Promoting Gifts as Basket Builders

candylane-pakenham.JPGnewsXpress Pakenham operates a strong candy lane strategy with terrific success. The latest range of items on the candy lane at newsXpress Pakenham  – the items shoppers pass as they head to the counter, is an eclectic mix of impulse items which appeal to a broad demographic. Customers soon vote on the popular products through their purchases and this information can guide finessing the offer, as the newsXpress Pakenham team does over time.

Running a structured candy lane like this is proving to be key to developing an efficient and valuable shopping basket in newsXpress locations.

Lovatts Titles Anchor Crossword Promotion at newsXpress Bairnsdale

crosswords-bairnsdale.JPGnewsXpress Bairnsdale is embracing the new relationship between newsXpress and Lovatts with this Lovatts anchored crossword title display. You can’t miss the Lovatts branding on the titles and their well known and respected mastheads. This display is an excellent example of making a strong statement not only for the Lovatts titles but for the crossword category more broadly.

Well done to the newsXpress Bairnsdale team for this display.

We know from research that featuring crosswords in a bold display in a high traffic location will drive incremental business.

Jenlist Support for newsXpress

benjames.JPGJames Simadas, Managing Director of Jenlist caught up with Ben Kay, General Manager of newsXpress, at our GNS Market Fair stand yesterday in Sydney.  They discussed the expanding preferred supplier relationship between Jenlist and the telco brands they represent and newsXpress.  The trade show was an excellent opportunity for this discussion and to lay down plans for joint promotions over the next few months.

The Market Fair also provided an opportunity for newsXpress members to catch up with Jenlist.

Terrific GNS Market Fair in Sydney

gns-syd.JPGEven though the GNS Market Fair is barely half over in Sydney, we have had a wonderful time meeting with existing newsXpress members and connecting with good quality prospective newsXpress members.  Click on the image to see a larger version of our trade show stand.  The stand in Sydney has featured collateral from upcoming seasons, details of newsXpress offers and examples of newsXpress branding.

The Best Loyalty Program in the Newsagency Channel

magazine-club.jpgThe newsXpress Magazine Club Card offers genuine reward for genuine loyalty. Since 2005 this newsagency loyalty promotion has provided newsXpress stores with an excellent point of difference. A bankable point of difference when you look at magazine performance in newsXpress stores.

While marketing collateral and engagement around the offer has evolved, the core levers of the loyalty program have remained unchanged. As newsXpress known, when you’re onto a good thing, stick with it.

Key to the broader success of the magazine Club Card is the additional sales in other categories.  These are driven from the excellent magazine traffic.

This newsXpress exclusive promotion sets our retail outlets and the overall group apart from other newsagencies as well as other magazine retailers.

Meeting with newsagency suppliers

at-jasrobwa.JPGnewsXpress National Merchandise Manager took the opportunity of the GNS Market Fair in Perth last weekend to meet with Jason Skodt of Australian Telecom, the newsXpress preferred supplier of phonecards. As the platform behind our newsXpress Phonecard, AT are an important newsXpress preferred supplier. The trade show was an excellent opportunity to catch up and discuss strategy to help newsXpress make more money from this high quality and good value product.

We have more supplier meetings planned for this weekend at the GNS Market Fair in Sydney as well as the Gift Fair in Melbourne.

Gary Mehigan Donuts

meighan-donuts.JPGnewsXpress suppliers and team members were thrilled at one of our recent supplier forums to be able to taste the famous and utterly divine Gary Mehigan (from MasterChef) donuts. Indeed, the donuts on the menu were a factor in our choice of venue – at Gary’s famous Fenix conference centre next to his restaurant. The donuts were worth it.

Gary’s donuts are a wonderful memory for those of us who partook. While we work hard here at newsXpress, we know good food when we taste it!

Toys Selling Well in Gatton

toys-gatton.JPGnewsXpress Gatton is enjoying good sales from their toy department.

Thanks to great deals available from newsXpress preferred suppliers, members like newsXpress Gatton have excellent buying opportunities with which to fill their shelves and drive excellent business.

