newsXpress difference | newsXpress Blog

Perfect time for selling the newsXpress phonecard

Easter is a perfect time for selling the newsXpress phonecard. It is a time when families, loved ones and friends who have distance between them reconnect and catch up. The newsXpress phonecard can be used for calls within Australia as well as overseas.

It is a perfect Easter gift … the gift of happy conversation.

Indeed, the newsXpress phonecard is the perfect gift all year round – as well as the perfect treat for yourself.

Untimed local calls for just 25 cents makes it easy for people to connect for good-value conversation.

newsXpress is proud to have the newsXpress phonecard as part of our offer in newsXpress locations right across the country.

newsXpress gives local shoppers opportunities to save when they shop at newsXpress.

Places Filling for May Mini Conferences

Places are filling for the newsXpress May Mini-Conferences as members look forward to excellent supplier deals, valuable networking and good value presentations. newsXpress members and key employees are urged to BOOK NOW to attend, to unlock maximum value from the newsXpress relationship.

Attendance is free thanks to generous newsXpress supplier funding.

Brisbane Tuesday 17h May 2011– Brisbane Technology Park, Cnr Logan & Miles Plating Rds Eight Mile Plains, QLD, 4113
Melbourne Thursday 19th May 2011 – Hemisphere Conference Centre, 488 South Rd Moorabbin VIC 3189
Sydney Thursday 26th May 2011 – Bonnie Doon Golf Club, Banks Ave, Pagewood, NSW, 2035
Perth Tuesday 31st May 2011 – Location TBA

Non newsXpress members are welcome to book and attend, to see the newsXpress difference in action.

Non newsXpress members should speak with our General Manager, Ben Kay, on 0419 678 754.

Easter Marketing Collateral Shows Off the newsXpress Difference

With Easter products such as aster Eggs being so bright and colourful, the newsXpress creative team made a conscious decision develop collateral which let the products pull focus this year rather than our collateral.

Too often with major seasons, there is a competition between Easter posters and the products which ought to be the focus of customer attention. This is more often the case at Easter, thanks to brightly coloured Easter Eggs.

We found a certain sameness in Easter collateral when we reviewed 2010. This is true this year if you look around retailers and how they are promoting the season. We wanted a newsXpress point of difference.

The result of our consideration is a wonderful set of Easter collateral which beautifully signposts the season yet which does not pull focus from the product which is vital to the commercial success of the season.

We are thrilled with feedback from newsXpress members and new on the multitude of ways they have been using the collateral, especially the bonus collateral provided for the Easter season.

Selling The Sticker Family at the counter

Sales of The Sticker Family range continue to grow through the newsXpress group. Right across the country newsXpress members are reporting excellent numbers for the first quarter off the year.

One way newsXpress stores are boosting sales of The Sticker Family is through the placement of a mat at the counter as shown in the photo. Shoppers see the pull up banner out the front of the store and are reminded of this when they come to the counter. being laminated, customers can circle, with a whiteboard market, the stickers they want. It becomes a shopping list.

We are seeing newsXpress locations sell 300 stickers a week and more by engaging with the recommended newsXpress tactics for The Sticker Family.

A useful ratio we are using is that sales of these stickers can be equal to 50% of greeting card sales. The key to achieving this is relentless focus on the newsXpress tactics for the range. newsXpress members should talk with their newsXpress Business Development Manager for a refresher of these tactics.

We are flattered that others have followed us into our campaign for The Sticker Family. The newsXpress difference is our tactics which are driving sales success … helping newsXpress members bank more margin dollars.

My Kitchen Rules a hit at newsXpress

newsXpress arranged for all stores to receive a counter display unit and additional collateral for supporting the launch of My Kitchen Rules The Cookbook yesterday. Reports through the day indicated that this special treatment of newsXpress stores by the publisher, Pacific Magazines, has worked very well. Our back end replenishment program will enable newsXpress stores to ensure that all customer orders will be satisfied.

newsXpress is demonstrating its point of difference and the value of membership with My Kitchen Rules The Cookbook. Our members yesterday banked margin which many newsagents could not. newsXpress members did this thanks to work from our back office team and thanks to all newsXpress stakeholders working together to make the most of the MKR opportunity.

newsXpress announces may Mini-Conferences

newsXpress has announced details for its May Mini-Conferences. These feature packed one-day conferences will also provide access to excellent supplier deals, exclusive for attending newsXpress members. newsXpress members and key employees are urged to BOOK NOW to attend, to unlock maximum value from the newsXpress relationship.

