October 13, 2025 • 11 mins
Peak season doesn’t reward panic - it rewards preparation.
In this episode of Retail Reckoning, myself, Clare Bailey and e-commerce pro Steph Briggs lay out the Q4 playbook: three website fixes you can do this week, email + remarketing that actually converts, the simple SEO steps most indies skip, and the ops guardrails that stop Christmas disasters before they start.
Plus, how to keep the human touch that Amazon can’t copy.
Preparation beats panic. So click play to learn how to do it.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
want your e-commerce business tobe successful in quarter four.
This is the Playbook for Successcovering SEO, frictionless E-commerce
and how to maximize reengagement
of your customers.
Welcome to
Retail Reckoning.
Today we're diving into peak season prep.
(00:22):
Q4 is the make or break quarter,whether you're an indie, a supplier,
a place manager, or a chain.
The next few weeks.
Set the tone for your whole year.
I'm joined by my colleague, Steph Briggs.
She's been there and done it buildingand scaling her own e-commerce
business, wrestling with logisticsat Christmas and helping other
retailers navigate the chaos.
(00:55):
Steph, it's great to have you here.
So if we cut straight to it,what's the biggest mindset shift
that retailers need before Q4?
Plan early and act decisively.
Peak comes every year, and yet toomany businesses wait until November.
By then you are firefightingstock marketing operations.
If you don't lock those downearly, you'll pay for it later in
(01:16):
loss sales and sleepless nights,
absolutely.
You can't win it at Christmas.
It's all about control and not chaos.
if someone's listening.
And could just fix one thing on theirwebsite this week that will make all
the difference when it comes to peak.
What should it be?
And I mean, actually, if you canthink of three things all better.
So it's got to be, the number onehas got to be mobile usability.
(01:38):
Most customers these daysshop on their phones.
If your checkout is clunky, theywill abandon the basket in seconds.
Number two I would say is clean design.
Make it really simple.
Make it really obvious how to shopand how to add to that basket.
The less clicks you can getto get to checkout, the better
and frictionless payments.
(01:58):
It's basic, but they're non-negotiables.
So really the key message is forgetgimmicks and jazzy websites that
are complicated and just makeit as easy as possible to buy.
But obviously people havegot to find you first.
And a lot of small businesses, they'llspend a fortune on a jazzy website, lots
(02:18):
of funky design and everything else, butthen it's like having a beautiful shop
window and closing the curtains 'causethey've not invested in the marketing.
So what advice have you got for indiesto get their marketing on point and
cut through the Christmas noise?
Your customer list andemail is where the gold is.
It converts better than social, andyou actually own that relationship.
(02:40):
Pair it with remarketing ads,and you'll stay in front of mind.
And don't underestimate thepower of consistent messaging
across the different channels.
It really reassures your customers.
I mean, I know a lot of independentretailers and they, they feel
a bit worried about botheringpeople, but I always think, well,
I've signed up for the email.
I want to hear from them and I wantto get curated messages and I want
to get specialized, personalizedpromotions and everything else.
(03:02):
So.
I like to hear from the retailersthat I've chosen to subscribe to.
So I guess they need to get overthemselves and not feel like they're
bothering people as long as they'regiving relevant and sensible advice.
So in terms of relevancy and the kind ofcontent that people could be including in
some of their email marketing, have yougot any examples that might help people
(03:23):
consider a better way of communicatingthat they feel more comfortable with?
letting your current customer basewho know, like, and trust you.
giving them that inside track so thatwhen your Christmas stock arrives,
they're the first ones to get to see it.
And when your sale starts, if youhave any stock left, then they are
again the first people to see it.
(03:44):
You are looking
after your customers first.
Steph, we hear a lot about the importanceof SEO and I've met a lot of independent
retailers who have been told that they'vegot a website and SEO is built in.
I mean, from what I know of it,that isn't even possible, is it?
I know you do a lot of work to supportretailers be discoverable online with
local SEO and also all their content.
(04:07):
Can you give some hints and tipsabout what they should be doing?
Because obviously anyone that'sbeen sold a website with SEO built
in has been sold a bit of a dud.
SEO is sort of marketed as suchas a dark art, but There are
some basics that anyone can do.
if you are a e-commerce retailer,you want to look at each product.
You don't want to copy and paste themanufacturer's description, write
(04:28):
your own, and input those keywordsthat you want to appear for within
that description, your meta titleand meta description, which is
the bit that shows up on Google.
Needs to, again, have those keywordsin and think what your customers
would actually be searching for.
And just put that in there.
Each photograph that you haveobviously needs to be a really
(04:49):
lovely high quality image.
But also the alt description, whichis the little bit that Google can read
that describes the picture needs to befilled in for each and every product.
