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

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, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at capify.com Last week I asked whether bricks-and-mortar shops need a website. This week I'm turning the question around: do online brands need a physical store? Your customer doesn't think in channels. She finds you on Instagram, pops in on a Saturday, orders another colour on her phone that evening and brings something back the following week. Shopify's research shows 41% of UK shoppers plan to split their shopping evenly between online and in-store, which leaves every online brand with the same awkward question. If the website always wins on convenience, what is a shop actually for? And once you've added up the rent, rates, staff, fit-out and stock, can it ever pay its way? To find out, I spoke to Dessislava Bell, who…

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 founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at capify.com This is part one of a two-part series, and it takes on one of the least questioned bits of received wisdom in retail: you need a website, full stop, end of sentence. I work with a lot of bricks-and-mortar shops, and I've seen first-hand the blood, sweat and tears that go into keeping a website going alongside a shop floor. The photography, the listings, the stock updates, the SEO, the emails, the orders and the returns, all squeezed in around constant interruptions, usually by a team of three people or fewer. In this episode I dig into the Voices of Retail 2026 research from Faire and Spring & Autumn Fair, including the number I haven't been able to stop thinking about: 64% of…

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 "The Shopping Forecast" which is a podcast that proves shopping is about so much more than what’s in your basket. Each episode we bring the receipts on current consumer trends and the cultural shifts shaping the way we shop, unpacking the psychology behind our purchases and the brands redefining consumer culture. Whether you love spotting trends before they hit the mainstream or are simply fascinated by why people buy what they buy, The Shopping Forecast is your weekly guide to the sociology of shopping.

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 Club, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at capify.com Earlier this year I visited Jedburgh and Kelso in the Scottish Borders for my A to Z of independent retail, and I made a very London-centric mistake. I went on a Sunday. The cafes were open, the chains were open, and between the two towns I found exactly one independent shop open. When I shared it on Instagram, it started one of the liveliest conversations I've had all year. Should independent shops open on Sundays? Is it worth opening if the footfall isn't there? Do customers now expect you to be open seven days a week? So rather than tell you what I think, I asked eight independent shopkeepers how they actually decide their opening hours, and their answers couldn't be more different. One owner cut her week…

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 Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at capify.com Depending on what you read this summer, retail either collapsed or quietly got on with it. You'll have seen headlines about the retail apocalypse sitting next to reports of rising consumer spending, and the frustrating thing is that a lot of those contradictory things can be true at the same time. So in this episode I go through what the actual numbers say. Retail sales volumes were up. Footfall was down in six of the first seven months of the year. Online hit its highest share of spending since April 2021. Clothing had its strongest month since September 2025, while furniture and computing were left on the shelf. Consumer confidence climbed to a 21-month high, and June's early promotions appear…

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, and where are the genuine gaps?" Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at capify.com I said this was going to be a four-part Get Set for Christmas series, but there's one thing I didn't dig into properly, and it's the thing that quietly decides whether your Christmas is profitable or just busy: the stock itself. The trade shows are done, the catalogues keep landing, the reps keep calling, and every new range looks like the one that's going to make the difference. The temptation to keep buying is enormous, and it's easy to justify because Christmas matters so much. In this episode I walk you through how to work out whether your stock is ready, and I mean properly ready, by category, not just a list of…

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 Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at capify.com This is the final episode in my four-part Get Set for Christmas series, and it tackles the bit most independent retailers leave until a panicked evening in November: the promotions. The fourth quarter has become the noisiest, most discount-driven time of the year, and when every other brand starts shouting about money off, it's very easy to react, slash prices and find yourself at the end of December with a great sales figure and no profit to show for it. In this episode I walk you through the seven types of promotion available to you, from the most premium to the most distressed, and explain why I think of them as a continuum. Some barely move sales at all but do wonders for your…

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, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at Capify Every year I watch independent retailers try to turn themselves into a one-stop shop for December. More lines, more categories, more just-in-case. And every year the same thing happens. The money goes out across everything, the shop looks busy, and the sales still land on a small handful of products you could probably have named back in August. It is not about having everything. It is about having the right things. The reason most of us get that wrong is that we plan Christmas as though it were one single, homogeneous block of spending. It is not. Your customers are not walking in to buy "Christmas". They are on missions, and every one of those missions has its own budget, its own timing and its own deadline. The Secret Santa…

