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What Your Business Can Learn from these 10 Top-Notch Local Retailer Blogs

You’re probably familiar with the business adage ABC: Always Be Closing. May we suggest an update? ABI: Always Be Improving. In business, you need to continually be looking for ways to refine your practices and enhance your operations. Bettering your business helps you better serve your customers—and your bottom line.

A great place to start identifying potential areas of improvement is to consult the experts in your field. Learning from industry leaders can help you implement tried-and-true strategies and practices into building a better business.

Many of the gurus in local business can be found on the blogosphere, where experts share their fountain of retail knowledge. What do we look for in a top-notch local retailer blog? These are our top retailer blog must-haves:

  • Consistent, quality content: A best-of-the-best retailer blog is regularly filled with valuable content. No sporadic, one-in-a-blue-moon posting here.
  • Knowledgeable sources: The best retailer blogs are authorities in their field for a reason: they feature the expert knowledge of ecommerce gurus, trusted sources with extensive experience and research-backed ideas.
  • In-Tune with Innovation: The gold-star blogs aren’t living in the retail stone ages with outdated information and behind-the-times practices. The best retail blogs feature the most effective mix of tried-and-true retail practices with the latest in ecommerce innovation.

So which blogs are the best of the best?

Luckily, you don’t have to go scouring the web for retail’s greatest sources of knowledge—hey, we know you’ve got a lot to do as a local business owner. For you, we’ve gathered a roundup of the ten best retailer blogs, destined to help you improve your local businesses this year. Learn from their example and watch your business grow.

10 Best Local Retailer Blogs (and Why They’re the Best)

1. Retail Minded

Founded by retail influencer, global thought leader, (and Small Business Saturday spokesperson) Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, Retail Minded is a internationally-recognized industry blog and publication that offers trusted resources, support, news, and education tailored to help independent retailers in their online—and offline—business efforts and goals.    

Retail Minded not only provides beginner-friendly resources for those just starting their journey in retail, but the site also covers a comprehensive range of topics—like how to handle security breaches or increase your business’s’ cash flow—that can help businesses, no matter their size or niche.

The site is updated regularly with quality content (like this post) and with its authoritative reputation, you know you’re getting reliable—and valuable—information that will help you better your business.

2. The Retail Doctor

An award-winning blog run by the retail consulting firm of renowned business strategist, customer service expert, sales coach, business mentor, and top retail influencer Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor shares rich retail information based on more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Phibbs has got a hefty list of retail-related accomplishments on his resume, so the blog is teeming with winning resources designed to help every kind of business strengthen their structure, increase sales, and win out against their competition.

The Retail Doctor blog boasts strong UI, making it easy to navigate. The content, covering everything from proven retail success strategies to key training principles, is highly engaging and readable. Resources and education straight from the mouth (and decades of experience) of a true retail guru, The Retail Doctor should be a key source in your retail education.

3. Retail Dive

For the time-strapped business professional who still wants to stay on top of industry news, Retail Dive provides the latest in retail in easily-digestible chunks while still providing thought-provoking and well-researched analysis. The blog’s editorial team provides a bird’s-eye-view of the retail industry, readable in 60 seconds—a small-scale opportunity for learning that even the busiest local business owners can commit to.

Industry news coupled with original, in-depth analysis helps independent retailers understand what they can learn from global trends and big-box-store happenings, and how to implement that knowledge into building a better business—no matter the size.

4. Medallion Retail

A blog featuring the latest in retail insights and innovations, Medallion Retail analyzes current trends and patterns—like the intersection of media and merchandise, the evolution of ecommerce pop-ups, and retail storytelling, with thought-provoking analysis. Plus, their content is not simply a discussion of ethereal retail theory; it’s engaging, filled with real-life examples, and geared toward practical implementation in your business.

Their A-plus content will help you put meaningful and effective retail strategies into practice in your local business.

5. Shopify Blog

Those immersed in retail probably recognize Shopify as a popular online shopping tool for websites, but the e-commerce platform also features a blog with a rich aggregation of valuable retail resources and articles on a range of relevant topics.

Growing an email list, understanding trademarks, a Cyber Monday survival guide—it’s all knowledge your business could benefit from, and it’s all covered on the Shopify blog. Forget trying to wade through heady retail-specific jargon. Shopify’s articles are fun to read (it’s true!), accessible for independent retailers of all experience levels, and filled with sound research and practical takeaways. Consider this a blog a must-read for building a better business.

