Category: ink and toner

Great ink deals at newsXpress

hot_ink_brochure.JPGnewsXpress members are enjong excellent results from the latest HOT ink! promotion.  From brochures delivered to homes and offices around newsXpress locations to brochures displayed in-store (as in the photo), ink is selling well.  The key to success with ink is to engage with all aspects of the category.  newsXpress supports this with in-store marketing collateral, brochures, shelf talkers, exclusive product deals, VM strategies, product management advice and other help.

Small things matter, like having the HOT ink! brochure on display in the ink department.  This shows browsers the professionalism backing the product, products you may not have on the shelves and provides another pitch that you are competitive on price.

Ink (the newsXpress way) is proving to be an excellent trojan horse category.  One which, if executed well and consistently, attracts new customers who come back again and again.

HOT ink! is exclusive to newsXpress.

Merchandising to your local market

In retail it is important to tell a story, whether this is a price story, a range story, or a theme story. Creating a promotion with a story in mind increases your potential to attract customers to make sales.

dsc03444.JPGnewsXpress Beechworth had this focus in mind when designing their front window display for the HOT ink! 11 promotion. Beechworth is well known as a beautiful Australia historic town and a popular holiday destination, the residents and local businesses put considerable effort into local events and using this as a basis for promotions makes good business sense.

Ian and Tracy’s daughter Rachael incorporated the exceptional point of sale posters supplied by newsXpress along with the oversized autumn leaves celebrating the local Harvest Festival to spectacular effect in creating this front window display – so well in fact she has been appointed to oversee all window displays from now on.

Record sign up for HOT ink!

We have achieved record numbers of newsXpress members signing up to participate in our next HOT ink! ink and toner promotions which commences shortly.  This will see the HOT ink! brand promoted in letterboxes across the country and in a number of other creative and exclusive ways to drive traffic and drive sales in newsXpress locations.

Our next HOT Ink! promotion will demonstrate to newsXpress members and others who look at our businesses the newsXpress commitment to brand development and the importance of innovation in a highly competitive marketpkace.

Great ink deals from newsXpress newsagencies

newsXpress newsagencies have excellent deals on ink and toner.  In addition to excellent prices, our current brochure offers a supplier backed cash back deal, a supplier backed discount off additional ink purchased (beyond the first cartridge), a supplier backed 10% discount off USB sticks and a supplied backed free picnic hamper. Our pricing and the associated offers are the best available through newsagencies at the moment.

Our deals are promoted in a colour flyer distributed to hundreds of thousands of homes.  The flyer professionally represents our brand and the brands of our supplier partners.

Here is the front page of the flyer:

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We are proud to lead the newsagency channel on ink deals and drive excellent traffic for our newsXpress members.   We are also proud to not use lazy marketing like – we will not be beaten on price.  Harsh as this may sound, we see that approach – we will not be beaten… – as follower marketing.  Leadership, while harder work, delivers more loyal customers.  We like loyal customers at newsXpress.  This is why our merchandise team invests so much time in creating ink flyers with genuine market-leading offers.

For a list of participating newsXpress newsagencies, please click here.

Customers responding to newsXpress coupons

nx_coupons.jpgnewsXpress members are reporting a good response to the call to action coupons on the latest HOT Ink! flyer.  Redeeming the coupons, customers are able to go beyond the very competitive pricing on the flyer.  This is another way newsXpress is positioning the brand with a differentiating value proposition.

We understand that we need to keep innovating to find new customers for our members.  This month’s coupon offer will evolve in the next HOT Ink! flyer.  What will not change is our commitment to brand – in this marketplace, brand is important as it represents value in the minds of consumers.  This is why we boldly support HP, Canon, Epson and brother.

Reinventing the newsagency ink offer

hotink7.jpgnewsXpress has evolved its Hot Ink! offer to keep its 160 newsagent members ahead of the pack when it comes to ink, toner and related products.  While previous Hot Ink! offers have worked very well for us and our members, we knew we could not rest on our laurels.  Hence changes which include four supplier-funded offers.  Two of these offers are exclusive to newsXpress newsagencies.

The two-page brochure, distributed to hundreds of thousands of homes around Australia, is the first of its kind in the newsagency channel in that it promotes coupons, cashbacks and bonuses is a way never used by newsagents.