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. Every September and October I have the same conversation, and it is almost always with someone who is convinced they have done something wrong. You planned Christmas properly. You placed the orders. And now, right on cue, the invoices for all of that stock are landing while the Christmas sales that are supposed to pay for them are still months away. Your VAT, your wages and your rent carry on regardless. That is the Christmas cash flow pinch, and it turns up in the same fortnight every single year. What I want you to understand is that this is not a mistake you made. It is the shape of a seasonal business. Retail runs on the gap between paying for stock and selling it, and Christmas stretches that gap wider than any other point in the year. It happens at the very top of the industry too. When I worked in big corporate retail we had a standing…

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 Erdly. It is the middle of August, and I know that for a lot of you the word "Christmas" right now produces a small internal flinch. But here is the uncomfortable thing about peak season: by the time December arrives, almost every decision that will determine how it goes has already been made. The buying, the sales plan, the staffing, the storage, the marketing calendar. Every one of those is a retail management decision, and every one of them gets made weeks or months earlier, usually in a rush and usually on instinct. The effort you pour in during December is real, but it is spent inside a retail strategy you built in August whether you meant to or not. In this episode, the first of four I am running across the next month on getting ready for Christmas, I want to talk about where you actually start. Not with this Christmas, but with last one.…

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 Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. There's an old business adage I wheel out more often than I probably should: turnover is vanity, profit is sanity, and cash is reality. Most of us know the phrase. Far fewer of us have ever been shown what it actually looks like inside a real independent retail business, month by month. That gap matters, because almost everything we are taught to celebrate — a big sales month, a record week, e-commerce growth — sits squarely on the vanity side of that sentence. In this episode I dig into what a healthy-looking top line can quietly hide. How much are you actually paying for those sales? What did the stock behind them cost, and what are you still sitting on unsold? I share the story of a retailer whose online sales grew enormously and who became less profitable as a result, and another whose order numbers fell while…

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 retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. Most of us build a product business the sensible way round — get trading first, worry about the back end later. And that is the right instinct at the start. But somewhere along the way the sales data ends up living in Shopify, the stock data lives somewhere else entirely, the costs live in your accountant's software, and when you finally put the three side by side, none of them agree. This week I'm joined by Stacey Dorrian, who I've known since we were the two senior merchandisers at Coast, and who has spent 25 years since then working in retail data. We talk about what actually happens inside a growing product business that has never built any structure underneath its numbers. We get into the questions most retailers never stop to ask. Are you recording your cost of…

"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 being grandparents. Except the shop never existed." Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. I started this episode pulling on one thread — a closing down sale that didn't add up — and ended up somewhere I wasn't expecting. The photo of the owners had the smooth, too-perfect look of an AI image. The listing named a local town, but the shipping notes said the orders ship from a warehouse thousands of miles away. And it turned out I hadn't found one fake shop. I'd found an entire business model: set up, run a huge "closing down" sale, collect the money, wait for the bad reviews to pile up, disappear, start again. Chris Emmins of consumer protection organisation KwikChex tells me there are thousands and thousands of them, and that even the people whose job it is to count them can't keep up. Here's the part…

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 and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. Most of us are convinced we’re on top of our numbers. Shopify pings with every sale, we know our best sellers by heart, and we watch the sales roll in. But in this episode I dig into the uncomfortable gap between looking at your numbers and actually understanding what they’re telling you to do next — the difference that quietly decides whether your stock is working for you or slowly working against you. I walk through the questions most retailers never stop to ask. Is your best seller selling fast enough, or should you be buying twice as many? Are you carrying twice the stock you actually need? Is one category — or even one supplier — secretly funding your whole business, or quietly trapping your cash? If you’ve ever felt like you’re “all over your numbers” but still can’t confidently…

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 have ever worked with has quiet weeks — including the multi-billion businesses. The only real difference is that they have enough stores and enough channels for the inconsistency to smooth itself out. When it's just you, one shop, one website, a couple of marketplaces, there is nothing to smooth it out. So a slow Tuesday doesn't feel like a slow Tuesday. It feels like evidence. Evidence that people have stopped buying, that your marketing has stopped working, that you have somehow lost your touch. This is the single biggest confidence killer in independent retail, and it has almost nothing to do with your products. It's what happens when you run a business without a plan: a good week means you've cracked it, a bad week means it's all falling apart, and you spend the year strapped into an emotional rollercoaster you never bought a ticket for.…

