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 Alli Wood from 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 — including a 22x ROI stat from SMS alone, and 41x when Shopify data is in the mix
• Creative ways to collect richer customer data through quizzes, pop-ups and behavioural signals
• What clean data + AI + human creativity actually looks like for a lean retail team

Whether you're just starting to think about segmentation or already running email campaigns and want to level up, this conversation will leave you with a genuinely different way of thinking about your marketing.

CHAPTERS

00:00:40 The Gold Mine Independent Retailers Are Sitting On

00:02:10 Meet Alli Wood from Mailchimp

00:04:40 How Mailchimp Evolved from Email Tool to Full Automation Platform

00:08:22 The Segmentation Shift: Stop Sending the Same Email to Everyone

00:11:29 Creative Ways to Collect Better Customer Data

00:14:45 Using SMS to Drive Email Open Rates

00:15:11 How We're Working With Mailchimp

00:16:33 Measuring What's Actually Working Across All Your Channels

00:18:30 Think Strategy, Not Just Open Rates

00:21:17 SMS Best Practices: What's Working for E-Commerce Brands

00:23:24 The Trust Factor: Why Phone Numbers Are Different from Email Addresses

00:23:44 The Numbers: 22x ROI on SMS, 41x with Shopify

00:25:58 AI + Human Creativity: The Future of Small Business Marketing

00:27:45 Clean Data, Automation & Analytics: The Loop That Wins

00:29:07 Catherine's Key Takeaways & Call to Action

Mentioned in this episode: resilientretailclub.com/mailchimp

Note: This episode was produced in partnership with Mailchimp. All views expressed are Catherine's own.

Mentioned in this episode:

This podcast uses chapters

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 before they reach the window at all.

Whether you sell from a shop, at markets, or at events, this episode is packed with actionable insight you can put to work immediately.

What You'll Learn:

• The Power of the Pyramid framework and how to apply it to any display
• Why new, seasonal, and promotional products belong in the window — not your top sellers
• How to change your window every four weeks without starting from scratch
• Creative solutions for awkward, shallow, or open-backed windows
• How the hotspot inside your store connects to your window display
• Where to find visual merchandising inspiration on a limited budget

📌 CHAPTERS:

• 00:37 About this episode — how the topic came from Spring Fair
• 01:35 The Power of the Pyramid — Sarah's four guiding principles
• 02:30 Brand story vs. product push: what's changed since 2020
• 04:36 What should actually go in your window?
• 05:53 How often should you change your window display?
• 07:27 The permanent skeleton approach
• 08:33 Working with difficult or shallow windows
• 10:18 Open windows vs. backed windows
• 11:55 External theatre: beyond the glass
• 14:57 The hotspot — your 'third window' inside the store
• 16:45 Where to find visual merchandising inspiration
• 20:00 Outro and where to find Sarah Manning

Connect with me 🔗:

→ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineerdly/

→ Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com

→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientretailclub/

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE PODCAST APP:

→ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/resilient-retail-game-plan/id1558090069

→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EIPFznxQFQHIXmC3QoBFQ

Resources Mentioned:

• Sarah Manning: visualmerchandisingcourses.co.uk | @visualmerchandisingcourses
• The Shop Drop Blog by Tim Nash — free newsletter every Thursday

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

00:02:51 The mental noise of running your own business

00:06:04 The self-fulfilling prophecy & the big brand reality check

00:08:25 Why small businesses are a force for good

00:09:55 Your duty to share what you do

00:11:30 The lipstick effect: are people actually spending?

00:12:18 A visit to Columbia Road Flower Market

00:12:57 Products are how people show love

00:13:31 None of this is trivial

00:14:23 Practical tip: separate your social media accounts

00:16:08 How Catherine implemented this herself

00:17:25 A message for every independent retailer

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

→ Mean Mail: https://www.meanmail.co.uk

→ Retail Roar 2026: https://retailroar.co.uk

→ Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR FAVOURITE PODCAST APP:

→ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/resilient-retail-game-plan/id1558090069

→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2EIPFznxQFQHIXmC3QoBFQ

Mentioned in this episode:

Mailchimp

resilientretailclub.com/mailchimp

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:

1. Why business loneliness is more common than anyone admits — and why it matters
2. How being in a community speeds up your learning, builds confidence, and protects your resilience
3. Why hearing about other people's tough weeks can actually make your own feel more manageable
4. How community can drive real commercial results — referrals, collaborations, and sales
5. All about the Retail Roar 2026 Facebook community and why it might be just as valuable as the summit itself

If you've been feeling flat, isolated, or like nobody around you truly gets what you're going through — this episode is for you.

🏟️ Free Retail Roar ticket: retailroar.co.uk

📩 Join the Resilient Retail Club: resilientretailclub.com

📲 Follow on Instagram: @resilientretailclub

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:13 The Loneliness of Business

03:56 Why Community Matters

06:42 Join the Retail Roar 2026 Community

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:

1. Why staying on top of industry trends actually protects both your business and your peace of mind
2. The line between useful information and overwhelming noise — and how to find it
3. How understanding the current consumer mindset can change how you stock, market, and sell
4. The headline speaker I spent three years trying to book: the legendary Mary Portas
5. Expert sessions on email marketing, SEO, AI search, wholesale trends, marketing strategy, and the future of the high street

The expert lineup includes:

1. Mary Portas — retail legend, broadcaster, and champion of independent retail
2. Eman Ismail — email strategist on what's changing in email for 2026
3. Vee Roberts (Insights for Marketing) — marketing strategy and trends
4. Luke Carthy — SEO and AI search, and what your website needs to do differently
5. Therese Oertenblad (Small Business Collaborative) — wholesale trends and how to get seen
6. Ian Nicholson (Vacant Shops Academy) — placemaking and what makes a great high street

This isn't fluffy. It's information for action — curated specifically for small and independent retailers and brands, so you can stop guessing and start planning with confidence.

Get your free ticket at retailroar.co.uk

📩 Join the community: https://resilientretailclub.com/

📲 Follow on Instagram: @resilientretailclub

Mentioned in this episode:

Signed up for Retail Roar yet?

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 photo shoot that attracted 70 applicants and became the foundation of a loyal retail community

• How to structure a brand WhatsApp group that people actually want to be in

• What Joanie got wrong — and the community strategy that could have saved them

• Why checking every new customer's measurements before their first order ships reduces returns and builds trust

• How offering free in-house alterations turns one-time buyers into customers for life

• The Friday night phone call that changed how Ronke thinks about fabric

Sign up free at retailroar.co.uk — come and see what's possible.

📩 Join my community: https://resilientretailclub.com/

📲 Follow me on Instagram: @resilientretailclub

Mentioned in this episode:

Signed up for Retail Roar yet?

Retail Roar

Have you signed up yet? retailroar.co.uk

Retail Roar

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:

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 retailroar.co.uk — come and see what's possible.

📩 Join my community: https://resilientretailclub.com/

📲 Follow me on Instagram: @resilientretailclub

Mentioned in this episode:

Retail Roar

Have you signed up yet? retailroar.co.uk

Retail Roar

Signed up for Retail Roar yet?

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!): resilientretailclub.com/retailsales

Resilient Retail Club: https://www.resilientretailclub.com

Listen on your favourite podcast app: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast

Enjoying the show? DM your takeaways or questions to @resilientretailclub on Instagram.

And if the podcast's been useful to you, please do follow, rate, and review with a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or both!) — it helps more product businesses find us.

Mentioned in this episode:

Retail Roar

Have you signed up yet? retailroar.co.uk

Retail Roar