Each photograph also, particularlyif you've taken your own photographs,
you know, instead of having IMG 1, 2,3 as the file name, again, describe
(05:13):
the product and change the file name.
Not that only thought, that make iteasier obviously for you to refin that
photo later on when you're lookingfor it for social media or whatever.
Obviously if you are a local basedbusiness and you have a catchment
area that you want to serve in thatlocal community, then making sure
that you mention your location within.
(05:36):
Your website and within some of yourproducts will make a massive difference.
Blogging is another key passion of minethat businesses, again, it's one of
those jobs that's really easy to overlookand to forget about and put off, but
actually, if you could consistently blogon a regular basis about your products,
about your service, about how you can makea difference to your customer's lives.
(06:00):
Then this will pay dividends long term.
So basically, you can't have SEObuilt in because it's a dynamic
situation and independent retailersneed to work quite hard at it to
make sure that they're discoverable.
Thanks Steph.
I want to now turn attentionto retail operations.
it's the sort of unglamorous stuff.
(06:22):
You know, pick, pack dispatch, makingsure that things are done and in
well-planned manner, making sure you'vegot enough staff in place to handle peak.
What trips businesses up, do youthink, and how can they make sure
that the operations don't letthem down when they've invested so
much time and effort in marketing.
(06:42):
Particularly with e-commerce, it's thedelivery side of things that you are
not a hundred percent in control of.
I remember Christmas a couple ofyears ago where we had royal mail
strikes mid-December and unless youhad an alternative courier in place
already, you were absolutely stuffed.
Delivery cutoffs and returns.
If get those wrong and youlose trust, customers don't
(07:03):
forgive Christmas disasters.
It's an emotive time of year.
Clear policies and communicationprotect your brand as much
as the products themselves.
Yeah, I remember the news stories.
Actually broken delivery experiencescan undo months of marketing.
There was one particular story thatresonated and it was ever so sad.
It had been snowing and delivery driverscouldn't get through any more than
(07:24):
people could go out in their cars.
And yet there was an awful backlashagainst Asda because a Christmas Turkey
hadn't been delivered to somebody in time.
But you think about it, it's likeif you are not willing to drive
out to the shops, why should thatdriver put their life at risk?
So we also have to recognize thatthere are circumstances that arise.
Where deliveries can be delayed orfailed simply because nobody expected
(07:49):
heavy snow in a particular area.
that, I guess, comes back down to thecommunications and making sure that in the
regions where deliveries are disrupted,customers are contacted and advised
that if you're in this postcode area,unfortunately we have some issues due to
the weather, and you just have to hopeand pray that the customers respect that.
And are willing to, you know, bea bit more flexible and adaptive.
(08:12):
And I guess that comes to the next point.
Then there's a human touch.
We always have to balance slicke-commerce with humanity and personality,
and particularly with e-commercewhere they don't get the face-to-face
interaction at they get in store.
How can indie scale without losingthe human and personal touch?
(08:32):
It's the personal touches,the little notes in parcels.
I used to hand write everysingle note in each parcel.
It's the thoughtfulpackaging, the quick replies.
People don't expect perfection.
Really value, effort, and authenticity,
and that's what makesindependence memorable.
So I guess that's where the
independents are gonna getthe edge over Amazon from the
(08:54):
warmth and the kindness and thepersonalization rather than just speed.
And parcels being put in your wheeliebin on the day they get taken out.
I know that's happened to people before.
if we think again about peak, we'regonna do as much as we can to help
these businesses get through, but thenlooking beyond peak, what should the
(09:19):
independence be focusing on for 2026?
It's all about community.
Community loyalty memberships,exclusive content, blending, digital
and in store together, it's aboutdeepening those relationship and
not just chasing the one-off sales.
completely agree there.
It's all about.
The future of connecting online andoffline, which we've talked about
(09:41):
for years, but so few businesses doit effectively, and I think from a
customer's perspective, it's good tonever feel like you're a stranger.
That whole integrated customer experiencethat transcends online, offline, social.
It has to all feel consistent and ithas to all feel authentic because I
(10:01):
believe that that's what builds trustand in such a heavily contested market
where consumer confidence is undeniablylow and inflation is putting so much
pressure on people's spending power.
Then having that security, I suppose,of a great customer experience and
knowing that you'll get the bestpossible advice from somebody who's
(10:22):
a member of your local community.
That's really important.
Steph, is there anything you'd liketo share before we wrap up for today?
Christmas in retail, particularlyas a small indie, is all year round.
So you start in January by analyzing whathappened in the last few months, then
you start purchasing for next Decemberand really building up all the way
(10:48):
through to make sure that that golden
quarter is golden for you.
Thank you very much, Steph.
It's been great to hear yourthoughts and it sounds like that's
the playbook that retailers reallyneed right now and year round.