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 Club, Catherine Erdly. Most retailers I work with don't have a lack-of-data problem — they have the opposite. They're drowning in dashboards, apps, reports, spreadsheets and AI notifications, yet they still can't confidently answer the three questions that actually matter: Am I making money? Am I on track? Is my stock healthy? More information hasn't made the decision easier. If anything, it's made it harder. In this episode I talk about cutting through the noise. I share why “tech creep” quietly drains your bank account and your attention, how new AI tools like Shopify Sidekick are changing the reporting game, and why the answer to feeling overwhelmed is almost never another subscription. Then I get into the small handful of numbers that genuinely tell you whether your business is healthy — and why clarity beats complexity every single…

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 strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. If you think July is far too early to be thinking about Christmas, this episode will change your mind. I sat down with Hannah Bartlett — founder of Jolly Festive and The Christmas Insider — to unpack why the shoppers who start researching Christmas earliest are also the ones who go on to spend the most, and why that completely changes how you should be building towards your peak season. Here's the trap most independent retailers fall into: they treat the research window and the purchase window as the same job. Right now, around 60% of shoppers are quietly building their Christmas shortlists — and holding off on actually buying until November. If you only show up when people are ready to pay, you've already missed the moment that decides where their money goes. That window is…

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 resolution every time, because right now you're not working from a theory about how the year might go. You have six months of real data. This episode is how you use it. Oh, and the episode comes with a free download - https://www.resilientretailclub.com/recap (Our sponsor Faire are offering 50% off and free shipping on first orders until July 31st. Simply add the code "Resilient50" at checkout) Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. And in this episode of the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I'm walking you through the exact process I've used with members, course students, and clients over and over again: look back honestly at the first half of the year, then use what you find to spring-board into a stronger second half. The key word is honestly — without blame, without self-recrimination, and without brushing…

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 customer experience. It sounds like science fiction. It is already open for business. And it is just one signal of how fast the rules of retail discovery are changing. (Our sponsor Faire are offering 50% off and free shipping on first orders until July 31st. Simply add the code "Resilient50" at checkout) Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. And in this episode of the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I'm exploring one of the biggest shifts I've seen in how customers discover products: agentic AI. This is AI that doesn't just respond to questions — it researches, compares, recommends, and in some cases, actually completes the purchase. For independent retailers and product businesses with an online presence, this changes the rules. The question is no longer just how do you rank on Google — it's how do you…

What would it mean for your retail business if — right now, at this very moment — three thousand creators were actively requesting samples to promote your brand? That's not a fantasy for Luke Arnall-Cameron, founder of YASS CLEAN. It's Tuesday. That's just how his business works. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by Faire. As you will hear in the actual show, they're offering 50% off and free shipping against your first order. Use the code "Resilient50" In this episode, I sit down with Luke Arnall-Cameron — a former John Lewis graduate buyer and marketing director turned TikTok creator and brand founder — to unpick one of the most significant shifts happening in retail right now: discovery commerce. TikTok Shop has fundamentally changed how products reach consumers. Instead of paying for ads, brands are now building creator networks — and the smartest ones are doing it in a way that mirrors exactly what every good retailer already…

AI is everywhere in retail right now — but are you actually using it in a way that's helping your business grow, or could it quietly be working against you? This episode is brought you by Faire who are offering 50% off and free shipping against new orders. Use the code "Resilient50" at checkout. This episode also features a free downloadable resource. Go to http://resilientretailclub.com/ai to claim it. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. And in this episode of the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I'm sharing the honest picture of how independent retailers are actually using generative AI in 2026. According to government data, just 16% of UK businesses are formally using AI — yet surveys suggest up to 80% of SME decision-makers have tried it in some form. The reality? Most people are using it to write emails faster, draft product descriptions, handle awkward customer messages, and generate ideas. And that's where it genuinely shines. But there are pitfalls too. I'm…

71% of independent retailers in the UK are growing or stable. And 9 in 10 shoppers say AI has made them MORE likely to trust your shop over an algorithm. Here is what the data actually says. (Our sponsor Faire are offering 50% off and free shipping on first orders until July 31st. Simply add the code "Resilient50" at checkout) Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. Are you tired of reading headlines that make it sound like independent retail is finished? The noise about AI, empty high streets, and big-box competition can feel genuinely frightening if you are running a small business. But what if the data tells a completely different story — and what if that story is one you desperately needed to hear? In this episode, I sit down with Elyse McAvoy from Faire to unpack the Voices of Retail report — a landmark piece of research that surveyed 650 independent retailers and over 2,000 UK consumers. It is the first time a report of this kind has merged the retailer…

