Does Q4 fill you with dread or excitement? So much is at stake - every store chasing to achieve the target, product rolling in thick and fast, temporary staff being hired & trained. Meanwhile Senior leadership are finding final opportunities to save cash and maximise margins. Personally, I love the hustle and bustle of Q4. As we gear up for the whirlwind of Q4 in the retail world, we understand the importance of keeping your teams motivated, energised, and burnout-free. This is the season where your stores are processing mountains of stock and tackling even more challenging (sometimes rud ..read more

Retail staff turnover has long been a daunting challenge for the industry. It's not uncommon to find handmade signs slapped onto the shop front doors saying 'back in 20 minutes' because the solo worker needed to pop out for some food! One of the busiest periods is the lunch hour - so how crazy is this?! How many sales were missed during this period? £50? £500? Maybe more...now multiply that over 5 days for a period of say 6 months. Painful and totally avoidable. It's also not uncommon to see store teams overloaded with tasks, looking utterly exhausted and on the verge of a mental/physical bur ..read more

When was the last time you experienced customer service that really made you feel something? As in...you felt inspired, educated, intrigued, cared about? Let me guess, errrr ages ago, maybe never? The customer service crisis has been around for ages and it's only getting worse. But why? Well, it all starts with people doesn't it. recruiting the right people who simply love to serve and learn about guests-clients-customers. If the people recruited into your retail business have no interest in this, theeeeeeeen maybe re-think that hiring process. Other reasons why customers are facing dreadful ..read more

UNSUBSCRIBE! Bore off, I am not interested in you shoving products down my throat - seriously, it's getting boring now and instead of nurturing me you're actually agitating me. So, I'm taking back control and unsubscribing. Put that into your demographic, tiering buckets and smoke it! Ok, so this maaaaay seem a little harsh but COME ON can brands please be a little bit smarter when it comes to landing in my inbox? Email marketing has long been a practice for retailers to communicate with their customers and promote their products or services. In the beginning, I guess it was new, fresh, excit ..read more

Do you work in retail? I don’t mean only on ‘the shopfloor’ by the way! You could be the COO, a District Manager, a Merchandiser, a Product Owner or part of the Finance team. Whatever function you are in this awesome industry: So please, pay attention to the only thing that matters: Your customers! You don’t need me to come in all sassy shouting about how the customer really does pay your salary – I’m sure you’ve heard it all before, right?! So why is it then, that retail brands continue to offer uninspiring, lazy, bland customer experiences? Especially in this modern day where the customer c ..read more

Yes, retail is struggling. Yes, surviving on the high street is more challenging than ever. And yes, our industry has indeed got a higher turnover rate than most. However, if you aren’t putting your staff’s mindset at the core of your retail brand’s culture and strategy, you don’t get to complain. Too harsh? Hear me out. The current situation for most retail brands I’ve worked in retail for over 20 years and bumped into the same problems over and over again. Now, don’t get me wrong: as I said at the beginning, I’m well aware of the current talent crisis! But I also think that too many brands ..read more

You've heard of scripts (ugh) and positive body language, but have you been focusing on curiosity in sales? Most retail stores overlook it… and then complain that not enough people visit their branches! Instead, gain an advantage over the average competitor by teaching THIS to your staff. Not-so-curious retail sales assistants: the problem with the current situation Way too many retail stores are ,still relying on scripts, and customers can tell. Seriously. It’s so obvious when a front-of-house staff member is asking certain questions in order to manipulate a customer and pressure them into a ..read more

Let’s face it: everyone knows that retail turnover is high—much higher than most industries. But what does that mean for your stores going forward? Should you try and fight a doomed battle or just save money on staff training, knowing they’re probably going to leave soon? Heads-up: you might not like the answer (but, if you want your stores to succeed, it’s not a good enough reason to ignore it). The retail industry and staff turnover: a troubled relationship Let’s start by putting retail turnover in perspective. Average employee turnover rate in retail The ,average retail turnover rate is 60 ..read more

Still evaluating your store’s success based on Average Transaction Value and the usual hard KPIs in retail? I’m afraid that’s as anachronistic as focusing all your social media efforts on MySpace during the age of Instagram and TikTok! If you want your stores to succeed during the phygital revolution⁠—and of course, you do⁠—you need to change your focus. This includes prioritising the retail KPIs that take this new normal into consideration. Let me show you why (and how). Some hard KPIs in retail belong to physical-only stores⁠—which belong to the past Retail is evolving. Too many companies a ..read more

Mobile commerce, app-based marketing, interactive in-store technology… Are managers necessary in this new retail landscape? Aren’t they redundant, nowadays? Yes and no to both. Heads up: if you’re still relying on a traditional store manager figure, your brand will soon be left behind in the retail revolution. After all, this industry is constantly evolving. It’s only natural that store managers do the same. And yet too many retail brands are still focusing on an outdated role. Retail store managers: relevant or redundant? I’m not saying that retail store managers themselves are no longer nec ..read more