Attendance is free thanks to generous newsXpress supplier funding.

Brisbane Tuesday 17h May 2011– Brisbane Technology Park, Cnr Logan & Miles Plating Rds Eight Mile Plains, QLD, 4113
Melbourne Thursday 19th May 2011 – Hemisphere Conference Centre, 488 South Rd Moorabbin VIC 3189
Sydney Thursday 26th May 2011 – Bonnie Doon Golf Club, Banks Ave, Pagewood, NSW, 2035
Perth Tuesday 31st May 2011 – Location TBA

Non newsXpress members are welcome to book and attend, to see the newsXpress difference in action.

Non newsXpress members should speak with our General Manager, Ben Kay, on 0419 678 754.

Party Time at newsXpress Knox

The new Party department at newsXpress Knox is delivering good sales. Plenty is as a result of new traffic generated by the new department.

From helium filled balloons through to party supplies like plates and cups, the new party department brings a feeling of celebration to the shop. The good range of products is generating excellent word of mouth and this is helping bring new traffic.

Planogrammed around a column and on a couple of stands, the party department at newsXpress Knox is situated close to a high traffic location in-store and as a result drives good impulse purchases as well as destination purchases.

More and more newsXpress stores are rolling out party departments, enjoying good margin high customer impact business.

Business Development Team Meeting

We flew all of our Business Development Managers and several others from our team into Sydney yesterday for a review of current newsXpress projects, briefing on supplier offers and a discussions around innovation planned for the second quarter of 2011.

newsXpress has the largest team of Business Development Managers, delivering in-store support, assistance and guidance, out of all newsagency marketing groups. The BDM team is a key reason for the above average performance we see in newsXpress businesses compared to other newsagencies.

Yesterday was well spent with clear and agreed focus for the three months ahead.

Royal Wedding innovation at Redcliffe

newsXpress Redcliffe is promoting pre-orders of the 2012 Royal Wedding calendar with this tactical placement at the sales counter. Using the newsXpress provided collateral, the counter unit makes it easy for customers to order the calendar and ensure that their copy is available when socks come in later this year. With no other retailer currently playing in this space, the pre-order is an excellent example of commercially valuable innovation from newsXpress, driving a more efficient shopping basket.

Easter at Ocean Grove

newsXpress Ocean Grove is promoting Easter products across a number of display which face shoppers as they enter the newsagency. From eggs to gifts to cards, the range at Ocean Grove is broad and certain to appeal to Ocean Grove shoppers.

newsXpress pitched its Easter 2011 range to members in mid 2010, enabling newsXpress members to get in earl, ahead of when most newsagents do their Easter buying. we do this with all seasons, giving newsXpress plenty of time to select the optimal range, picking the cream of the seasonal offers ahead of the crowds.

newsXpress Enhances Seasonal Marketing Collateral

newsXpress has expanded the range of marketing collateral it sends to newsXpress members in support of major seasons.

In addition to double sided A1 posters, newsXpress provides packs of A4 and A3 posters, using the same artwork.

This collateral for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Diaries and Calendars provides newsXpress members with professional posters featuring newsXpress exclusive artwork with which to professional promote the season in-store.

The artwork for the collateral this year is presented in landscape mode, looking like it is on the back on an envelope. This is a subtle yet effective connection of the season with card buying … something often overlooked in seasonal marketing in newsagencies.

In addition to the printed posters, newsXpress also provides soft copies on the member website – for local printing and inclusion in local documents.

Seasonal marketing collateral is provided by newsXpress at no additional cost to newsXpress members.

