The Resilient Retail Game Plan - retail insights, retail trends and best practices

Merry Christmas to all you small businesses owners out there - I hope you had a good season of sales and that you’re having a well-earned rest before we all hit the ground running for 2022.

As this is the last podcast episode of 2021 I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a look at the last year in retail - from what trends have developed over the last 12 months, to how the industry has been continually shaped by global events.

Despite seeing a stronger start to the year than expected and physical stores reopening in the UK around April, 2021 has been bookended by rising COVID cases and the ramifications for retail have been considerable. 

In this episode, we'll look at how projected online growth has accelerated at an unprecedented pace, whilst typical shopping patterns have experienced major shifts, as well as how multiple revenue streams have allowed some businesses to remain agile, as they’ve pivoted in response to revised restrictions. We'll also review how changes in the geography of stock are affecting high street occupancy rates and how sticking to the fundamentals should see you and your business through the most volatile of times.

Use the code: 10podcast to get £10 off your first month when joining The Resilient Retail Club.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

With Christmas Day but a few sleeps away, I hope you and your business have not only survived but thrived this festive season, and hopefully, you can look forward to some well-deserved rest once those last few orders are picked, packed and shipped! 

Never one to rest on my laurels I’m already looking ahead to 2022 to try and ascertain what trends we could expect to see, even whilst the shadow of Omicron-driven uncertainty stretches into next year. 

In today’s episode, pulled from my research as a Forbes contributor, I cover the four key themes that I believe will shape the next year in retail. We’ll look at how customers want businesses to do better in all facets and how buyers are becoming more shrewd when it comes to greenwashing and shallow marketing ploys. We’ll cover the growth of ‘Social Commerce’ and the advent of shoppable content, made possible through live streaming. I’ll touch on the importance of adopting a hybrid model by running your businesses online and in-person in ways that complement each other. We’ll also discuss the ongoing value of loyalty and how good feedback and a variety of payment options can help keep customers coming back again and again.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

As business owners, and in a world that seems to be evolving at an ever-increasing pace, the convenience, reach and speed that today's marketing tools afford us is very appealing - but the bigger question is: are they effective? As customers, it can often feel like we're being pummeled by a barrage of marketing from every source of tech that we owe - we're snowed under by email subscriptions, solicited over SMS and interrupted mid-video and song by flash-bang advertising. Maybe it's time we slowed things down and reconsidered how we connect, engage and retain our valued customers.

In today’s episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to an advocate of slow marketing and of businesses doing good - founder and CEO of Inkpact, Charlotte Pearce. With a tribe of scribes located across the world, Inkpact produces and delivers personalised, handwritten letters from big companies to their customers to foster real human connections and engage and retain customers.

In this podcast we discuss the importance of marrying your social mission to the core of your business, creating ‘Eros Moments’ to better engage your customers, the long-term benefits of working really hard on understanding and improving yourself, and what it means to be a mother and an entrepreneur in today's world of work.

Don’t forget to sign up for my free talk on Tuesday 21st December at http://www.resilientretailclub.com/grow2022 where I’ll be talking about the events of the past year, as well as my views and perspectives on what to expect throughout 2022.

Head to https://inkpact.com/ to check out their amazing services and connect with Inkpact over at:

https://www.facebook.com/inkpactmarketing/

https://twitter.com/inkpact

https://www.instagram.com/inkpact/

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

With the big day but a few weeks away, we're truly bang-in-the-middle of Christmas crunch-time. You're no doubt juggling orders and shipments as well family commitments and making plans for the festive holidays. But, with so many different elements to manage and demands being made of your time, I'd be willing to bet that the one thing you're not prioritising is you.

In today’s episode, I speak to Confidence Coach and author of “Be Your No.1 Cheerleader” Ekua Cant. With a mission of being positive in business, career and in life, Ekua helps women to back themselves, overcome fear and unleash their potential, with a focus on balancing their ambitions with the need to rest and to prioritise personal self-care.

In this podcast we discuss the importance of scheduling time to rest, the value of investing in a good morning routine, getting comfortable with delegating, affirming that “No” is a complete sentence and how looking after yourself ultimately helps you look after your business.

https://www.beyournumberonecheerleader.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekuacant/ https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9139/9781473668942 https://byncheerleader.samcart.com/products/kickstart-your-career-for-2022-resilient-retail

Use the code: 10podcast to get 10% off your first month when joining The Resilient Retail Club.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

Between the numerous learning curves, family commitments, marketing schedules, profit margins, post office runs and, well, the list goes on, I think we’d all agree that running your own business can be exhausting. Intense work schedules can lead to fatigue and we’re all likely to experience burn-out and brain fog at some point - but how do you manage running a business whilst suffering from chronic or long term illness. In today’s episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to the founder of BAO Skincare, Beth Coldrick. With a background in natural beauty therapy and nutrition, Beth has had to navigate running her own salon and building her skincare brand all the while dealing with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In this episode we talk about the process of getting certified organic, maintaining the integrity of your products as you grow and making the right choices for you and your health without compromising your business ambitions.    Head to https://www.baoskincare.co.uk/ to check out Beth’s certified vegan organic skin care products and you can follow and connect with her at: https://www.facebook.com/baoskincare/ https://www.instagram.com/baoskincare/ Use the code: 10podcast to get 10% off your first month when joining The Resilient Retail Club.

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today marks one of the US’s biggest holidays, as well as the eve of one of the biggest retail events of the year: Black Friday. Historically a day for bagging unbelievable bargains, the consensus on this massive shopping event has shifted somewhat in recent years, with some people and companies pushing back against this festival of consumerism with a message to shop small and in some cases offering to support charitable causes through their sales.

