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

newsXpress welcomes four new members

newsXpress has signed five new members so far in April. These new members in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia add value to the overall group and extend the reach of the newsXpress shingle.  We have more going through the process of completing their application ready for evaluation.

As more newsagents hear about our success we anticipate further growth in interest in our unique approach to helping newsagents drive traffic and GP.

We’re not publishing store names here as doing this in the past has led to the store being chased by others.

newsXpress customers share in $60,000 in prizes already in 2013

Already in 2013, newsXpress shoppers have shared in $60,000 in prizes from group wide loyalty-focused marketing. This number is set to double with the wonderful-value Mother’s Day per-store prizes on offer for lucky newsXpress shoppers.

These in-store prizes coupled with our newsagency channel leading Magazine Club Card makes newsXpress stores the best places to shop for cards and magazines.

Through these prizes and shopper loyalty rewards we are driving new traffic as well as sales. Customers love the campaigns!

newsXpress members embracing candy-lanes

The promotion of the candy-lane opportunity promoted consistently by newsXpress for years is paying off for members now engaging after seeing a lane on show at our recent national conference.

Plenty of members have set up or are setting up candy lanes as a result of the practical demonstration at the conference.  Some who have already embraced the candy-lane opportunity are reporting excellent impulse purchase results.

Adding a $1, $2 or $5 item at or close to the point of sale is terrific. It’s even better when the margin is more than 50%. This is where newsXpress is leveraging excellent supplier deals with valuable retail insights to deliver to newsXpress members strategies that are growing GP and delivering better business bottom lines.

This is a newsXpress difference you can bank on.

newsXpress hosts newsagency management meeting for Tasmanian members

Several of the newsXpress team will be in launceston Tuesday for a regional newsagency management round table. This confidential discussion will centre on business building opportunities and challenges confronted locally. It’s part of the newsXpress approach to providing newsXpress members with networking opportunities.

These regional meetings have no set agenda, newsXpress members themselves determine what they would like covered … and this is usually set based on local business needs.

Access to these meetings is free for newsXpress members.

newsXpress adds more preferred suppliers to newsagency marketing group suite

newsXpress last week advised members of three more preferred suppliers being added to our preferred supplier suite.

This continued enhancement of the preferred supplier range is valued by newsXpress members. Not only are the excellent discounts appreciated, so to is the broadening range of good-margin products.

newsXpress is on a mission to help members build even more valuable businesses. Our constant refining of the preferred supplier mix is key to achieving this – by offering our members more choices and opportunities to specialise in new retail niches.

We think we have the best mix of preferred suppliers available to newsagents in Australia.

newsXpress to support Red Nose Day 2013 as part of social responsibility commitment

newsXpress members have so far raised in excess of $53,000 for Red Nose Day and we’re gearing up to do it again in 2013.

This is our fifth year of partnership and together NewsXpress stores have raised $53,000 for Red Nose Day!

This money has directly helped 530 families receive counselling after the trauma of the death of their baby or child.

The merchandise is small, but makes a huge difference. and help save lives.

Here’s more of what red Nose Day has done:

  • 7,500 babies’ lives saved
  • 80% reduction in SIDS deaths
  • 10,000 response calls taken every year

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress announces bonus rebates to members

newsXpress has announced details to members about bonus rebates on offer. Being paid by the group in addition to generous supplier rebates and discounts off invoice, the newsXpress rebate is a further benefit for members, further demonstrating the value of being part of this excellent newsagency marketing group.

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress helps newsagents promote local shopping

NXPLocalCommunityA1The newsXpress newsagency marketing group is proud to have included professionally designed and printed posters promoting local shopping and the connecting of each newsXpress business to the local community in a collateral pack just sent to newsXpress stores.

The supplying of these A1 posters connects with other promotion of local community connection work undertaken by newsXpress earlier this year and in 2012 … continuing a tradition of our newsagency marketing group in helping newsXpress members to remind local shoppers of their community connection.

This wonderful collateral and the overall local community support campaign is one more way newsXpress sets itself apart from other newsagency marketing groups. It demonstrates our understanding of the importance of local communities and their support for local businesses and vice versa.

This is a valued newsXpress point of difference.

 

newsXpress plush initiative reaping excellent rewards for newsXpress members

At the newsXpress conference last month we shared insights and advice from studies overseas on how, when and where to sell plush. Proactive newsXpress members took this advice back to their stores and we have started to hear of the results.

newsXpress members are reporting extraordinary leaps in sales of plush.  Some are seeing sales up 500% in one month.  Others are reporting sales of more than $5,000 in plush in a month where the business was not in plush a year ago.

this is money in the bank for newsXpress members. extraordinary results from proactive newsXpress members on the back of excellent advice from newsXpress.

from marketing to management to excellent buying, newsXpress is delivering results that are making members proud to be part of newsXpress.

Newsagency marketing group helps newsagents promote ink value proposition

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress has sent members additional collateral with which to promote the newsXpress exclusive HOT ink! range of products. Through this collateral, newsXpress members are able to connect visually in-store with HOT ink! catalogues and other promotions.

Unexpected by members and provided by newsXpress for free, this latest ink promotion collateral helps newsXpress members connect with national marketing and to work together, in unity, with newsXpress members.

NXPHotInkA1

These A1 posters are professionally produced to the highest quality for the benefit of newsXpress members and promoting the quality brand name ink we sell.

