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

From marketplace apps like Depop to capitalist behemoths like Amazon, E-commerce comes in many shapes and forms but none often so critical as your own website. In this day and age, and especially in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic, consumers expect your business, small or large, to have some form of online presence - fortunately, it’s easier than ever to set up a website. But how do you make sure that it’s working effectively, that it’s accurately conveying your range of products, and most importantly that it’s converting?

In today’s episode, I speak to Anna Henneback, an E-commerce Consultant and Shopify Specialist, to discuss some of the common problems to watch out for when building out your online shops, and what sort of elements you can implement to create a frictionless purchase journey for your customers. With 15 years of industry experience from working with major global omnichannel retailers including like Net-a-Porter and H&M, Anna touches on the importance of having a mobile-first mindset, the value of social proof in the form of user-generated content and reviews (good and bad!) and shares some vital tips that will help you give your customers the confidence and security to want to spend with you.

Get in touch with Anna about working together at https://www.heneback.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with Anna at: https://www.instagram.com/heneback_ecommerce/

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Email has become as ubiquitous a form of communicating with customers as any of the traditional marketing mediums, and in an increasingly digital world, emails couldn’t be more valuable in helping customers to make a decision on what and what not to buy.

It’s a powerful tool and really makes money when it works, but despite many small business reporting having an email list, email marketing is still hugely under-utilised.

For this episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I’ve enlisted email strategist and copywriter Eman Ismail. She never gets bored of talking about the power of email and uses her talent for creating online correspondence to help fire up conversion rates, evergreen sales, and turn fans into super-fans.

We spend this podcast discussing the importance of establishing connections and honouring the access that an email gives business owners to their customer base, as well as tips for where to start with developing sales sequences and the importance of celebrating the unsubscribers.

Get in touch with Eman about working together at Inkhouse.org.uk and you can follow and connect with Eman at:

https://www.instagram.com/inkhousewriting/

https://www.facebook.com/inkhousewriting/

https://twitter.com/inkhousewriting

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From my long career in the retail sector to working one-to-one with large clients and hosting numerous courses I know first-hand how confusing and overwhelming running a business can be and decided last May that I wanted to create, and make available, helpful content around running creative product businesses. I quickly decided to start a membership program and the rest, as they say, is history!

And now, celebrations are in order! It’s not only my birthday this week, but the Resilient Retail Club turns one, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to reflect on the last 12 months of running my membership and to share what I’ve learnt with you. 

In this bonus episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I’ll be looking at the five things I’ve learnt from a year of running The Resilient Retail Club. I take a look at the value of community and how important it is to ask for and share support. I identify some common themes that form the basis of a lifestyle shift, with people rediscovering their creativity and leaving more traditional job roles. I also take a look at the tension between creativity and commerce, and with so much to juggle and understand, how mindset means everything when it comes moving forward with your business.

Don’t forget to take advantage of my Resilient Retail Club Birthday Week Offer at: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/birthday

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Loyalty is absolutely key when it comes to selling creative products, but it’s something business owners often don’t prioritise. It’s easy to get distracted chasing new customers and with the prevalence of complicated legacy loyalty programs like Nectar and Tesco’s Clubcard, where consumers haven’t always seen the best return, it can be hard to know how best to entice, reward and retain your existing customer base. 

Loyalty, in traditional business terms, is ultimately about repeat purchases, but as today's guest Fiona Stevens explains, it’s also about engaging with customers between purchases. Fiona is Head of Marketing for LoyaltyLion - a data-driven loyalty and engagement platform trusted by thousands of fast-growth e-commerce merchants worldwide - and in today’s episode, we discuss how changes in consumer attitudes are creating a shift in the way businesses build relationships and communities with their customers. 

We take a look at how shared values and emotional connections are becoming increasingly critical to purchasers, how a loyalty mindset can help support your wider business goals and the importance of balancing customer acquisition and retention. 

Check out LoyaltyLion at: https://loyaltylion.com/ And connect with them on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/LoyaltyLionHQ/

https://twitter.com/loyaltylionhq

https://www.linkedin.com/company/loyaltylion

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Way back in episode 28 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan I spoke about where to sell your creative products. Each of the better-known e-commerce platforms tend to have their own kind of community and fulfil a certain niche - but in today’s episode, I want to focus on the marketplace offering unique crafts, personalised products and DIY designs: Etsy.

To help me better understand what makes Etsy so special I’ve enlisted the font of e-commerce knowledge that is Silvina De Vita - designer, paper artist and founder of My Papercut Forest.

Etsy was the first place Silvina ever sold her stunning paper miniatures online and has seen her success and sales grow exponentially since setting up her account in 2012. She’s such an Etsy pro that’s even a regional Team Captain for Brighton, helping local sellers and makers to also succeed on the platform.

In this podcast, we discuss the value of Etsy’s global reach and how perceptions of the platform have shifted from it being viewed as a hobbyist shopfront to a driver of style and fashion. We also touch on the bonuses of unexpected PR and how the platform, if used to full effect, can be the main revenue driver for your business.

Check out Silvina’s beautiful paper-cut miniatures at https://mypapercutforest.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with Silvina at:

https://www.instagram.com/mypapercutforest/ https://twitter.com/silvina_dv https://www.facebook.com/silvinadevita

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The product business survey I conducted this march turned up a lot of interesting information as well as a few surprises, and in episode 36 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan I did a countdown of one of the collections of results that I found most fascinating - the things that contributors said made the most difference to their businesses. 

Answers ranged from establishing a stronger brand identity to cultivating consumer communities, but in this episode with the help of today’s guest, business mentor Therese Ørtenblad of Small Business Collaborative, I want to focus on the third most mentioned tactic: wholesaling. 