Do you ever feel like you're doing everything right, yet somehow still falling behind? If you run an independent retail business, you are not imagining things. Between buying stock, managing your team, keeping up with your marketing, handling customer service, and everything else that lands on your desk — the sheer volume of what your job involves would overwhelm anyone. This is not a time management failure. It is simply the reality of running a retail business single-handedly. But there is a question underneath all of this that most retailers never stop to ask, and it is the one that changes everything. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. And in this episode of the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I'm unpacking the framework I use with my one-to-one clients in my Retail by Design programme — a step-by-step approach to understanding how you're really spending your time, building a structure that actually works, and protecting the focused work hours that move your…

"How much should I order?" sounds like one question. It's actually two — and most product business owners only ever answer one of them. (This episode features a free download resource at http://resilientretailclub.com/order) Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. In this episode, I'm breaking down the critical difference between product-level stock ordering (the tactical "how many of this line") and business-level stock planning (the strategic "what can I afford overall"). Drawing on my time as a buyer at Paperchase and the frameworks in my book Tame Your Tiger, I'll explain why forecasting apps, Shopify Sidekick, ChatGPT and Claude can all give you the right answer to the wrong question — and how that slowly turns a healthy business into a cash-hungry "tiger". In this episode: Why most stock forecasting tools assume you have unlimited cash The simple reorder calculation that still matters What "the tail" is Three better questions to ask before you place a single…

You’ve opened your shop. You’re selling. You have loyal customers. And yet something feels stuck... (this episode features a free download resource at http://resilientretailclub.com/systems Your sales are inconsistent, stock builds up or runs out, cash feels tight even on the good weeks. Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. In this episode, I'm naming the “invisible ceiling” independent retailers hit when they move from opening a shop to running a proper retail business — and explain exactly what structure the next level needs. Drawing on my recent road trip through Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, and nearly 20 years inside seven-, eight-, nine- and ten-figure retail chains, I'll talk you through the systems that separate hobby shops from real businesses: sales plans, stock plans, trading calendars, cash flow visibility, team roles and SOPs. If you’ve ever wondered “is there more to this?” — this episode is your answer. In this episode: Why so many independent…

This episode contains a freebie download. Scroll down to find it. Believe it or not — today is episode 300 of the Resilient Retail Game Plan. Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly and in this episode, which is six years, 300 episodes, and over 1 million downloads later since I started this podcast, I'm sharing a fast track to the biggest themes that have shaped this podcast and the retailers who listen to it. In this milestone episode, I'll walk you through the four essential episodes from the back catalogue that I believe every independent retailer needs to hear. Whether you're brand new to the show or a long-time listener, these are the ones that cut to the heart of what it really takes to build a resilient retail business. So what are the three big themes? Stock. Profit. And mindset. Visit the episode's show notes for links to all the episodes mentioned at https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast-episode/retail-stock-management-profit-and-mindset/ And ensure you go to this link for your free download:…

This episode is sponsored by Intuit Mailchimp. Do your retail team ask you the same questions over and over? Has "what are we focusing on this week?" become the soundtrack to your inbox? Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly and in Episode 299 of the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I'm explaining why so many independent retailers and product business owners accidentally become a bottleneck inside their own business — and walk you through exactly how to fix it. You'll learn why the classic wheel-and-spoke information flow creates constant delays, inconsistency and interruptions; why growing your team makes it worse rather than better; and how to build a single source of truth that finally gets your team self-serving the answers they need. I'll also share a £100,000 lesson from my Coast days on what poor information flow really costs a business, the categories to include in your single source of truth (weekly focus, key dates, stock and order trackers, priorities, SOPs), and the crucial step most business owners skip — how to…

If you're sending the same email to everyone on your list and wondering why it's not driving the sales you expected, this episode is for you. I'm Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. In this episode I'm sitting down with Ali Wood from Intuit Mailchimp to get practical about how independent retailers and e-commerce brands can get dramatically more from their email and SMS marketing — using data they already have. We talk about why fragmented data is costing retailers real money, how segmentation can transform your customer relationships, and why the retailers who win over the next few years won't be the ones with the biggest budgets — they'll be the ones who are smartest with their data. In this episode you'll hear about: Why sending the same message to your whole list is leaving money on the table How to use customer lifetime value and buying propensity to automate smarter campaigns The power of combining email and SMS —…