For listeners, I hope if you can pickjust one point that steps made and act
this week, it might make a difference.
'cause preparation makes all thedifference between thriving and surviving.
(11:10):
In quarter four, you've beenlistening to Retail Reckoning.
My name's Claire Bailey,the Retail Champion.
See you next time.
want your e-commerce business tobe successful in quarter four.
This is the Playbook for Successcovering SEO, frictionless E-commerce
and how to maximize reengagement
of your customers.
Welcome to
Retail Reckoning.
Today we're diving into peak season prep.
(00:22):
Q4 is the make or break quarter,whether you're an indie, a supplier,
a place manager, or a chain.
The next few weeks.
Set the tone for your whole year.
I'm joined by my colleague, Steph Briggs.
She's been there and done it buildingand scaling her own e-commerce
business, wrestling with logisticsat Christmas and helping other
retailers navigate the chaos.
(00:55):
Steph, it's great to have you here.
So if we cut straight to it,what's the biggest mindset shift
that retailers need before Q4?
Plan early and act decisively.
Peak comes every year, and yet toomany businesses wait until November.
By then you are firefightingstock marketing operations.
If you don't lock those downearly, you'll pay for it later in
(01:16):
loss sales and sleepless nights,
absolutely.
You can't win it at Christmas.
It's all about control and not chaos.
if someone's listening.
And could just fix one thing on theirwebsite this week that will make all
the difference when it comes to peak.
What should it be?
And I mean, actually, if you canthink of three things all better.
So it's got to be, the number onehas got to be mobile usability.
(01:38):
Most customers these daysshop on their phones.
If your checkout is clunky, theywill abandon the basket in seconds.
Number two I would say is clean design.
Make it really simple.
Make it really obvious how to shopand how to add to that basket.
The less clicks you can getto get to checkout, the better
and frictionless payments.
(01:58):
It's basic, but they're non-negotiables.
So really the key message is forgetgimmicks and jazzy websites that
are complicated and just makeit as easy as possible to buy.
But obviously people havegot to find you first.
And a lot of small businesses, they'llspend a fortune on a jazzy website, lots
(02:18):
of funky design and everything else, butthen it's like having a beautiful shop
window and closing the curtains 'causethey've not invested in the marketing.
So what advice have you got for indiesto get their marketing on point and
cut through the Christmas noise?
Your customer list andemail is where the gold is.
It converts better than social, andyou actually own that relationship.
(02:40):
Pair it with remarketing ads,and you'll stay in front of mind.
And don't underestimate thepower of consistent messaging
across the different channels.
It really reassures your customers.
I mean, I know a lot of independentretailers and they, they feel
a bit worried about botheringpeople, but I always think, well,
I've signed up for the email.
I want to hear from them and I wantto get curated messages and I want
to get specialized, personalizedpromotions and everything else.
(03:02):
So.
I like to hear from the retailersthat I've chosen to subscribe to.
So I guess they need to get overthemselves and not feel like they're
bothering people as long as they'regiving relevant and sensible advice.
So in terms of relevancy and the kind ofcontent that people could be including in
some of their email marketing, have yougot any examples that might help people
(03:23):
consider a better way of communicatingthat they feel more comfortable with?
letting your current customer basewho know, like, and trust you.
giving them that inside track so thatwhen your Christmas stock arrives,
they're the first ones to get to see it.
And when your sale starts, if youhave any stock left, then they are
again the first people to see it.
(03:44):
You are looking
after your customers first.
Steph, we hear a lot about the importanceof SEO and I've met a lot of independent
retailers who have been told that they'vegot a website and SEO is built in.
I mean, from what I know of it,that isn't even possible, is it?
I know you do a lot of work to supportretailers be discoverable online with
local SEO and also all their content.
(04:07):
Can you give some hints and tipsabout what they should be doing?
Because obviously anyone that'sbeen sold a website with SEO built
in has been sold a bit of a dud.
SEO is sort of marketed as suchas a dark art, but There are
some basics that anyone can do.
if you are a e-commerce retailer,you want to look at each product.
You don't want to copy and paste themanufacturer's description, write
(04:28):
your own, and input those keywordsthat you want to appear for within
that description, your meta titleand meta description, which is
the bit that shows up on Google.
Needs to, again, have those keywordsin and think what your customers
would actually be searching for.
And just put that in there.
Each photograph that you haveobviously needs to be a really
(04:49):
lovely high quality image.
But also the alt description, whichis the little bit that Google can read
that describes the picture needs to befilled in for each and every product.
Each photograph also, particularlyif you've taken your own photographs,
you know, instead of having IMG 1, 2,3 as the file name, again, describe
(05:13):
the product and change the file name.
Not that only thought, that make iteasier obviously for you to refin that
photo later on when you're lookingfor it for social media or whatever.
