In this 5-minute read:
- Learn from the experts
- Free online resources for retailers
Running your own business can become a daunting task if you let it. And with the ever-flowing stream of new retail businesses popping up around you, you want to make sure that your store has what it takes to stay ahead of with the competition.
Attract more new customers and keep them loyal with reputation management software. Learn more, plus get free reputation monitoring and customer insights when you sign up for Womply Free!
You don’t have to go it alone, though. Many others have been exactly where you are right now, and they are offering their help through online resources that you can and should take advantage of.
Check out these free online resources to help you grow and manage your retail business.
1. Medallion Retail Blog
Medallion Retail is a retail marketing agency that designs and produces in-store signs and displays and makes it their mission to improve the shopper experience. Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, Converse, and Godiva are just a few of the major retailers they have helped.
With all of their experience helping some of the largest stores become successful in their marketing, Medallion Retail has some valuable insights on their blog to offer to all retail businesses to help them with their own stores.
3 must-reads from Medallion Retail:
- Increase Sales With Retail Partnerships
- The Rental Retail Economy. When Temporary Is On Trend.
- Home, Smart Home: How AR Captivates Shoppers
2. Vend Blog
Vend is your comprehensive retail software solution. With inventory and customer management, payment capabilities, reporting, ecommerce, and other solutions, Vend is familiar with every aspect of running a retail business.
They have a free blog with tons of articles to help store owners like you grow your business. They also offer an entire library of free guides and ebooks when you provide a little information about your business.
3 must-reads on Vend blog:
- How To Scale Your Retail Business: A Q&A With Oliver Banks
- Why You Should Choose A Complete Point Of Sale System For Your Retail Business
- 15 Retail Skills Every Sales Associate Should Have (And How To Develop Them)
3. Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is the ecommerce platform for enterprises. They work primarily with Fortune 500 companies and high volume brands that earn anywhere from $1M to $500M in annual revenue. Some of the brands they work with include Nestle, MVMT, and Kylie Cosmetics.
In order to share their experience and tips for success with other retail businesses, Shopify Plus regularly posts articles on their blog. They also share case studies and industry reports.
3 must-reads from Shopify Plus:
- Holiday Shipping And Fulfillment Strategies
- Ecommerce Data Analysis For Optimizing Your Online Funnel
- How To Build An Effective Multi-channel Retailing Strategy
4. The Retail Doctor Blog
The Retail Doctor, also known as Bob Phibbs, has more than 30 years in successful retail training. He is a consultant, keynote speaker, and strategist that helps business owners transform their retail employees into better salespeople, convert in-store traffic, and improve their marketing.
On his website, you can see videos of his presentations, listen to podcasts where he interviews experts in the retail industry, and read articles on his blog with deeper insights into what you can do to improve your store.
3 must-reads from The Retail Doctor:
- 5 Trends That Are Transforming Retail That Didn’t Exist 25 Years Ago
- 5 Ways To Develop Top Managers In Your Store
- 9 Powerful Tips To Grow Your Retail Sales With Role Play, Even If You Hate It
5. National Retail Federation
The National Retail Federation (NFR) is an organization dedicated to helping retail thrive. They stand up and advocate for retail, and it is their mission to inspire and educate others in the retail industry.
Retail shop owners can become members of NFR to gain valuable networking opportunities, chances to advocate on important policy issues, and gain deeper insights from industry leaders.
Their website is full of valuable resources for members and non-members alike.
3 must-reads from NFR:
- Technology Is Dramatically Improving Consumers’ Shopping Experience
- 3 Things To Know About Retail Tech Investments
- National Retail Security Survey 2019
6. Retail Customer Experience
RetailCustomerExperience.com is an online resource devoted to helping retailers create the ultimate customer experience. It’s not the price of the product; it’s the experience of the customer that matters most.
They stay up to date on the latest trends in the industry to provide you with the best information out there.
3 must-reads from Retail Customer Experience:
- When It Comes To Gift Returning, Gen Z Is The Leader
- Why Retail Marketers Must Get Cx Right The First Time And How Open Source Plays A Key Role
- Shoppers Loving The Gift Card These Days
7. Square
We’re sure you’ve heard of this retail giant, and you may even use their solution in your store. Square offers merchant services and mobile payments to retailers all over the world. They believe everyone should be able to participate and thrive in the economy, and that’s the philosophy behind their technology.
On their website, Square regularly posts helpful resources for retail business owners to gain valuable knowledge to help their stores.
3 must-reads from Square:
- Responding To Customer Email
- Why It’s Important To Track Employee Breaks (And How To Do It)
- What Should Your Emails Say? A Primer On Email Content For Your Business
8. Retail Dive
Retail Dive offers deep insights into impactful trends in the retail industry. From topics like how to succeed at your brick and mortar store to understanding how to get your ecommerce store to take off, they have the knowledge and experience to help you out.
With experienced business journalists, Retail Dive is constantly researching and gaining new insights into the retail world.
3 must-reads on Retail Dive:
- Despite Economic Concerns, Shoppers To Spend More On 2019 Holidays
- In-store Shopping Still Popular Across Age Demographics
- Gen Z’s Worries About Emotional Health Affect Shopping Habits
9. RetailWire
RetailWire is the leading online discussion forum for everything retail. Beyond their insightful discussions, the contributors at RetailWire also provide helpful resources and retail news to help business owners succeed with their retail shops.
3 must-reads from RetailWire:
- Will Pushing Back Against Christmas Creep Drive Sales Ebay’s Way?
- How High Will The Holiday Retail Sales Ball Bounce In 2019?
- Simple Answers To Fix Retail’s Loyalty Marketing Mess
Take advantage of these free online resources to help your retail business grow. And if you’re looking for an inexpensive solution to help grow your customer base, you should consider reputation management software from Womply. Womply businesses save an average of 10 hours of work per week! Learn more, plus get free reputation monitoring and customer insights when you sign up for Womply Free!