Your shop window isn't just a display — it's a salesperson working for you around the clock. I'm Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. In this episode, I'm joined by Sarah Manning, visual merchandising consultant and course leader, for a practical masterclass on how to make your window impossible to walk past. Sarah shares her four guiding principles — including her signature framework, The Power of the Pyramid — and explains exactly what should (and shouldn't) go in your window. You'll learn why putting your bestsellers on show is usually the wrong move, how to refresh your display every four weeks without a full rebuild, and practical solutions for shallow, narrow, or open-backed windows. We also explore how post-2020 customer expectations have shifted the balance between product display and brand storytelling, and discuss the concept of 'external theatre' — the tools even small independents can use to draw customers in…

Have you ever looked at the news and wondered whether it's even appropriate to be selling your products right now? If you're an independent retailer or product business owner and the state of the world is making you hesitate about showing up and selling, this episode is for you. I'm Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. This week, one of the most common questions I get from product business owners: should I keep selling when the world feels uncertain? In this episode: → Why big brands never pause their marketing — and what that means for you → Why independent retailers are a genuine force for good → The lipstick effect and what consumer spending data actually shows right now → A practical social media tip to help you show up more consistently 📌 CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 Introduction & the question everyone's asking 00:00:44 When selling feels wrong: the shared experience 00:01:42 Why this feeling is so common in product businesses…

Nobody talks about how lonely it can be to run a small business. Your friends and family mean well — but they don't really get it. If you have a team, you feel like you have to have all the answers. And whether you're on the shop floor, in your home office, or in your unit, there's a good chance your dog is getting more of your business thoughts than any actual human being. I'm Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. In this episode, I'm being honest about the one thing most business owners never talk about: isolation. And why community — real, practical, human community — isn't a nice-to-have. It's fundamental. You'll hear: Why business loneliness is more common than anyone admits — and why it matters How being in a community speeds up your learning, builds confidence, and protects your resilience Why hearing about other people's tough weeks can actually make your own feel more manageable How community can drive real…

Retail is moving fast — and it can feel like whiplash trying to keep up with every new trend, tool, and headline. But here's the thing: as a small or independent retailer, you don't need to know everything. You just need the right information, filtered through the lens of what actually matters for your business. In this episode, I'm sharing everything you need to know about Retail Roar 2026 — my free two-day online industry outlook summit taking place on 26th and 27th March — and why I believe it's the most important shortcut you can take as an independent retailer or brand this year. You'll hear about: Why staying on top of industry trends actually protects both your business and your peace of mind The line between useful information and overwhelming noise — and how to find it How understanding the current consumer mindset can change how you stock, market, and sell The headline speaker I spent three years trying to book: the legendary Mary Portas Expert sessions on email marketing, SEO, AI search, wholesale…

Most independent retailers have heard the advice to "build a community." Far fewer have been shown exactly how to do it — and even fewer have built one that actually buys. In this episode I'm joined by Ronke Fashola, founder of Love Your Look — a bold, inclusive, colour-forward fashion brand whose customers travel from Scotland and Cardiff to her pop-up shops, answer Instagram queries before she even gets to them, and send garments back to be taken in when they lose weight rather than part with something they love. Ronke has spent the last couple of years building a retail community the hard, human way: photo shoots open to everyone, WhatsApp groups built on genuine conversation, measurement checks for every new customer, and an in-house tailor. In this episode she breaks down exactly how she did it. We also look at Joanie Clothing's collapse as a case study in what happens when a retail brand stops feeling human — and what every independent retailer can learn from it. In this episode you'll hear: • The…

Have you been feeling stuck in your own head in your retail business? Overthinking every decision, wondering if you're the only one finding it hard? There's a phrase I love: You can't read a label from inside the jar. And when you're living and breathing your business every single day, it's incredibly hard to see beyond where you are right now. In this episode, I share one of the fastest ways I've found to shift your perspective — and it's the whole reason I created Retail Roar, my free online summit returning on 26–27 March. I'll walk you through some of the stories from our guest speakers, including one who shipped 650,000 orders in his first year on TikTok, to others who built a chain of 41 bridal boutiques, and another who went from her kitchen table to six-figure months. I also explain why inspiration isn't just about feeling good — it has three very real, practical business effects: it helps you think bigger, get re-energised with your marketing, and make braver decisions. Sign up free at…

