Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015 - 33

convenient delivery, easy engagement

kvarnstrom points to one of the most basic advantages
of the flyer-it's delivered efficiently and conveniently. The
FdSa found that for paper flyers, consumers prefer delivery
methods that involve little effort on their part, whether to the
door (the highest preference), or via the mail or daily or community newspapers.
The strength of paper, as much now as ever before, is ease
of use: "You can sit and turn the page, see a picture, clip it and
carry it with you," he says. (kvarnstrom calls newspapers "the
best mobile technology ever".)
While online flyers are trending up, the use
of printed flyers remains strong, relatively unchanged from the last FdSa survey (within the
statistical margin of error, reports kvarnstrom).
of course, online flyers have their own convenience and portability given the range of devices
that can access them. However, kvarnstrom perceives a fundamental distinction between the
two media.
"When we deliver a flyer to a doorstep, we're
pushing it at the consumer," he says. "it's right there in front
of them and they need to make very few decisions to engage."
What's different with digital flyers? "online is very much a
pull scenario," kvarnstrom continues. "People go online to research when they've identified a specific need. online doesn't
create demand as much as it helps fulfill it. The paper flyer is
a key tool for consumers to choose what and where they want
to buy. When people turn the pages on a flyer, we're actually
creating demand for products and services."

and, as the flyer market continues to grow, as
kvarnstrom points out, it's important to avoid
pigeonholing print flyers as a low-tech alternative to digital. He says analytics are becoming
increasingly sophisticated on the part of both
retailers and flyer distributors. "Using point-ofsale information and client profiling, combined
with our ability to distribute down to the route
level, enhances the ability of companies to target," he says.

"The paper flyer is a key tool for consumers to choose what and where they want
to buy. When people turn the pages on a
flyer, we're actually creating demand for
products and services."

complementary roles

This, however, isn't an either-or scenario. kelly levson, director of Research at Newspapers Canada (which teamed with
the FdSa on the consumer study), says 59 per cent of consumers look at both print and digital flyers (up from 53 per
cent in the 2014 study). "People aren't dropping print, they're
just adding an online habit," she says.
Many retailers are experimenting with the mix, not necessarily eliminating paper flyers outright but augmenting them
with digital.
Then there's technology like the Flipp app from Wishabi
(offices in Toronto and New York), which aggregates flyers for
a smartphone or tablet. Consumers can search for local deals
and plan shopping trips. Reebee inc., based in kitchener, ontario, also has an app that automatically updates the flyers you
would otherwise get with your newspaper. Reebee Co-Founder, Tobiasz dankiewicz, says they reach close to 1 million consumers, and in any given week distributes 600-700 versions of
flyers from 100 retail banners.
With their respective strengths, there's room now for both
paper and digital flyers. "They complement each other and
co-exist," says dankiewicz. He hopes for and expects the
digital flyer market share to grow, but adds that "i do see the
value of print."
www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

- PETER KVARNSTROM, Glacier Media Group

as an example, kvarnstrom mentions the flyer
distribution to 60,000 households in the north
shore of Vancouver. Glacier uses a piece of machinery that inserts 28 flyers directly into newspapers, but in hundreds of combinations.
"We offer over 400 unique split packages, to
form distribution patterns for individual retailers.
So a typical homeowner would never know they're
receiving a different bundle than someone a few
blocks away. it's less of a shotgun approach and
much more targeted," says kvarnstrom.
Flyers drive action. as a result of viewing a paper flyer,
consumers take the following actions:

77%

76%

Visit a store within
a week

purchase a product or
service (in a store or online)

28%

22%

Save the flyer for
future use

Recommend a product
or service to others

Winter 2015 | caNadIaN RETaIlER

| 33

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Canadian Retailer - Winter 2015

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