for her years later.”

Every day we get to talk with our customers about the most personal situations. It’s something to treasure about being a newsagent.

Storytime: the scrapbook

Storytime.  Young Harry was our youngest shopper the other day. He’s 6, because he told us. “I’m 6,” he said, passing up a scrap book to buy. Out of his pocket he pulled two small handfuls of coins. “It’s for my great gran,” Harry said, “we can’t see her and I want to make her smile because she’s sad and I want to make her smile.” Harry was on a mission.

“I bet you’re going to fill it with some good drawings,” I said to Harry, handing back the scrapbook. “And photos,” he said, “we’ve got photos and I made this poster for school, so we are going to stick that in there and I’m going to write her a story, aren’t I mum?” Mum looked on, proud and smiling. “This is going to make her happy isn’t it mum?”

Harry and his mum walked out holding hands.

It makes us feel good knowing that a basic scrapbook we sell will become a cherished keepsake that brings joy.

Stroytime: virtual hugs

Storytime.  “Hey, do you have a small pad like the size of a pack of cards or smaller?” “Sure,” I said, and grabbed a couple of pads from our stationery area and put them on the counter, in front of the young guy, “take a look at these.” He flicked through, fanning the pages. “They are perfect.” He was smiling.

I usually leave customers to their purchases. This time, curiosity got the better of me. “Can I ask what they are for?” “It’s my grandma, she’s in a nursing home and we can’t visit on account of the corona as I’m going to make a flip book cartoon for her of her and me hugging.”=

“What a beautiful gesture,” I said, feeling choked up. “I’d love to see it when you’re done if possible.” “Sure,” he said.

A week later he was back. The cartoon was amazing, so creative.

It’s a privilege in retail to serve customers who express themselves in the most wonderful ways.

newsXpress helps newsagents through COVID-19

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress continues to support small business newsagents through the challenges of COVID-19. It is doing this through a range of platforms such as:

  • Daily Zoom meetings. These are a live meeting of members who are available at 2pm every day Monday to Friday. The sessions and filmed and made available to those unable to attend live.
  • Personal support. We work with retailers one-on-one on re-casting their business based on data and using videos and photos from in-store.
  • Virtual trade shows. Introducing suppliers and their products to retailers through video presentation and live Q&A – like a personal trade show experience.
  • New suppliers. newsXpress has welcomes eight new suppliers in recent weeks with each helping extend the shopper appeal for newsXpress members.
  • Mental health support. Offering encouragement and strategies for dealing with the mental health challenges of 2020.
  • Deals. newsXpress has unlocked some high value deals for its members, helping them drive excellent gross product percentage results that are best-practice.
  • Cash flow beneficial. newsXpress has provided cash-flow benefits to members through a range of negotiated arrangements.

COVID-19 is challenging for many. newsXpress is here to support retailers and provide them with tools they can leverage for a better 2020 for their business and all who rely on it.

We hope your 2020 is going well and that you are safe.

Storytime: sunshine

Storytime.  “Yellow, I need everything I can get that you have that is yellow.” Marie is always a spot of brightness when she visits. “I’m tired of gloominess. I am going to create a bright sunrise in my front window.” She showed us a sketch of what she had planned.

We put together several shades of bright yellow poster card, yellow paper, yellow tissue paper and yellow ribbon. Oh, and a little bit of red tissue paper for the core of the sunrise.

A few days later, we drove past Marie’s house and sure enough, she had created the most beautiful sunrise. Her front window was bright and cheerful.

It is wonderful seeing people like Marie create sunshine.