Nine retail blogs you need to follow
Oct 2017 ⋅ 4 min read
Retail news in the national media can be sparse. Often, only the fortunes of large companies are talked about — that or the fate of the retail sector as a whole.
To find information on trends, management tips and other aspects of retail, you often need to turn to the Internet. The following retail blogs and websites are absolute must-reads for UK retailers and deserve a permanent place on your bookmarks bar.
General Retail Blogs
Shopify’s blog is one of the best free resources available to retailers. Its content is focused on e-commerce, but there’s plenty for brick-and-mortar stores to get stuck into as well.
How-tos, retail tips, and coverage of retail trends are interspersed with stories from Shopify clients. While some of these stories can be a little too focused on the virtues of Shopify’s own platform, you’ll still find plenty of valuable lessons from the experiences of other retailers in the UK and around the world.
Recommended reading: Customer Retention 101
From one Canadian e-commerce company to another. Lightspeed’s blog is a similarly impressive collection of free resources for retailers, with articles covering everything from cash flow tips to customer service and everything in between.
Again, the content isn’t UK-oriented, but Lightspeed’s blog is certainly worth a bookmark, particularly if you prefer articles that are short but sweet.
Recommended reading: 5 KPIs to better manage employee performance
If you’re looking for a source of practical, highly specific tips for retailers, you can’t go wrong with Vend’s blog. Articles cover all aspects of retail, with a focus on brick-and-mortar outlets rather than e-commerce.
We highly recommended heading over to the Vend blog and taking a look through the archives, including their downloadable resources.
Recommended reading: How to Upsell and Cross-Sell in Retail: 6 Pointers to Implement in Your Store
If you don’t mind reading US-oriented retail content, you can’t go far wrong with the Retail Doctor’s ever-reliable blog. The titular Retail Doctor is Bob Phibbs, ‘an internationally recognized business strategist, customer service expert, sales coach, marketing mentor, author of three books, and motivational business speaker.’
That’s quite a bio - and the blog content published on his site shows that Phibbs isn’t stingy with his knowledge and experience.
Recommended reading: 41 Things No-One Told You About Starting a Retail Business
If you’re planning a redesign of your shop, don’t set your plans in stone until you’ve taken a look at the Retail Design Blog!
Run by interior design company Artica, the Retail Design Blog is a collection of articles showcasing beautiful retail and restaurant spaces. Retailers can submit their own photos for a chance of having them featured on the blog.
If you’re short of store design inspiration, or you just appreciate photos of stunning retail spaces, follow this blog!
Recommend reading: Slam Shop by Wea, Porto Cervo, Italy
The National Retail Federation represents retailers across the US, and is the world's largest retail trade association. As you might expect, the NRF site is a hub for retail resources and insights.
While it's US focused, UK retailers will still find plenty of value here, particularly in their blog. The articles cover a wide range of topics, but retail trends are the main focus, using data from the NRF's own surveys.
Recommended reading: Three things to know about consumers in 2019
If you’re more interested in retail technology, Capterra’s Retail Management blog should be an instant subscribe.
Aside from its frequent lists of top retail tools, you’ll find contributions from guest authors on retail management topics like starting an online store and planning retail strategies. We also recommend taking a look at Capterra's other blogs, covering topics like marketing and small business trends.
Recommended reading: How to Sell on Amazon
News & Views
Retail Gazette is a UK-based online source of retail news and views, as well as lengthy interviews with notable figures in the retail world.
While the news section focuses on the fortunes of large retailers, the opinion and interview parts of the Gazette will certainly be of interest to UK retailers. If you’re after regular updates on the UK’s retail sector, it’s well worth signing up to their email newsletter.
Recommended reading: Comment: It’s not just about the money, the money, the money
Much like the Retail Gazette, the Retail Bulletin is a UK-based retail news website. Where the Bulletin shines, however, is in its knowledge centre.
Here you’ll find numerous resources on managing a retailer, including an impressive series of free digital magazines titled The Future of Retail, covering topics like payments, technology and customer engagement.
Recommended reading: Future of Retail: The Customer Engagement Issue
Over to You
We want your retail blog recommendations! Tell us about your favourite retail blogs in the comments section below, and we might just add them to our list.
Oh, and here's a bonus recommendation for you: the RotaCloud blog.