Historically, newsagents have promoted ink around price using catalogues that look like price lists.  Our goal was to create a professional and compelling offer which separated us from this me-too marketing approach and which worked as a call to action.

Beyond the marketing support, newsXpress helps with ranging, merchandising and staff training.

Great printer ink deals in Mackay

nx_mackay_hotink.JPGnewsXpress Village in Mackay, Queensland is promoting the latest Hot Ink! offer with a full page advertisement in the Daily Mercury newspaper.  newsXpress has worked with newsXpress Village on the creative for the ad, developing a variation to our successful two-page flyer.  Developing creative like this is part of how we help newsXpress members promote locally and do so in a way which connects with national campaigns.

Beating Big W by 14.6% on price

Shoppers comparing the price of ink in the latest Big W catalogue with the new Hot Ink! offer from newsXpress will see that newsXpress newsagencies beat Big W on some popular ink items.  newsXpress newsagencies have ink from HP, Canon and Brother at excellent prices.

Big W claims they are “Helping you spend less everyday” yet when it come to ink, right now, newsXpress is helping consumers spend less on some items. Big W is advertising the HP 56/57 twin pack for $81.98. Our price is $69.95.   That is a saving of 14.5%.

newsXpress is proud to be helping its members position themselves as offering excellent value brand name products backed by friendly and knowledgeable service.

This is a terrific newsXpress difference and another reason our members love our ink and toner offer.  That said, we know that price competition will see Big W react and we need to watch that.

Great ink and toner deals from newsXpress

nx_hotink_talker.JPGnewsXpress has demonstrated again to its 160 member newsagents the value of membership of the newsagency marketing group.  In addition to putting together an excellent new Hot Ink offer of branded ink at very competitive prices and backing thie with a national flyer campaign, we have also provided participating members with professional shelf talkers – just the one in the photo for the popular Canon BCI-3 ink.  These shelf talkers promote hero products from HP, Canon, Epson and Brother.  They show us off as having brand name products at excellent prices.

In addition to professional in-store collateral, newsXpress members have access to exclusive pricing, national marketing, ranging advice and assistance,branding and professional online marketing.  Access to all of these business building resources is provided to newsXpress members for no additional cost, it is part of the overal monthly marketing group membership fee of $495.

newsXpress is able to fund its comprehensive ink and toner marketing and support package thanks to the support of its preferred supplier.  newsXpress members make the relationship work by only buying from our preferred supplier.

Great ink deals in Lismore NSW

4th-feb-006.jpgLuke Scott and the team at newsXpress Scott’s Lismore are pleased to have the offers and resources of newsXpress to help drive their business.  As their front window shows, they are leveraging the newsXpress ink offer to make a bold statement they they are the INK AND TONER DESTINATION in Lismore.

The newsXpress philosophy is provide access to good product at competitive prices, to support this with professional national marketing and to provide in-store face to face advice on execution.  Luke and the team have embraced all these newsXpress deliverables to drive an excellent ink and toner offer for everyone in Lismore and surrounding areas.  The result is excellent growth for the business through Christmas and January.  What a great business story!

newsXpress appoints single national ink supplier

newsXpress has announced the first of several new initiatives in the ink and toner space for its member newsagents planned for 2009.  Tonnex International has been appointed the preferred supplier of ink and toner to newsXpress members.

Trading under the newsXpress created and owned Hot Ink! brand, ink has developed into a key category for our stores.  We support this through national TV advertising, a national letterbox campaign and creative in-store POS and other collateral to drive excellent sales.

newsXpress further supports Hot Ink! with back office services heloing our members access the wisdom our our network of successful newsagents in this category.

Hot ink offers for Halloween and beyond

hink_hal.JPGThe latest newsXpress Hot Ink campaign which started last week has a Halloween theme. Beyond being a bit of fun, we show we are serious about driving traffic to our stores and competing on price. Integrating simultaneous campaigns like this is common among national retailers but rare in newsagencies. newsXpress felt ready to take this step given the maturity and success of our Hot Ink campaigns.

The two page flyer is being delivered to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses around participating stores as part of our co-ordinated marketing campaign. The offer is even more timely than usual given the talk in the press on economic matters. People looking to save money know they can shop at newsXpress newsagencies for quality branded ink and toner and trust that our prices are excellent.

