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

"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 ...

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 ...

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 market...

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 actu...

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 &m...

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

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%...

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 <...

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...

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...

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 r...

"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 thi...

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...

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 w...

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 exactl...

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 ...

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 guidin...

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 m...

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...