Promoting the newsXpress Phone Card as a Gift

nxpphone.JPGThe newsXpress Phone Card is proving to be popular as a gift in newsXpress stores.

While the newsXpress Phone Card sells well as a traditional phone card, it also sells well when offered as a very special gift … the gift of conversation between friends and loved ones. This is where engaged newsXpress members are driving extra business – selling the phone card to people who were not looking to purchase a phone card but were shopping for a gift.

By selling personal and often heart-felt connection offered by the phone card, newsXpress members take the offer into a completely different space where there emotion is the gift and the connection.  All of this is done proudly around the newsXpress brand.

New HOT Ink! Campaign Kicks Off

hotinkjune11.JPGToday, June 11, 2011, is the start of a new HOT Ink! campaign across the newsXpress retail network. Our stores are offering brand name ink and toner at competitive prices and with an excellent margin. We are supporting the HOT Ink! campaign with catalogues delivered to homes around newsXpress locations, in-store promotion and a range of other engagement.

Thanks to support from major ink and toner brands and our wholesaler suppliers we are able to deliver a tremendously valuable traffic-driving campaign which sets newsXpress and its members apart.

newsXpress has been running ink campaigns since 2005. HOT Ink! continues to evolve and the latest campaign delivers excellent, valuable and differentiating initiatives.

Promoting Optus handsets at newsXpress Fernvale

optus-fernvale.JPGnewsXpress Fernvale promotes their range of Optus handsets out the front of the newsagency with this tactically located display at the entrance to the business in a location passed by customers heading to purchase Golden Casket lottery tickets.

The display unit is provided by Jenlist, a newsXpress preferred supplier.  Jenlist generously supports newsXpress and its members with access to competitive product and valuable insights with which to turn this product than might otherwise be the case.

By selling Optus handsets and SIM cards, newsXpress Fernvale is able to access better commission for Optus mobile recharge business … making the Optus / Jenlist even more valuable for newsXpress Fernvale.

The stand in the photo is just one of a range of Optus product display cabinets available to newsXpress members through Jenlist.  At the other end of the scale is the store within a store concept where a newsXpress store takes on the full range of Optus products and services.  We have newsXpress stores which have taken on this and are enjoying valuable new business as a result.

Mid Year Gift Sale at newsXpress Bairnsdale

gift-sale.JPGnewsXpress Bairnsdale has been running a Mid Year Gift Sale, using newsXpress provided collateral on their street front window to promote this.

The professionally designed collateral is part of the newsXpress Marketing Toolkit launched to newsXpress members earlier this year.  This is the most comprehensive set of marketing tools ever created for newsagents.  It is exclusive to newsXpress.

The team at newsXpress Bairnsdale has made excellent use of the collateral to promote their Mid Year Gift Sale, seizing the opportunity to clear out stock.

newsXpress Radio Makes Retail in newsXpress Stores More Enjoyable and Valuable

nxpradioyellowa4.jpgnewsXpress Radio delivers live news, fresh music, live banter and exclusive advertising into newsXpress stores right across Australia.

Exclusive to newsXpress, newsXpress Radio is an excellent advertising platform for newsXpress preferred suppliers, connecting shoppers with products available in store – right then.

Leveraging the in store experience with live radio is proving to be a smart move for newsXpress. Our radio programmers have been smart to program music which suits the time of the day, making shopping more enjoyable.

newsXpress is delivering newsXpress radio to newsXpress locations for no cost except for a refundable deposit on the radio reception unit.

This is another newsXpress difference – free in-store radio backed by advertising of products which are available in newsXpress stores.

newsXpress Announces Year-Long Exclusive TV Campaign

newsXpress two weeks ago confidentially announced to its members details of a year-long TV campaign on the GEM network (part of the Nine Network) covering Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

The TV advertising will be made up of multiple professionally produced advertisements promoting newsXpress offers and opportunities available at newsXpress locations through the year.

The TV campaign will be supported with print advertising as well as catalogues delivered to millions of homes through the course of the year.

This national advertising is exclusive to newsXpress and will only promote newsXpress newsagencies.

As major brands use TV and other media to promote and strengthen their brands.  With this announcement, newsXpress is demonstrating that it too is investing in stronger and more valuable newsXpress newsagency businesses around its national and respected brand.

Landlords and newsagency suppliers who have been briefed are full of praise for the newsXpress leadership through this initiative.