Many newsXpress members entered the ink and toner space only after being guided by newsXpress. Our training, support, supplier relationships and national marketing has combined to deliver excellent sales results. While newsXpress members are thrilled at winning new business from existing customers, they are even more thrilled at seeing new customers come through the door.

As the only newsagent group marketing ink and toner on TV, newsXpress members are well positioned to leverage this high growth category even further in the coming months.

If you want innovative marketing strategies for your newsagency, contact newsXpress.

Where can I find newsXpress?

On the other end of the phone was someone who has seen our TV ad for ink and wanted to know her nearest store so she could get the ink we at the price we are currently advertising. Every day we are hearing stories like this, stories of the latest TV commercial and other marketing which is changing consumer behaviour and bringing traffic to newsXpress stores.

Earlier this year we committed to increasing store traffic through a number of startegies. Our TV campaign is one of those. Even though this campaignn is only a few days old we already have good evidence of increased awareness leading to sales from consumers who were used to purchasing brand name ink elsewhere.

Bringing people back to the newsagency channel for stationery items and, in particular, bringing them to newsXpress, is an important part of our mission.

newsXpress national TV commercial

Our latest TV commercial starts tomorrow night on ten pay-TV channels as well as free to air – channels 7, 9, 10, WIN and Southern Cross. This TV campaign is promoting our latest Hot Ink offer and pitched our group of close to 150 stores against the majors. Given the value in the latest Hot Ink offer we are very happy to be in this competitive situation.

newsXpress members tell us that the Hot Ink marketing – the flyers and the TVC – help change consumer behavior. Our investment in better buying supported by strong national marketing shows that we can convince consumers that newsagent, newsXpress newsagents, offer good value. Our consistently strong Hot Ink offers, integrated with everything else newsXpress offers, demonstrates the value of newsXpress membership.

The latest Hot Ink TVC will run natuionally for two weeks and cap off another very successful Hot Ink campaign.

Only newsXpress has a commitment to regular call-to-action marketing outside traditional seasons.

INCREASING MARKET SHARE THROUGH ‘NEW MONEY’

Newsagents relying on “old money revenue” streams may be experiencing a sharp decline in sales as consumer confidence dips.

newsXpress continues to lead the market with innovative new money drivers. None better than our HOT ink! program. It’s a complete marketing and merchandise strategy which continues to evolve.

Proprietors within the group continue to come forward with amazing stories.

“I can’t believe how much our traditional stationery sales have grown since introducing HOT ink!”

“I am about to break out our Ink and technology sales from Stationery as it is growing so fast”

“Ink & Technology will be my number 1 dept soon exceeding greeting card sales”

“Technology products which are mostly ink now represent 40% of my stationery sales”

“The advertising is what is bringing new people through my door”

“Customers can’t believe we are more competitive than the bigger stores”

“With everything done for me, all I have to do is order the stock put it on the shelf and concentrate on serving my customers, how easy is that?”

“HOT ink! Has helped restore my faith in my newsagency”

Innovation, marketing and ramping up advertising is the key to building market share. The retailers that do this come out the other end bigger and better than ever! With HOT ink! 8 about to hit the streets nationally, HOT ink! 9 & 10 are not far behind. Watch this space for more innovation from newsXpress in the technology area.

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INNOVATION AT THE NEW newsXpress CROWS NEST

The new newsXpress store at Crows Nest in Sydney is full of new innovation.
It’s worth traveling to, so you can check it out with plenty of new money revenue  products on hand. In its first week of trading sales are very strong with new products introduced doing particularly.

Features include: HOT ink!, gifts built into magazine tierage, full face card area, large gift assortments, and an excellent use of space.

With some more refinement, everything should be completed by the end of the month.

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A GREAT BRAND MAKES A TREMENDOUS DIFFERENCE TO YOUR NEWSAGENCY

THE OLD STORE

THE NEW newsXpress BAIRNSDALE

Since joining newsXpress the team at newsXpress Bairnsdale have seen huge growth in sales and foot traffic. They had always stocked ink and toner and also marketed it through another group, however, since adopting HOT ink!, and all the other newsXpress strategies not only has basket size increased, but customers are commenting, “we didn’t know you sold ink cartridges”, yet they’ve had them in stock for over two years.

Its amazing what a great brand like newsXpress and sub branding like HOT ink! and communicating your offer via well though out advertising can do for your business.