Do you ever feel like you're drowning in data but still can't answer the simple question: is my business actually going in the right direction? Here's the truth: if your sales numbers feel like noise, you're probably looking at the wrong things — or avoiding looking altogether. I'm Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. In this episode, I'm revealing: ✓ Why having loads of data can actually keep you more confused, not less ✓ The magic eye problem: why staring at daily sales is stopping you seeing the real picture ✓ The difference between guessing and deciding — and why it matters for your bottom line ✓ The 3 Rs framework: Record, Review, Refine — and how to make it genuinely simple ✓ Why a zero-sales day doesn't mean a bad month (and what to look at instead) Stop reacting to the noise and start reading the story your numbers are actually telling you. Join the Retail Sales Game Plan (cart now open!):…

Do you ever feel like you're constantly trying to convince people to buy? Like you're always explaining, justifying, or pushing a little harder than you'd like? Here's the truth: if selling feels exhausting, you're probably spending too much time talking to the wrong people. I'm Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. In this episode, I'm revealing: ✓ Why nobody is more likely to buy than someone who already bought from you ✓ The party principle: why you're standing outside instead of going in ✓ How focusing on cold audiences burns you out (and kills your profit) ✓ The 1,000 true fans framework that changes everything ✓ Practical steps to turn one-time buyers into repeat customers Stop chasing strangers and start serving the customers who are already inside your door. Links Join the Retail Sales Game Plan waitlist (kicking off end of Feb): resilientretailclub.com/retailsales Resilient Retail Club:…

Feel like you're shouting into the void with your marketing? You're not alone—and it's not your fault. Social media wants you reactive, emotional, and constantly second-guessing yourself. Meanwhile, big retailers operate from detailed seasonal plans made months in advance. I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. In this episode, I'm revealing: ✓ Why sporadic marketing makes sales feel random ✓ How algorithms keep you stuck in chaos ✓ What big retailers do differently (without massive teams) ✓ The marketing structure that actually works for small businesses Stop waking up wondering "what should I post today?" and start building a plan you can trust. Links Get your free Calmer and Consistent Sales Planner: resilientretailclub.com/sales Join the Retail Sales Game Plan waitlist (reopening Feb): resilientretailclub.com/retailsales Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com Listen on your favourite podcast app:…

Why Profit Matters More Than Sales in Indie Retail Sales growth is often treated as the goal in retail. But without profit, growth just creates more pressure. In this episode of Resilient Retail Game Plan, we look at why profit isn’t optional for independent retailers, and how better stock decisions change far more than just the numbers. I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. This isn’t about chasing turnover. And it’s not about discounting everything to keep cash moving. It’s about making deliberate, data led decisions that protect margin, reduce stock pressure, and give you room to breathe. I’m joined by Paola Majuli, Stock Doctor and former senior merchandiser at global retail brands, to unpack what actually happens when retailers stop reacting and start managing stock with intention. Together, we talk through real client results, what the numbers are showing after six months and a year, and why confidence often…

When Is the Right Time to Open a Second Shop? Opening another shop is often seen as the obvious next step in retail growth. But knowing when to do it, and whether your business is actually ready, is far harder. In this episode of Resilient Retail Game Plan, we look at what really changes when you move from one shop to two, and then beyond. With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp. Get 10% off SumUp hardware with the code GamePlan10 at https://sumup.co.uk I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. This isn’t about chasing expansion for the sake of it. And it’s not a checklist for opening multiple locations. It’s about timing, clarity, and understanding whether the business you have today can genuinely support what comes next. I’m joined by independent retailer Sarah Holmes, from Pencil Me In, who has grown from one shop to three across different locations in Scotland. Together, we unpack how those decisions were made, what…

The 5 Problems Growing Retail Businesses Don’t Expect (But Almost Always Face) If your retail business looks successful on paper but feels far harder than it should behind the scenes, this episode is for you. With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp. Get 10% off SumUp hardware with the code GamePlan10 at https://sumup.co.uk I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. This isn’t about fixing beginner mistakes or chasing the next growth tactic. It’s about what happens once your business has momentum, and instinct alone stops being enough. After working with hundreds of established product businesses, I see the same problems come up again and again. Not because founders are doing things wrong, but because the business has outgrown the way it’s being run. In this episode, I walk through the 5 problems growing retail businesses don’t expect (but almost always face). These include: Why growth often creates chaos instead of…