Promoting The Sticker Family at Shoreline in Tasmania

newsXpress Shoreline in Tasmania is promoting The Sticker Family range of stickers with the pull up banner at the front of the store on the lease line.

We know from experience and success across the newsXpress group that this location at the front of the business is the perfect location for promoting The Sticker Family. newsXpress Shoreline is having the same success of other newsXpress stores, good incremental business, driving a more efficient sales basket.

Check out the photo … what a terrific looking shop!

Easter Eggs at Gladstone Park

newsXpress Gladstone Park has Easter on display with this promotion of gifts and Easter Eggs from Ernest Hillier. In a high traffic location on the dance floor, the Easter display is designed to grab impulse business – leveraging good traffic to the business for stationery, magazines and greeting cards. The Ernest Hillier range caters to a broad cross-section of the community from young to old. Their packaging stands out and makes any Easter display look fun and tempting.

newsXpress Seasonal Focus Pays Off

The analysis of year on year same store sales data for seasons in 2010 has been completed. The newsXpress strategy for seasons is delivering excellent rewards to many newsXpress members and our preferred suppliers.

There is nothing like well above average growth to show the financial and business value growth of newsXpress membership. This is what newsXpress and newsXpress members achieved last year.

Assessing the growth by seasons and comparing newsXpress performance with the average achieved by newsagents shows 2010 to have been a very good year. For some seasons, newsXpress year on year performance was more than double that of the average for the newsagency channel.

The latest data will be shared in some detail at our next round of one day mini conferences.

EXCLUSIVE: Another newsXpress Merchandise Opportunity

We can’t name the suppliers yet but watch out for another lucrative newsXpress exclusive which will be backed with a tremendous multi-media campaign. newsXpress members are set to reap the rewards of additional traffic and sales thanks to the work of our national merchandise team.

In a few months, through the exclusive offers, the commercial value of the newsXpress difference will be on show.

newsXpress Helps More Newsagents

newsXpress General Manager Ben Kay is set to announce a series of new member acquisitions as a result of wonderful word of mouth shared by newsXpress members about their experiences with the group. Ben has, in his role as General Manager, met with each of the soon to be announced new members to ensure that they have the outlook, drive and desire to uphold the principles of newsXpress and to add to the overall value of our newsagency marketing group.

Any newsagent interested in building a stronger and more valuable newsagency is welcome to speak with Ben about newsXpress on 0419 678 754.

Ink on offer at newsXpress Jimboomba

newsXpress Jimboomba has introduced the HOT ink! range as part of their further expansion of the product mix in the business. Focused on rspected brands and displayed using newsXpress provided shelf talkers, the HOT ink! range makes for a nice behind the counter presentation in the newsagency. They are supporting the ink range with flyers being sent to homer surrounding the centre.

Great Newsagency Deals for newsXpress Members

Newsagency marketing group newsXpress last week released details for more special offers and product deals for newsXpress members from some of our suite of preferred suppliers. These special deals mean that newsXpress newsagents are able to buy better and therefore improve margin or pass on savings to customers.

newsXpress is committed to helping newsXpress newsagents buy stock at competitive prices. Rather than keeping bonus margin for itself, newsXpress prefers to help members access the financial rewards of good our group wide negotiation.

Suppliers like newsXpress because of its commitment to helping members sell preferred supplier stock. It is one thing to negotiate a good deal for stock and another altogether to sell that stock in a timely manner, to maximise the financial return for the newsagency.

newsXpress supports preferred supplier stock with tactical placement advice, visual merchandising advice, marketing support and other assistance. The result is an increased bankable margin from special offers.

Sure the deal is important. However, a deal which does not sell or does not sell quickly is not as valuable as a deal which sells the way many newsXpress deals sell.

These are newsXpress differences in action.

International Insights from Hallmark

Last week several of us from newsXpress were privileged to participate in a briefing on international trends delivered by Ian Stewart, International CEO for Hallmark Cards. As the only newsagency marketing group represented at the briefing, we have an insight which will help with our planning as we help our members transition their businesses through changes in several traditional newsagency product categories.

We will share some of Ian’s insights at the next round of newsXpress member meetings.