Skip to main content

Content investment by big retailers: what are you doing

Local retailers need to sit down and take note. Two major retailers - Amazon and Waitrose - yesterday acquired media businesses.

Close to home,Waitrose bought the 63 year old Good Food Guide from Which? to build on its presence as a "food expert across a number of communications channels."

"We aim to be the go-to shop for food lovers and this guide will develop our brand as an authority on good food," said Rupert Thomas, marketing director.

More dramatically, Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon bought the Washington Post for $250m.

He said: "Journalism plays a critical role in a free society and the Washington Post as the hometown paper of the capital city of the United States is especially important."

Media moguls used to buy papers for political influence. Can big retailers be any different?

However, for local retailers this underlines the need for you to have a social media strategy. You need to communicate with your shoppers and build their trust in your offer. See Retail Newsagent for more ideas on how to do this.

Read more, see www.betterretailing.com.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What do shoppers see

I read a good post (http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/2009/08/28/what-do-newsagents-charge-for-faxing.html) asking what price local shops charge for providing a fax service. The blogger had attached a photograph of his sign with his prices on it. What struck me was the message on the sign. "You drop, we fax," it said. "Pressed for time, drop your documents with us and we'll do it for you at no extra charge." That is a message that will persuade most shoppers that you want to give them good value, even if they stay to do the copying or faxing themselves.
Post a Comment
Read more

Local advantage? Sainsbury's boss argues it is from his stores.

Online businesses don't pay local taxes, Sainsbury's boss Justin King argues in a big CityAM interview spread. Unlike the web retail businesses, Sainsbury's  "pay business rates at a local level" and "employ people locally" and "pay people locally" and "they spend their earnings locally". "If we are seeing a shift in consumer behaviour towards purchasing online rather than their local store then the government will have to address that the tax system is being usurped by a change in behaviour," he adds.  The point to notice here is that connection of Sainsbury's with "local shop". It is spin. But very effective spin. As any independent retailers who have talked to their MPs about competition from multiples will know, the grocers are very successful at projecting the "local" benefits that they will bring. Perhaps 10 years ago this was true. But supported by a better supply chain, independent...
Post a Comment
Read more

The launch of the 2009 IAA

We are launching the 2009 Independent Achievers Academy tomorrow in London with a group of retailers and suppliers. The marketing team have come up with a great practical exercise to help us relive the Academy experience. At its heart, the IAA has a simple concept: set a goal, plan to hit it and celebrate the outcome. I hope to learn lots from participants and will pass this learning on to you.
Post a Comment
Read more