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

Retail Christmas Window Displays: The 3-Colour Rule That Sells

Your shop window is your hardest-working unpaid employee. This Christmas, is it pulling its weight? Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Cathe

Retail Stores: Do Online Brands Really Need Bricks and Mortar?

It's so easy to shop online. So why would anyone spend their precious time coming to see you in a shop? Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, C

Retail (ecommerce) Websites: Do Bricks-and-Mortar Stores Really Need One?

Everyone says your shop needs a website. So why do nearly two-thirds of independent retailers make less than 10% of their revenue online? Hi, I'm retail strategist and f

The Shopping Forecast Podcast - 'Special Listen In' Episode

I just wanted to let you have a quick listen to my other podcast. Fashion brand consultant Elizabeth Stiles (host of The Fashion Brand Clinic) and I teamed up to launch "

Retail Opening Hours: How 8 Independent Shops Decide When to Open

What are the right opening hours for your shop, and what should you actually be using to make that decision? Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Cl

Retail Christmas Forecast: What the Summer Numbers Really Tell Us

So how was the summer for retail in general, and more importantly, what does that tell us about what's ahead for Christmas? Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resi

Retail Christmas Stock Planning: How Much Should You Actually Buy?

Before you place one more Christmas order, stop and ask a different question. Not "how much money have I got left to spend?" but "is my stock actually ready for Christmas

Retail Christmas Promotions: 7 Ways to Drive Sales Without Discounting Everything

If your Christmas promotional strategy is "20% off everything", then you probably haven't got a Christmas promotional strategy. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of

Retail Christmas Range: Stop Trying to Stock Everything

The biggest Christmas mistake I see is not ordering too little. It is trying to stock everything. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catheri

Retail Christmas Cash Flow: Four Ways to Ease the Squeeze

Your sales aren't bad. So why does it suddenly feel like there is no money in the bank? Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly.

Retail Christmas Strategy: Why August Decides December

The retailers who have a brilliant Christmas are not the ones working hardest in December. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdl

Retail Profit: Sales Down 23%, Profit Up 22%

One of my clients finished the month with sales down 23% on the year — and profit up 22% in that very same month. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Reta

Retail Sales Are Vanity. Retail Profit Is Sanity

A retailer I once worked with was selling children's clothes by the hundred. When we finally costed everything properly, she was making about 50 pence an item. Hi, I'm r

Ghost stores, fake shops and what they mean for real independent retailers

"It's with a heavy heart that we share this message with you." A little boutique closing its doors after years of love and care, one final sale, the owners off to enjoy b

The Retail Stock Mistake Even Veteran Retailers Make

I’ve had retailers with 18 years in business tell me the same thing after just a few months working with us — and it isn’t what you’d expect. Hi, I’m retail strategist a

The 4-Step Sales Strategy Every Independent Retailer Needs

Sales are quiet, and you've already decided it's your fault. It isn't. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. Every retailer I

Drowning in Data? The Only 3 Retail Numbers That Matter

Have you ever opened your Shopify dashboard looking for one answer and somehow ended up with ten new questions? Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail

Independent Retailer Trends 2026: Plan Christmas Now

The shoppers who start researching Christmas earliest are also the ones who spend the most — and most retailers are invisible during exactly that window. Hi, I'm retail

Retail Planning 2026: Why a Mid-Year Check-In Beats Starting Over in January

We're coming up fast on the halfway point of the year — and if that fills you with dread, don't panic. Here's the good news: a midyear review beats a New Year's resolutio

How AI Agents Are Changing Retail Stores (Retail Industry Trends 2026)

Right now, as you read this, an AI chatbot is running a real retail store in San Francisco — managing the product selection, deciding what to stock, and curating a custom