Obviously if you are a local basedbusiness and you have a catchment
area that you want to serve in thatlocal community, then making sure
that you mention your location within.
(05:36):
Your website and within some of yourproducts will make a massive difference.
Blogging is another key passion of minethat businesses, again, it's one of
those jobs that's really easy to overlookand to forget about and put off, but
actually, if you could consistently blogon a regular basis about your products,
about your service, about how you can makea difference to your customer's lives.
(06:00):
Then this will pay dividends long term.
So basically, you can't have SEObuilt in because it's a dynamic
situation and independent retailersneed to work quite hard at it to
make sure that they're discoverable.
Thanks Steph.
I want to now turn attentionto retail operations.
it's the sort of unglamorous stuff.
(06:22):
You know, pick, pack dispatch, makingsure that things are done and in
well-planned manner, making sure you'vegot enough staff in place to handle peak.
What trips businesses up, do youthink, and how can they make sure
that the operations don't letthem down when they've invested so
much time and effort in marketing.
(06:42):
Particularly with e-commerce, it's thedelivery side of things that you are
not a hundred percent in control of.
I remember Christmas a couple ofyears ago where we had royal mail
strikes mid-December and unless youhad an alternative courier in place
already, you were absolutely stuffed.
Delivery cutoffs and returns.
If get those wrong and youlose trust, customers don't
(07:03):
forgive Christmas disasters.
It's an emotive time of year.
Clear policies and communicationprotect your brand as much
as the products themselves.
Yeah, I remember the news stories.
Actually broken delivery experiencescan undo months of marketing.
There was one particular story thatresonated and it was ever so sad.
It had been snowing and delivery driverscouldn't get through any more than
(07:24):
people could go out in their cars.
And yet there was an awful backlashagainst Asda because a Christmas Turkey
hadn't been delivered to somebody in time.
But you think about it, it's likeif you are not willing to drive
out to the shops, why should thatdriver put their life at risk?
So we also have to recognize thatthere are circumstances that arise.
Where deliveries can be delayed orfailed simply because nobody expected
(07:49):
heavy snow in a particular area.
that, I guess, comes back down to thecommunications and making sure that in the
regions where deliveries are disrupted,customers are contacted and advised
that if you're in this postcode area,unfortunately we have some issues due to
the weather, and you just have to hopeand pray that the customers respect that.
And are willing to, you know, bea bit more flexible and adaptive.
(08:12):
And I guess that comes to the next point.
Then there's a human touch.
We always have to balance slicke-commerce with humanity and personality,
and particularly with e-commercewhere they don't get the face-to-face
interaction at they get in store.
How can indie scale without losingthe human and personal touch?
(08:32):
It's the personal touches,the little notes in parcels.
I used to hand write everysingle note in each parcel.
It's the thoughtfulpackaging, the quick replies.
People don't expect perfection.
Really value, effort, and authenticity,
and that's what makesindependence memorable.
So I guess that's where the
independents are gonna getthe edge over Amazon from the
(08:54):
warmth and the kindness and thepersonalization rather than just speed.
And parcels being put in your wheeliebin on the day they get taken out.
I know that's happened to people before.
if we think again about peak, we'regonna do as much as we can to help
these businesses get through, but thenlooking beyond peak, what should the
(09:19):
independence be focusing on for 2026?
It's all about community.
Community loyalty memberships,exclusive content, blending, digital
and in store together, it's aboutdeepening those relationship and
not just chasing the one-off sales.
completely agree there.
It's all about.
The future of connecting online andoffline, which we've talked about
(09:41):
for years, but so few businesses doit effectively, and I think from a
customer's perspective, it's good tonever feel like you're a stranger.
That whole integrated customer experiencethat transcends online, offline, social.
It has to all feel consistent and ithas to all feel authentic because I
(10:01):
believe that that's what builds trustand in such a heavily contested market
where consumer confidence is undeniablylow and inflation is putting so much
pressure on people's spending power.
Then having that security, I suppose,of a great customer experience and
knowing that you'll get the bestpossible advice from somebody who's
(10:22):
a member of your local community.
That's really important.
Steph, is there anything you'd liketo share before we wrap up for today?
Christmas in retail, particularlyas a small indie, is all year round.
So you start in January by analyzing whathappened in the last few months, then
you start purchasing for next Decemberand really building up all the way
(10:48):
through to make sure that that golden
quarter is golden for you.
Thank you very much, Steph.
It's been great to hear yourthoughts and it sounds like that's
the playbook that retailers reallyneed right now and year round.
For listeners, I hope if you can pickjust one point that steps made and act
this week, it might make a difference.
'cause preparation makes all thedifference between thriving and surviving.
(11:10):
In quarter four, you've beenlistening to Retail Reckoning.
My name's Claire Bailey,the Retail Champion.
See you next time.
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