Many newsXpress members are enjoying good success with toys thanks not only to the great buying but also the marketing support through our newsXpress collateral pack.

newsXpress Love at the GNS Market Fair in Perth

gnswanx.JPGnewsXpress had a large stand at the GNS Market Fair in Perth yesterday.  The stand was run by our Ben Kay and Rob Henderson.  They met with plenty of prospective newsXpress members, existing members and industry suppliers.

The Market Fair was an excellent trade show with a steady stream of newsagent visitors across the day.

Our stand featured banners promoting our strategic partners as well as our 125 preferred suppliers.  We also had our marketing collateral for coming seasons – Father’s Day, Halloween and Back to School –  on display.

The stand played a slide show with some of our newsXpress success stories.  It also featured a sit down area for people to relax and discuss newsXpress.

newsXpress Supplier Forum in Melbourne a Hit

suppforunmelb.JPGThe second newsXpress supplier forum, this time in Melbourne, was a real hit yesterday. Another room full of suppliers gathered to learn about the newsXpress model and discuss engagement with the newsXpress retail channel.

Some terrific opportunities have emerged out of the two supplier forums held this week. Opportunities for newsXpress, newsXpress members and newsXpress suppliers … especially for suppliers to work together.

Many suppliers commented that the forum presented genuinely unique and exciting opportunities.  We think that they presented the newsXpress difference.

By sharing details of the business model we are able to unlock mutually beneficial commercial opportunities and through these deliver even more value for newsXpress membership.

With 125 preferred suppliers now supporting the newsXpress community, our members have excellent choice backed by commercially competitive deals.

newsXpress phonecard: the perfect gift for any occasion

phonecard-newsxpress.jpgThe newsXpress phone card, backed by newsXpress preferred supplier Australian Telecom, is growing in popularity as more newsXpress members understand the value of this as a perfect gift for all occasions in all situations.

Through our card department we are in the business of selling emotional connection.

What better way to reinforce the emotional connection than dropping in a $10 or $20 good value phone card in with the greeting card.

Whether the recipient calls within Australia or overseas, they save money with this phone card.

Every time they make a call, they connect with newsXpress. Every time they speak with a friend or a loved one, they do so through the newsXpress brand.

What a wonderful connection! Perfect for reinforcing the position of the newsXpress brand in helping people make emotional connections.

newsXpress members are encouraged to ensure that all employees understand the value of the newsXpress phone card as a perfect gift … with every greeting card purchase.

Innovative newsXpress supplier forum

newsXpress hosted the first of two newsXpress supplier forums yesterday in Sydney.

Existing and prospective newsXpress suppliers were treated to presentations on the newsXpress point of difference from the shop floor through to the back room of newsXpress Head Office.  This insight and terrific two-way engagement with suppliers is set to lift supplier engagement to new and exclusive heights for newsXpress members of the newsagency channel.

On show in Sydney yesterday was the newsXpress difference, vision, commitment, services and transparency which will be seen to be key to success for newsagents over the coming years.

newsXpress appreciates the support from its supplier community, especially those who gave of their time and insights to participate yesterday in Sydney. We also appreciate the expertise and insights of newsXpress members invited to participate in the important meeting.

Promoting Optus prepaid products at newsXpress

jenlist-ballarat.JPGnewsXpress Ballarat is successfully promoting Optus products at the counter.

Seen by all shoppers, this location is ideal for driving impulse engagement with the prepaid sim cards and Optus mobile broadband product.

Through these and product products from newsXpress preferred supplier jenlist, newsXpress stores are generating good income from online business.  these products better connect us with consumers purchasing and consuming products and content online.

The Best Loyalty Program in the Newsagency Channel

The newsXpress Magazine Club Card is undoubtedly the best and most successful loyalty program in the newsagency channel.  For years, the newsXpress have been the only group wide loyalty marketing offer in the newsagency channel.

Since its release in 2005, this consumer  loyalty program has given newsXpress and newsXpress member locations a tremendously valuable point of difference.