This is the first time ever that a newsagency marketing group has committed to TV for a year.  In the past, the most TV used for newsagents was around short term seasonal offers.  Such campaigns are challenged as they need to reconnect with consumers.

The investment by newsXpress is well into six figures.  It is not costing newsXpress members any additional fees.  newsXpress does not charge a marketing levy.

The year-long TV presence for newsXpress pitches our group  outside the newsagency channel and against major retailers.  We see this as vital in today’s retail climate.

It is the discipline an commitment of newsXpress members around one brand and supporting newsXpress preferred suppliers which enables us to move into a national TV campaign with confidence.

The newsXpress commitment to regular TV advertising, comprising of more than 4,000 commercials, separates newsXpress from other marketing group.  It shows a significant difference in respect for and management of a national brand.  It also shows what a group of like-minded pro-active newsagents can achieve.

Development of the first TV commercial is under way.  It will hit the air in July.

Foxtel and Austar also carry GEM, enabling a wider than capital city reach in the cities covered by the campaign.

No Marketing Levy

newsXpress does not charge a marketing levy. Members pay one monthly membership fee for this they receive access to the full suite of newsXpress member services including the most extensive suite of newsagency marketing support and collateral available in Australia.

Not charging an extra fee for marketing positions newsXpress favorably against other newsagency marketing groups. Giving members access to TV and other marketing and advertising campaigns for no additional cost, as newsXpress does for many campaigns, is a valuable point of difference for newsXpress members.

newsXpress Supports Tasmanian Newsagents

newsagents-tasmania.jpgnewsXpress is proud to be a Gold Sponsor of The Tasmanian Newsagent Industry Awards for Excellence 2011 which are being held tonight at Wrest Point Casino in Hobart.

Our gold sponsorship is a practical measure of support for all newsagents in Tasmania.

With a growing membership base in Tasmania, newsXpress is grateful of the opportunity to show its support for Tasmanian newsagents in such a practical way.

Ben Kay, newsXpress General Manager, will be presenting an award on the night.

My Family Stickers at newsXpress Melton

mothersd-melton.JPGnewsXpress Melton, like so many newsXpress stores, has been promoting the My Family sticker range from The Sticker Family. Promoting at the front of their newsagency as they are doing, newsXpress Melton is finding that the promotion attracts shoppers to the newsagency, new traffic.  It also drives good basket-building business from existing shoppers.

Thanks to the promotional pull-up banner and other collateral, newsXpress locations selling the My Family stickers are enjoying excellent success with this range. One newsXpress member recently included the range as part of an outpost campaign and sold in excess of $3,000 worth of stickers in less than two weeks.

newsXpress Halls Head Wins Cash Award

perth-winner.JPGnewsXpress Halls Head won $500 cash for supporting trade suppliers as the newsXpress Trade Fair held in Perth earlier this week.  All newsXpress members buying on the day went in the draw and newsXpress halls Head were the lucky winners of a handy $500 in tax free cash.  The cash prize brought another fun element to the day.

Western Australian Newsagents Enjoy One-Day Conference

perth-mtg.JPGThe one day newsagency conference newsXpress hosted in Perth earlier this week was well attended and much appreciated based on feedback from participating newsagents and newsagency suppliers.  Sharing business building ideas and strategies, the conference showed off the newsXpress point of difference beautifully … showing how membership of newsXpress delivers a different and valuable experience to participating newsagents.  Welcoming new members in Western Australia to newsXpress was a real treat.

Newsagents Embrace newsXpress Suppliers at Trade Fair

perth-fair.JPGThe Trade Fair which accompanied the one-day conference earlier this week generated excellent business for participating newsXpress preferred suppliers. Covering mobile phones, gifts, greeting cards, stationery, social stationery, educational products, ATMs, My family stickers and a range of other products, the trade fair was a hit with newsXpress members and suppliers, resulting in excellent new business contacts and good sales on the day.

Social Media Marketing Advice Now Online

newsXpress has published further advice for members on engaging with social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Presented at our recent one-day mini conferences, the material outlines the importance of a social media strategy and shared tips on making the most of the opportunity.

This additional learning material is available from the secure member area newsXpress website … delivering more benefits from our newsagency marketing group.