How Artichoke Built a Profitable Online Shop by Ignoring “Best Practice” If you’ve been told that online retail growth means more ads, more automation, and more noise — this episode will quietly challenge that. With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp. Get 10% off SumUp hardware with the code GamePlan10 at https://sumup.co.uk I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is Resilient Retail Game Plan — practical product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. This isn’t about scaling fast or chasing the latest ecommerce tactic. It’s about building an online business that actually works for the people running it. In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Simonds, founder of Artichoke and winner of Online Shop of the Year at the Boutique Star Awards. Sarah runs an online fashion business in a way most people would say doesn’t scale. She calls every new online customer. She designs systems to protect customer service, not replace it. And she focuses relentlessly on a demographic the industry largely ignores. After 25…

Why Retail Business Growth Starts to Feel Heavy at Six Figures If your retail business is doing well on paper, but somehow feels heavier than it used to, this episode is for you. With thanks to this episode’s sponsor SumUp.com. Get 10% off hardware with the code GamePlan10. I’m Catherine Erdly, and this is the Resilient Retail Game Plan — product business advice with a healthy dose of reality. This isn’t about chasing more sales or adding more tactics. It’s about the moment growth stops feeling exciting and starts feeling risky. When decisions feel heavier. When stock, cash flow and planning won’t switch off in your head. And when everyone assumes you’re doing brilliantly, but you’re quietly feeling stretched. After 25 years in retail, I’ve seen this pattern again and again. Hitting six figures doesn’t magically make things easier. For many founders, it’s the point where relying on instinct stops working and structure becomes essential. In this episode, I talk through why growth often starts to feel heavy at…

Meta Ads Have Changed – What Actually Works in 2026 If Meta ads feel like a wild goose chase lately, you’re not alone—and you’re not imagining things. With thanks to this episode's sponsor SumUp (https://sumup.com) Use the code 'GamePlan10' to get 10% off hardware from their online shop! Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly, and this week on The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I’m rolling up my sleeves with Meta Ad strategist CJ Sinclair to dig into why product business advice for retailers is evolving fast. Algorithms have turned upside down. Forget the old playbook; smaller brands now have the nimble edge over the big guns. From creative diversity to new ways to track ROAS and cash flow for retailers, we break down what actually moves the needle in 2026. I’m bringing my 25 years in the trade—plus CJ Sinclair’s day-to-day on the ground—for an episode that’s equal parts practical know-how and myth-busting. Why listen? Squeeze more margin from your Meta ad spend, even with a modest budget Nail creative that cuts through—no…

Ever wondered what Christmas really felt like at the sharp end of retail—and what it’s whispering about your 2026 playbook? This episode of "The Resilient Retail Game Plan" is brought to you by SumUp. Get 10% off their hardware by clicking the link and using the coupon code "GamePlan10" I’m Catherine Erdly, and welcome to this festive edition of the Resilient Retail Game Plan—your product business advice, with a side of reality. This isn’t a spreadsheet post-mortem, it’s an honest (sometimes wry) look at how Christmas truly landed for independent retailers. After 25 years in retail, I know December isn’t just numbers, it’s stories, triumphs and warnings we need to catch while they’re fresh—because come January, all that noise gets buried under new-year resolutions and stocktakes. In this episode, I’ll invite you, not just to audit your cash flow for retailers or nit-pick inventory management, but to actually feel your festive season. Think: one sentence gut-checks, inspiration scavenger hunts, and…

January clearance doesn’t have to feel like a panic move, a brand compromise, or an admission of failure. This episode of "The Resilient Retail Game Plan" is brought to you by SumUp. Get 10% off their hardware by clicking the link and using the coupon code "GamePlan10" Hi, I’m Catherine Erdly. This week on the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I’m walking you through how to run a proper stock clearance. Not a blanket discount. Not a last-minute scramble. But a strategic, cash-releasing reset that helps you start the year lighter, clearer, and more profitable. If the idea of discounting makes you nervous, you’re not alone. I hear it all the time. Fear of damaging your brand. Fear of training customers to wait for sales. Fear of “doing it wrong”. So in this episode, I break down exactly how experienced retailers approach January clearance, and how small product businesses can do the same, without ending up on a discount treadmill. We talk about when to run your sale, what should and shouldn’t go into it, how deep to…