Guiding customers to perform above average, the Magazine Club Card promotion delivers valuable incremental business in return for a valuable shopper reward.

From business performance data, we can see the value of the newsXpress Magazine Club Card program not only in magazine sales but also in other sales reported by newsXpress members.

Congratulations to newsXpress members for leading the newsagency channel in delivering genuine shopper loyalty rewards.

Cars 2 Display at newsXpress Bairnsdale

cars2-bairnsdale.JPGnewsXpress Bairnsdale has been running an excellent display promoting products associated with the popular cars 2 movie, especially the Hallmark recordable storybook based around the cars 2 brand.

Using collateral sourced through the local cinema and displaying an excellent range of product, the display is an excellent demonstration of promoting products from a range of categories and suppliers around a common brand.  newsXpress is uniquely positioned to help newsXpress members do this.

Well done newsXpress Bairnsdale on a terrific display.

newsXpress Wyalla Plaza runs Book and Stationery Sale

bookstat-whyalla.JPGnewsXpress Wyalla Plaza has been running a combines books and stationery sale, making the most of tax time offers and the recent school holidays.  With some good in-store energy, the sales have given the business a nice boost and shown off some excellent product at highly competitive prices.

Using newsXpress provided collateral the Wyalla Plaza team have been able to promote an excellent value proposition around respected brands covered in the sales.  In addition to printed large format posters, they have also made excellent use of newsXpress collateral from our corporate website.

Bonus Toy Products Promote Value

games.JPGPlenty of newsXpress locations are enjoying success with toy products thanks to bonus deals from our toy supplier.  Being able to sell a brand name game like Monopoly with a bonus name brand game for free helps us play is a completely unique space when it comes to the pricing of toys and games.  It is deals like this which allow newsXpress outlets to demonstrate excellent value and show off the newsXpress difference.  The deals enable us to compete with big toy outlets like Big W, target and K Mart without having to compete on price – and we get to do this while maintaining a healthy and above average margin. All of this is available to newsXpress members thanks to the excellent work of our national merchandise team.  Better buying is what makes us competitive.

My Family Stickers for Families in Scottsdale Tasmania

sticker-rosestassie.JPGnewsXpress Roses – Scottsdale in Tasmania is promoting the My Family Stickers range from The Sticker Family in-store with the pull-up promotional banner on display next to their sales counter.  This placement works well for the store and is embraced by shoppers.

The placement at the counter makes up-selling easier as well as sticker selection.

Bringing the My Family stickers to Scottsdale Tasmania is another way newsXpress is reinforcing the strength of the family unit and connecting local families in the area.  People love representing their families in the back of their cars with the My Family stickers.

Angry Birds at newsXpress Bairnsdale

angrybirds-bairnsdale.JPGnewsXpress Bairnsdale is promoting the Angry Birds range of plush with this tactical impulse unit display in a high traffic location.These plush items are not something people would visit a newsagency for, hence the importance of and value from such a tactical placement.

Kids and adults like Angry Birds and are happy to purchase a plush item to better connect with and enjoy their fun of the popular game.

Angry Birds is really hot right now and smart newsXpress members are making the most of this – with displays like the one in the photo.

Selling Angry Birds Helps Drive iTunes and Other Digital Sales

angrybirds-rosebud.JPGShoppers at newsXpress Rosebud can get their Angry Birds game fix at the counter thanks to the impulse unit facing all shoppers.  Indeed, shoppers at many newsXpress stores can purchase Angry Birds plush.  It is proving to be a very smart move bringing this line into the newsXpress product mix as these plush items are more than  just plush items.  They connect newsXpress stores with the Angry Birds game – the top selling iTunes game around the world. 

Since we sell iTunes cards, the plush items give us a connection to the game.  The plush makes us more relevant, better connected, hip in the eyes of Angry Birds fans. You can see it on their faces when they see the plush, for many it is the first time they discovered that they could ur Angry Birds plush. That they made the discovery in newsXpress is wonderful for us and for our brand.

This is newsXpress innovation on show.  Product leadership which separates us from other newsagency marketing groups.