6. Retail Customer Experience

For the independent retailers looking to pick the brains of industry experts, the Retail Customer Experience blog is a treasure trove of valuable info. Their featured articles—everything from how to understand Gen Z customers, build customer loyalty, and utilize digital maps—are penned by top retail execs with extensive e-commerce experience under their belt.   

Glean rich knowledge from expert-endorsed articles (on an vast list of topics) or scan their collection of free e-books to take your retail efforts to the next level.

 

7. Retail TouchPoints

A touchpoint: any point of contact between a buyer and seller. This comprehensive blog covers all the virtual touchpoints in retail, sharing valuable news briefs, infographics, executive viewpoints, and content on retail innovation that can give you expert insight on the latest-and-greatest in e-commerce. For those looking to keep their finger on the pulse of all things retail, Retail TouchPoints keeps you in the know—and helps you find your competitive edge.  

8. Multichannel Merchant

As the name implies, the Multichannel Merchant blog caters to multichannel sellers in the industry, delivering not only original research, but also in-depth analyses of retail trends, tried-and-true best practices, news, tactical/how-to guides, podcasts, executive summaries, technology and supplier comparisons, tip sheets, and resource information to help businesses reach (and sell to) their customers—wherever they are.   

The sheer size of the blog’s offerings guarantees that you can walk away armed with greater retail knowledge to help you improve your business.

9. Retail It Insights

For all the happening-now and the up-and-coming topics in retail, the Retail It Insights blog is your business’ go-to resource. With expert advice and insights on the real-life application of retail principles, you can learn everything from how to develop the ultimate product visualization guide, create the perfect holiday chatbot, navigate AI and the digital disruption, and more. The blog’s innovative and forward-facing focus keeps you ahead of the game in industry practice and theory.

10.Snap Retail

Last but not least, a highly-rated blog whose content is simple and uncomplicated, while still providing an incredible amount of value and practicality: the Snap Retail blog. Geared toward local business owners, the site features engaging content and advice designed to help you market your business in smarter—and more effective—ways.  

Whether you’re looking to boost summer sales, craft a killer business plan, or avoid small biz burnout,  the Snap Retail blog can help you on your way to reaching your business goals.

 

How to Implement Winning Retail Strategies into Your Business

Now that you’ve perused the retail industry’s best blogs, you can start following in their footsteps as you work to build a better business. Here’s the best practices you should implement ASAP:

  • Be in the Know. It’s not enough to simply float along in retail. As a local business owner, you must expend your efforts to not only stay on top of current trends and insights, but also position yourself to embrace any future changes in the industry. Keep yourself informed and learn to balance and implement the best of tried-and-true tactics with predicted innovations.

  • Consult the Experts. There is no shame in admitting that you don’t know everything. Hey, everyone else is learning, too. Running a business means gaining knowledge—constantly.

Increase your chance of success and accelerate learning and growth by reaching out to, consulting with, and partnering with industry leaders. They can provide you with useful expertise that will improve your business and make you a better retailer. You’ll find that many of the local business gurus are eager and willing to share their knowledge and help you advance. Learn to learn from others, be open to change and improvement, and continue to refine your operations—it will benefit your business in big ways.

  • Provide Value. Can you name one feature all ten blogs overwhelmingly held in common? They all provide value to their audiences—consistently. As a business, you have to strive to provide value frequently to your customers, or they won’t have a reason (or desire) to engage with you. The more you provide useful content and unmatched value, the more your business will be seen as an authority in your field—and the more you’ll win out against your competitors. In addition to the product or service you offer, work to supply something of worth to your target audiences—whether it be useful content, solutions to a common pain point, or an excellent customer service experience.  

  • Meet—Exceed Expectations. Along with providing consistency and value is letting your customers know what they can expect from your business, and then proceeding to go the extra mile to satisfy them. Just as our best-of-the-best blogs feature quality content consistently, they also make extra efforts to exceed what readers expect from their blog. They provide articles, but also offer an expansive collection of resources, expert opinions, and practical how-tos. That keeps audiences coming back for more.

As you work to build a better business, learn from those who have walked the retail path before you. Take a page from the retail blogging experts and help your business flourish.


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