Having worked with Therese on many different projects including talks, podcast and courses, I can’t think of anyone more passionate and better suited to help creative product businesses enter the world of Wholesaling.

In today's podcast, we discuss the wholesale benefits of increased visibility and sales and how getting your products into stores can help create a positive shift in mindset and solidify a sense of credibility. We also delve into the long-term gains on offer when considering the interplay of sales margins and product volume, and how now is the moment for small businesses when it comes to working with stockists.

Get in touch with Therese’s about working together at https://www.smallbusinesscollaborative.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with Therese at:

https://www.instagram.com/small_business_collaborative/

https://www.facebook.com/smallbusinesscollaborative/

https://twitter.com/sbusinesscollab

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There's been a massive sea change in recent years when it comes to consumers and the relationships that they have, and maintain, with the people, companies and even industries that they buy from. We've seen this in the advent of conscious consumerism and through the more recent drive to support small businesses in the wake of COVID-19. Part of this shift in consumer mindset can be attributed to the access and visibility created by social media - never before have we, as customers, had such unbridled access to and power over our favourite brands. Showing people behind the scenes, sharing the processes that get your products to market and letting your customers voices be heard has never been more important when attempting to develop long-lasting, personal relationships with the buying public. But cultivating an earnest brand that speaks to its audience in an organic way is no mean feat. That's where today's Resilient Retail guest, Manmeet Sokhi, comes in. Since starting White Rain Designs around 6 years ago, Manmeet has steadily grown her personalised ceramics business. From originally working at a ‘Paint-Your-Own’ studio, through working weekends to getting her own kiln, the last year and a half has seen her small product business really take off! In today’s episode, we discuss her foray into the world of Instagram, the value of organic engagement and how taking the opportunity to co-create with your community of customers can open up possibilities you might never have considered; as well as the importance of taking the time to create impactful content and setting social media boundaries.

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From our favourite classic adverts to the advent of celebrity Youtubers, can you think of a more powerful, versatile, or memorable way to promote a brand, business or product than through video? With the incredible reach afforded by social media and the digital wonders that are smartphones, video has become an indispensable tool for any business. So, for my second-ever interview on The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I thought I’d dig a little deeper into the subject and get in touch with video creator, consultant and collaborator Jessica Wreford.

Back in 2019, inspired by her travels around New Zealand, Jess launched her own part-time creative product business with the ‘throwbie’ - a quick-dry and compact private changing robe. Combined with her love of YouTube and Instagram, she used and enhanced, her video skills to get her amazing product in front of people online. Building in success and growing in confidence Jess has since gone freelance full-time and now helps others to level up their content with original video ideas, and social media content that goes beyond your typical ‘reel’.

In today's episode we discuss the importance of story-telling and fostering human connections in a digital space; the challenges and rewards of being vulnerable and sharing your journey (however bumpy it is) and how the medium of video can help you adapt and work more efficiently in these unprecedented times.

Check out Jess’ work at https://jessicadoes.co/ and you can follow and connect with Jess at https://www.instagram.com/jessicadoeslife/

And don't forget to join my free 5-day challenge, with guided goal-setting and strategy planning to grow your sales in 2021 at:

http://www.resilientretailclub.com/challenge

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After what seems like an eternity, lockdown has finally been lifted! Non-essential retail can now re-open, and I couldn’t be happier for all you creative product business owners out there - here’s to some healthy sales numbers and growing profits. I’m also very happy and excited to introduce my first ever guest on The Resilient Retail Game Plan, Katie Glickman! 

Katie is the owner and creator of the award-winning waterproof ‘Bibbily Boo’ bib, which launched in 2019. Inspired by her own dribbly baby, she launched her business whilst on maternity leave. Wanting to avoid bib rash, make her little one more comfortable and tired of the endless cycle of drying drool-soaked clothes, Katie taught herself to sew, developed an innovative product and made her first sale a mere 27 minutes after launching her own website.

In today’s episode, we discuss how researching and entering awards has helped transform Katie’s business, and how industry recognition and recommendations from respected institutions can go a long way in proving to your customers why your products are worth the investment. Katie also shares how the impact of each award she’s received has been different and highlights the importance of budgeting when you’re considering making an application to multiple awards bodies.

Check out Katie’s amazing bibs and her further range of products at https://www.bibbilyboo.co.uk/ and you can follow and connect with Katie at:

https://www.facebook.com/bibbilyboo/

https://www.instagram.com/bibbilyboobibs

And don't forget to join my free 5-day challenge, with guided goal-setting and strategy planning to grow your sales in 2021 at:

http://www.resilientretailclub.com/challenge

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Welcome back to the final episode of my three-part analysis of the 2021 Resilient Retail Product Business Survey.

In the previous two episodes, we’ve had a look at the numbers that the 300 plus respondents submitted, in an effort to find some realistic benchmarks to work against, and we also reviewed how those business owners used marketing to help build their brands and increase their sales.

In episode 36 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan I’ll be counting down the top 11 results for each of the two questions I asked at the very end of the survey. The first was: “What was the one thing that made the difference?” And the second was: “What was your biggest learning?”

We’ll discuss the value of strong product photography and branding, the synergy between sales channels and your customers, and cultivating a community around your brand through recommendations and social media.

We’ll also look at the importance of being persistent, consistent and flexible across all aspects of your business, how relationships with PR and influencers can sometimes be a bit of a double-edged sword, and how one of the biggest barriers to your success could be you! 

Get your copy of the report at https://www.resilientretailclub.com/survey

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