Customers are getting more attuned to purpose-led businesses and want to buy from people that are putting purpose at the heart of their brand. It stands to reason that when, as a small business owner, you have to manage everything, that you want it to be as easy as possible to take your positive intentions forward. so, in today’s episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to Veronica Bamford-Dean, managing director of Work For Good, a tech platform that makes it easy and legal for small businesses to fundraise for charity and make an impact.

In this podcast, we discuss the differences between individuals and businesses in charitable giving, what exactly a commercial participation agreement is and how to support sustainably by giving as you grow.

Use the code: 10podcast to get £10 off your first month when joining The Resilient Retail Club

https://workforgood.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/WorkForGoodUK/ https://twitter.com/workforgooduk https://www.instagram.com/workforgooduk/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/workforgooduk/

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

Whether this is your first festive sales season or you’re a Christmas retail veteran there’ll always be challenges to overcome and surprises you didn’t anticipate. Everyone's business is different and operates with its own set of rules and idiosyncrasies, which means even with the best direction from dependable sources it can feel like much of the advice available is a bit abstract when comes to trying to apply it to your own business.

So, for today's episode, I’ve enlisted the help and perspectives of three of my Resilient Retail club members to try and give you some real-life examples of how to prepare yourself and manage your business this Christmas. I am delighted to introduce Rani of ‘Plant A Bloomer’ - who offers gifts and cards to plant and craft, Annabelle of ‘Copper and Holly’, who runs a Brecon-based Autumn and Christmas pop-up shop and Emily, the owner of Cotswolds gift boutique ‘Wild At Heart’.

From organising online sales fulfilment to staffing physical stores, the experiences of these wonderful business owners hopefully go some way to speaking to some of the challenges you might experience this season.

In this episode, we discuss working with fulfilment centres and managing third-party relationships, the time it takes for trends to filter through to different communities, the importance of organising training, purchasing early for the big day and much, much more! 

Use the links below to check Rani’s, Annabelle’s and Emily’s businesses and to connect with them on social.

Rani Deshpande

https://www.plantabloomer.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/plantabloomer/ https://www.facebook.com/plantabloomer/

Annabelle Summerfield

https://www.copperandholly.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/copperandholly/ https://www.instagram.com/copperandhollychristmas/

Emily Wild

https://www.wildatheartgifts.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/WildatHeartGifts/ https://www.instagram.com/wildatheartgifts/

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have completely revolutionised the way in which small independent businesses can reach potential customers. The democratisation of the online retail space paired with widely accessible, user-friendly marketing tools like Canva have helped elevate the profile of many small brands and start-ups. Increased visibility is great but the work you’re putting into market yourself needs to translate to orders.

In episode 67 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, we speak to the founder of Sparkle Storm UK, Charis Varley. A previous apprentice of mine, Charis has discovered huge success through using TikTok, seeing the sales of her personalised gifts skyrocket thanks to the exposure and connections that platform has enabled her to create.  

In this episode we touch on the different viewing habits and cultures associated with each social media platform, discuss how the misconception that TikTok is just for teenagers means that you could be missing out on the purchasing power of the working youth and how being an early adopter of social media tech can help you surf the wave of ever-changing algorithms.

Head to https://sparklestorm.co.uk/ to see Charis’ uniquely tailored handmade products and you can follow and connect with her at:

https://www.instagram.com/sparklestorm/

https://www.facebook.com/SparkleStormUK

https://www.tiktok.com/@sparklestormcreation

 

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

I think we can all agree that Christmas wouldn’t be much of a success if Santa Claus didn’t show up, and the same holds true for your business. If you don’t put the time and effort in to get yourself out there and make your brand and your products more visible you won’t be taking full advantage of one of the most lucrative sales seasons in the calendar.  

Incredible products will sell themselves, but some of your lines will need a little TLC to get them flying off the shelves. That’s why it’s not only important but essential to break through those barriers of self-consciousness, embrace repetition and shout loud and proud about your wonderful offerings in the run-up to the big day. 

In today’s episode, I speak to fashion brand consultant Elizabeth Stiles. After working for 14 years in the industry, Elizabeth now works with purpose-driven independent brands to help support them with their manufacturing, marketing and mindset and she's a real visibility queen.  

In this podcast, we discuss the importance of giving your products the exposure they deserve, how the more you talk, the more you have to talk about and how if you focus on your sales, your operations will take care of themselves.

Get in touch with Elizabeth about working together at https://www.elizabethstiles.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with her at:

https://www.instagram.com/elizabethstilesuk/

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify

Since originating in the United States, developed as a major sales stimulus event based around Thanksgiving, Black Friday has since migrated to many other economies around the globe where businesses offer a wide range of deals and discounts for a limited time, effectively marking the beginning of the festive shopping season.

Small businesses often don’t have the resources to pull off the seemingly too-good-to-be-true offers that larger retailers flood the market with at the end of November, and with the degree of push-back we’ve seen from consumer-conscious campaigns in the form of counter-events like ‘Small-business Saturdays’, it can be tough to know what to do for the best when it comes to such a pivotal point in the retail calendar.

In today’s episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, we’ll discuss the multiple options open to you when it comes to Black Friday. We’ll look at the rules around price-establishing, as well as alternative offerings to discounts such as charitable donations. Whether you avoid it altogether, go grassroots and create your own event, or employ site-wide discounts, we’ll look at the elements you’ll need to consider to make a choice that feels most comfortable for you. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Capify