Author: mark

I am a Director of newsXpress, a marketing group for newsagents keen for a bright future. You can reach me on +61 418 321 338 or mark[at]towersystems.com.au

Sony PSP winners are happy shoppers

sonywinnerPlenty of newsXpress stores have been handing our FREE Sony PSP devices over the last week to winners of the Hallmark Christmas in-store promotion the participating stores signed up for.

We love getting photos of winners showing off their prize. There will be plenty more this year with Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day all offering terrific customer prize opportunities – at newsXpress.

This program is run exclusive in partnership with our friends at Hallmark. newsXpress members supporting Hallmark pay nothing extra to participate in nominated seasonal campaigns – newsXpress funds this – delivering another reward for newsXpress membership.

newsXpress members participating in online newsagency development and marketing workshop today

newsXpress has a full house participating in an exclusive and confidential newsagency business development and training workshop today. This session, which will connect members from across Australia, will take participants deep into marketing and management strategies that are working within our newsagency marketing group.

Using the latest in online live webinar technology, this session is another valuable point of difference for newsXpress and its community of members and suppliers.

Another newsXpress lottery win!

newsXpress Beers Port Lincoln sold a division winning ticket in the $30 million superdraw Saturday night and they’ve been celebrating this weekend with plenty of new Facebook likes and other great customer engagement.

It’s great for a newsXpress store to have a lottery win and even better when they leverage this for the benefit of the business and its customers.

Helping newsagents connect with Australia day opportunities

AustraliaDayA4Newsagency marketing group newsXpress is helping its members to promote Australia Day products with fresh collateral created by the group for its members.

Provided in two sizes, the Australia Day material was released to members prior to christmas so that they could come our immediately after Christmas with their Australia Day themed promotions.

newsXpress national conference bookings filling

The newsXpress national conference in March this year at the hallowed MCG is set to be a busy and full few days with buying tours, Toy Fair tours and some excellent business sessions fulling the agenda.

newsXpress members are responding to the opportunity by booking early to ensure they lock in the various events that make up the three days in Melbourne.

Sure to provide excellent networking and business building opportunities, the first newsXpress national conference for 2014 is looking like it will be a valuable time in a busy year schedule.

Helping newsagents promote school holiday sales using newsagency marketing group marketing

SchoolHolidaysA4Christmas is over and school holidays are well and truly under way. newsXpress is helping its newsagency marketing group members to more valuably connect with the school holiday opportunity with this fresh school holiday marketing collateral.

Provided in two sizes, this collateral is helping newsXpress members to embrace the school holiday opportunity in a fresh way.

The more we promote our newsagency businesses as different to the traditional newsagency the more successful our business will be. newsXpress is committed to helping members pitch their businesses differently.

More exclusive product success for newsXpress members

The reports from newsXpress members of success through Christmas of EXCLUSIVE product are fantastic to hear. Members are thrilled with the success they had as a result of the exclusivity. Besides price flexibility they also love the traffic generated by products unavailable from elsewhere.  This is a great story of success for newsXpress members.

newsXpress has already announced product that is set to be a sure fire EXCLUSIVE success in 2014.

newsXpress helps newsagents promote Boxing Day sales

nxhalfpricenewsXpress has provided its newsagency marketing group members with plenty of collateral for promoting Boxing Day and other post-Christmas sales.

The branded collateral gives newsXpress members options instead of using generic signs and or using hand written signs.

In addition to the collateral the group is facilitating discussion among members about post-Christmas discounts.

This collateral reflects another newsXpress difference.

Welcome newsXpress Coomera

nxcoomeranewsXpress Coomera opened a few weeks ago, bringing the newsXpress newsagency experience to the folks of Coomera in this new business in a terrific location.

This terrific looking shop is packed with excellent product from the traditional to the not so traditional. Well signed with newsXpress branding and staff in uniform – the shop is set to benefit from newsXpress brand promotion.

Welcome newsXpress Coomera!

Welcome newsXpress North Lakes

nxnorthlakesnewsXpress North Lakes is now open in Queensland. This new business in a new centre is a fresh newsXpress offering in the North Lakes region. Packed full of stock from many newsXpress preferred suppliers and staffed with a friendly team, this business was open just a few days before Christmas. This was a massive challenge with many suppliers and others working to help get the business open so close to Christmas.