On paper, Anna Scaife's business Anna Lou of London looked unstoppable — multi–seven-figure turnover, dream stockists like Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, celebrity customers, even a Carnaby Street shop. But behind the scenes, the numbers were quietly telling a very different story. This episode of "The Resilient Retail Game Plan" is brought to you by SumUp. Get 10% off their hardware by clicking the link and using the coupon code "GamePlan10" Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly. This week on the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I’m digging into the real retail profit vs turnover conversation. What happens when the visibility shoots up, the orders explode, but the margins… don’t? Anna shares how she scaled too fast, drowned in stock, tried to please every buyer, and chased the kind of “success” that looks incredible on Instagram — but nearly cost her the entire business. We talk about the ego hits, the financial shocks, the burnout, and the moment she finally rebuilt everything from a place of alignment, clarity and actual…

The shopfront of retail is about to change—will you be on the right side when the robots come knocking? Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly. This week on the Resilient Retail Game Plan, I’m laying out the four seismic shifts set to hit independent retailers by 2026. Think agentic AI that shops for your customers, TikTok Shop turning the high street digital, trust as your most valuable currency, and the resale boom rewriting what “new” means. With 25 years of retail trenches behind me, I’m sharing not just the what, but the how—so you can cut through the noise, strengthen cash flow for retailers, and make sure your product business survives (and thrives) in the new landscape. Grab your notebook and come behind the counter—these are the independent retailer tips that matter. Make sure you grab my freebie at http://resilientretailclub.com/freebie Enjoy the episode? DM me your lightbulb moments or next guest wish list @resilientretailclub on Instagram. Please rate, follow, and review this podcast in your app—it helps more…

Ever feel like your money’s gone missing—but you know you’ve already spent it? In this episode, I’m diving into one of the most common and costly problems I see in product-based businesses: trapped stock. That unsold inventory piling up in your stockroom, storeroom, or studio? It’s not just taking up space—it’s tying up thousands of pounds you could be using to pay yourself, invest in your bestsellers, or boost your marketing. I share a story that’s stuck with me for years: a shop owner who discovered over £7,000 worth of untouched stock hidden away in plastic totes. We’ll unpack why this happens (spoiler: buying on gut, not data), how to spot the mental and emotional weight of dead stock, and why clearing it isn’t failure—it’s smart, strategic retailing. If you want to start freeing up cash in your business right now, this episode is your clean slate moment. Mentioned in this episode: Capify Retail Roar Have you signed up yet? retailroar.co.uk Retail Roar

Christmas is close enough to smell the cinnamon, but I know for many indie retailers this is also the “please don’t let me be stuck with this stock in January” moment. In this episode, I’m talking you through the three big troublemakers you need to get on top of right now: slow sellers, overstocks, and the infamous “brown bananas” — those products that basically lose all their value the second Christmas week ends. I’ll show you how to read your Shopify reports properly, how to spot the items that won’t budge in January no matter how hopeful you are, and why targeted discounts nearly always beat the big “panic discount” button. If you want to protect your cash flow, avoid a messy January, and make smarter decisions while the footfall is still high, this one will help. Perfect for any product business juggling stock levels, nerves, and the final push of the Golden Weeks. Mentioned in this episode: Capify Retail Roar Have you signed up yet? retailroar.co.uk Retail Roar

Christmas 2025 is shaping up to be a season of cautious confidence — and coziness. Hi, I'm Catherine Erdly. In this episode of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I'm sharing insights from my Forbes.com research, drawing on data from Shopify, Etsy, Klaviyo, LoyaltyLion and more to reveal what shoppers are really planning this festive season. Discover why UK consumers are expected to spend over £91 billion, how AI is reshaping holiday shopping, and why “comfort, connection and coziness” are the emotional triggers driving this year’s trends. I'll also break down what all this means for independent retailers — from loyalty strategies to smarter stock planning — so you can make this Christmas your most profitable yet. Make sure you grab my freebie at http://resilientretailclub.com/freebie Mentioned in this episode: Capify Retail Roar Have you signed up yet? retailroar.co.uk Retail Roar