New newsagency marketing group training video loaded to newsXpress website

nxhownxhelpsnewsXpress continues to load more video training content to the private area of its website to help members get more value from their membership of the group.

This latest video brings to thirteen produced professionally by newsXpress for newsXpress members. Each has been created to help members and their employees to leverage newsXpress insights and knowledge for the benefit of their own businesses. They bring newsXpress national expertise into the local stores.

Accessed via the member area of the website, newsXpress members can watch the videos as often as they like. They can access them from anywhere – providing an excellent resource and positive encouragement for members.

Think Fun products working well for newsXpress newsagency marketing group members

nxthinkfunCheck out the range of Think Fun educational and fun products selling well in newsXpress stores.

Bridging across the toy, gift and educational spaces, these new items make for a nice display on the shop floor.

Grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles are the shoppers for these items. They are an ideal purchase with a greeting card – adding significant value to the card purchase.

newsXpress sources products like this at excellent margin. It then shares advice and information to help our retail partners to turn the product opportunity into cash. No margin is good until you sell the product. there is where newsXpress helps – with advice, insights and support to turn stock so that newsXpress members can bank the results.

More gifts for older giving occasions from newsagency marketing group

nxolderThanks to careful sourcing of preferred suppliers and working with them on various ranges, newsXpress members are enjoying access to more gifts for older giving occasions.

For birthdays, anniversaries, new home, farewell and other occasions for older folks, newsXpress members have access to easy to sell good margin products – products shoppers want but may not come in looking for. They are a wonderful and valuable basket extension.

The newsXpress preferred supplier suite provides access to a broad range of gifting opportunities. These opportunities are lved by members as they are able to serve situations unique to their business.

Here at newsXpress we are not a one size fits all newsagency marketing group.

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress shows brands matter

peppaNewsagency marketing group newsXpress continues to lead in the newsagency channel in the engagement with and leverage of world known brands to drive traffic and shopper efficiency. The latest brand success for newsXpress members is the highly popular Peppa Pig.

Peppa Pig is huge overseas and here in Australia with kids and families. newsXpress saw this early on and engaged with members as product opportunities expanded.

newsXpress has sourced Peppa Pig product and provided members with context information to help them make the most of the opportunity. Great buying, market intelligence and merchandising advice combine to make an excellent financial windfall opportunity for newsXpress members.

This is what newsXpress does … adding value of proven brands to maximise success opportunities for newsXpress members.

More training videos from newsXpress newsagency marketing group

nxhelpNewsagency marketing group newsXpress continues to innovate in training it provides to newsagents and their employees with another video added to our training library. In How newsXpress can help you, we share details of the resources made available by newsXpress for newsXpress members to help them make the most from engagement with the group. The video is further demonstration of how newsXpress focuses on accessibility of knowledge and services for newsXpress members.

Professionally produced, the video is another wonderful resource to help members make the most of the opportunity.

Easter Beanie Ball a hit for newsXpress newsagency marketing group

easterbeanibnewsXpress corporate store newsXpress Knox City is enjoying extraordinary success with this cute little Beanie Ball from preferred supplier Big Balloon. It is the top selling Easter item, selling from the shop floor display in excellent numbers.

Indeed, the success of the Easter themed Beanie Ball demonstrates the value of playing against predictability for a major season. While others at Knox City have big range of eggs, newsXpress Knox City has made Easter about plush and is enjoying excellent sales as a result. It is especially pleasing seeing shoppers walk across the mall to see the display and then purchase.

newsXpress concept store attracts newsagents looking for the newsagency of the future

nxsthlOur latest concept store reflecting a creative, exciting and flexible shop fit is attracting plenty of interest in the newsagency channel. Plenty of newsagents and newsagent suppliers have been to the store to see the innovation for themselves.

This new business, which continues to evolve in response to data tracking and shopper feedback, reflects considerable investment by newsXpress in developing intellectual property.

Some come and visit and try and photograph our ideas while others introduce themselves and talk about what we are doing. We’re happy to share to a point, keeping the golden information for newsXpress members and strategic partners only.

This new location and all corporate stores are where newsXpress experiments, to harness learnings for newsXpress members.

Optimism helps drive retail sales for newsXpress

optimismMany newsXpress members have embraced optimism as a theme in their product purchasing at recent gift fairs and the toy fair in Melbourne. By bringing in products that reflect optimism in words and images the newsXpress members are creating happy shops … happy shops make for happy customers.

Optimism is infectious. It plays out well for the shoppers and the business. We encourage all newsXpress members to make the conscious choice to play in this space of optimism – it’s better than playing the price game as history has shown chasing a price point difference to be a mugs game with little shopper loyalty and no long-term upside for the business.

newsXpress thinks about moves like this carefully and shares insights designed to help members to make the most of moods like optimism. The result is good for our member businesses, suppliers and, most important, shoppers.

Messages of optimism sell.

newsXpress members enjoy AFL & NRL Beanie Kid success

beanieanThanks to smart buying and front of store placement, newsXpress members are enjoying success with the AFL and NRL Beanie Kids stands. Placed next to each other creates a noticeable display often appealing to the same shopper.

Even in markets where one or the other of the high-profile codes is not the main code the beanie Kids are selling well. They are being purchased by collectors as well as others buying for family and friends who are fans.

The success of the AFL and NRL ranges speak to the power of the Beanie Kids brand at special interest times as well as their value at introducing people to Beanie Kid collection … they are wonderful opportunity for newsXpress members to educate shoppers to this collector opportunity.