As the opening date changed suppliers adjusted plans to ensure they could respond when the shop was ready. Over the coming weeks the team will settle the business and bring newsXpress magic to the region.

newsXpress members loving EXCLUSIVE Valentines Ty Beanie Boos plush already!

beanievalThe EXCLUSIVE TO NEWSXPRESS Ty Beanie Boos product for Valentine’s Day 2014 is selling well across our group of proactive newsagents.

Released a couple of weeks ago, customers have been purchasing this exclusive line so they don’t miss out. Ty plush collectors have been seeking out newsXpress locations since newsXpress stores are the only only retail outlets with this item.

This is one of the many benefits of newsXpress – exclusive product. It generates net new traffic and drives a more valuable shopping basket from existing traffic.

newsXpress landing these deals for newsXpress members is another example of us delivering real value to members.

Ready for Boxing Day

BoxingDayA4newsXpress members are getting ready for Boxing Day Sales with newsXpress exclusive collateral for the big day provided by the group to members.

With traditional Boxing Day Sales running for two weeks, the collateral provides members with posters to use right away from december 26 for promoting that their business is participating in this legendary sales event.

The collateral has been provided by newsXpress in several sizes for local store use.

newsXpress has released two other collateral opportunities to members this week.

newsXpress locks in HOT ink! 2014 launch

hotink2014newsXpress earlier this month locked in a re-launch of its HOT ink! offer for 2014. The re-launch includes new marketing activity, new in-store engagement opportunities and customer prize opportunities. The HOT ink! catalogue also offers access to a broader range of product – all being pitched at highly competitive prices.

The catalogue offers access to the customer-engaging ink card that provides customers with a tool to make buying ink easier.

HOT ink! is exclusive to newsXpress. It generates excellent traffic and provides newsXpress stores with a cost-effective way of promoting their businesses to homes and businesses in their area.

newsXpress members benefit from central billing

newsXpress has offered central billing services to its members and to preferred suppliers for years. In addition to a discount off invoice benefit newsXpress members benefit from extended terms. In a recent comparison we discovered that for many central billing suppliers we offer the best deal in the newsagency channel in terms of a total package of discounts and time to pay.

This point of difference makes newsXpress even more valuable for newsXpress members.

Is it a Christmas pudding or soap?

xmassoapProducts offering a point of difference are vital to independent small business retailers and newsXpress is thrilled to have plenty of products in its preferred supplier portfolio that do offer a genuine point of difference.

One such product is this Christmas pudding soap.

Yes, the photo is deceptive.

It looks like a small Christmas pudding. But it’s really soap. Beautifully packaged and making for a perfect Christmas gift for a friend of neighbour.

Some newsXpress members have this product on display as part of their impulse Christmas range. It’s selling well and generating plenty of appreciative comments from customers.

Free Hallmark Roses Only gift card promotion helps newsXpress newsagency marketing group members boost Christmas sales

rosesonlyhmknewsXpress stores participating in the Roses Only $20 gift card opportunity are enjoying being able to provide customers with a FREE $20 gift card when they purchase participating Hallmark product this Christmas. This campaign is a nice Christmas sales boost that has been provided to newsXpress member at no cost thanks to support from Hallmark and Roses Only.

Customer feedback across the counter is wonderful. Many are thrilled and surprised at the $20 gift card given to them. Some have let us know that they have gone home and used the card right away.

Delivering the unexpected can position a business well in the minds shoppers. In retail today such differentiation is important, especially to small business retailers competing with mass.

newsXpress is grateful for the opportunity of participating in this campaign.

newsXpress Laidley in New Idea

image004Well done newsXpress Laidley for making the pages of New Idea magazine with a photo of Santa in-store as pert ofyour Christmas celebrations.  Well done!!

This is a great initiative by our proactive members at newsXpress Laidley!

newsXpress encourages members to grab every opportunity possible to promote your business outside in your community and elsewhere to grow awareness, traffic and sales.

Check out the latest New Idea today.

newsXpress members achieving above-average magazine sales growth

newsXpress members are achieving excellent year on year sales growth for a range of top selling magazines ahead of the newsagency channel average. This result is a direct result of exclusive training for newsXpress members at our conference and member meetings this year. The data is in and we can see the results of the work in the form of excellent sales results.

This sales growth is another way newsXpress is helping members to grow their businesses in a vitally important core category like magazines.

By sending emails and text messages, engaging in best-practice product displays and providing exceptional customer service newsXpress members are showing that you can grow magazine sales without having to discount them. This preserves margin dollars for the business and ensures maximum value for the business from the magazine category.