In addition to these new materials loaded to the newsXpress website, newsXpress has advice and assistance available for newsXpress members on specific store campaigns around social media. Access to the training materials and additional assistance and guidance is provided at no additional cost to newsXpress members.

Awards for newsXpress Pakenham

newsxpress-pakenham-award.jpgCongratulations to Di and Rowan Higgon and the team at newsXpress Pakenham for winning two awards in this year’s Vardinia Business Awards.  newsXpress won the Retail category and the Employer of Choice award.  Bth awards represent recognition for hard work by everyone involved in the large and growing newsXpress Pakenham business.

June In-Store Offers Newsletter Out Now

newsxpress-newsletter.jpgnewsXpress published its In-Store Offers Newsletter for June to members last week.  In fact, it published two versions to cover more options for members of the newsXpress newsagency marketing group.  The newsletter features some excellent offers, designed to drive traffic to newsXpress stores and to drive impulse purchases.  It also features the new magazine, Coach, from Pacific Magazines which goes on sale today.

This newsletter is an excellent example of the newsXpress difference as it shows newsXpress support for preferred suppliers, provides a professional traffic-generating medium for newsXpress stores and helps present the group and individual stores with a united marketing message. newsXpress are showing their appreciation for this medium by sending the newsletter to customers, placing it at the front of the shop and giving it freely to shoppers in-store.

Each newsletter is provided to newsXpress members in a way which enables local personalisation with store address and contact details.

While other retailers are saying that retail is tough, newsXpress is expanding and refining marketing and communication options for members to help them drive better local business.  This professionally produced monthly newsletter is part of that strategy.

Fourteen New Preferred Suppliers for newsXpress Members

newsXpress has announced details of fourteen new preferred suppliers joining the newsXpress newsagency marketing group community.  These fourteen preferred suppliers takes our current preferred supplier roster to 118.

These 118 preferred suppliers offer newsXpress members access to a broad range of products at excellent prices and on excellent terms … leading pricing and terms which position newsXpress member businesses competitively.

More important that the exclusive preferred supplier suite is the marketing, merchandising and strategy services offered by newsXpress to help members drive bankable margin from these products.  For it is one thing to have access to good deals and another thing entirely to be able to turn the deals into cash.  This is where the newsXpress difference comes into action.

More than a buying group, newsXpress offers products and support services to help newsXpress members extract maximum value from membership of the group.

Toy Sale at newsXpress Eli Waters

eli-toysale.JPGnewsXpress Eli Waters has been running a Toy Sale based on products from our newsXpress toy preferred suppliers and using marketing collateral which is part of the local marketing it released to newsXpress members earlier this year.

The display looks terrific and is drawing good attention … driving basket size as many shoppers would not have entered the newsagency looking to purchase toys.  Well dome Eli Waters team!

The exclusive and extensive marketing collateral toolkit from newsXpress is providing members with a wonderful range of in-store as well as external promotional opportunities.

Winners Among newsXpress Members

nswwinners.JPGnewsXpress Toronto and newsXpress Terrigal Won $500 each at our NSW one-day conference in Sydney yesterday … continuing the stream of winners among newsXpress members as a result of supporting suppliers which support newsXpress. In delivering these cash rewards, newsXpress is sharing fun and excitement at our member meeting series.  We appreciate the financial support of our preferred suppliers enabling us to offer these prizes.

Trade Display Helps newsXpress Members Buy Competitively

nsw-trade.JPGThe newsXpress one-day conference / member meeting in Sydney yesterday presented an excellent range of supplier opportunities … special offers from newsXpress preferred suppliers helping newsXpress members buy better and drive excellent impulse and core business. We love the support from fourteen of newsXpress preferred suppliers for supporting the trade displays accompanying this round of meetings.

newsXpress Embraces Toys

toynetworx.JPGToy Networx and All Brands Toys have been participating in the trade display which accompanies our current one-day conferences around Australia.  They have been offering excellent buying opportunities.

With so many newsXpress stores now enjoying success with toys, the latest offers are welcome as stores stock up for the mid year season, especially the next round of school holidays.

The toys, games, plush and other items are wonderful basket building products, enhancing the margin banked from each sale. They are perfect for leveraging the traffic generated by newsXpress marketing, delivering a solid margin result for newsXpress members.

The newsXpress difference is how we guide newsXpress members to leverage the toy opportunity in the context of the overall newsXpress business development campaign.