Customers Want to Back Us - Let’s Give Them Something to Stand Behind

They’re not just buying things, they’re choosing us. Let’s make it easy for them do a little bit more

Something has become crystal clear to me this year: customers aren’t just buying products, they’re backing people.They’re not passive. They’re not indifferent. They care, deeply, about the independent shops they love. You only have to look at the reaction on social media when a small retailer posts about a tough day, a supplier letting them down, or a shoplifting incident. People are all over it and we appreciate the heck out of it.

But here’s the thing: while a kind comment or a share means a lot, our customers can do even more. They can become ambassadors. Champions. Advocates. Most of them would love to, we just have to make it easy for them.

That’s what I’ve been building with my seasonal campaigns and it’s exactly what I’m planning with the upcoming Small Shop Supporters Club.

The moment everything shifted

Something happened recently, something every retailer I know is still talking about.

It revealed something bigger than a stock issue or a supplier policy. It showed just how fiercely loyal customers are to the shops they love.

They weren’t just disappointed. They were furious. They felt we’d been mistreated and they didn’t hesitate to say so.

It was moving. But also - incredibly useful.
Because it told me: the public is on our side.

And that kind of energy?
That’s not something we can manufacture.
That’s not something we should let pass.

This is our moment - let’s meet it together 

The question isn’t “Do customers care?”
The question is “What are we doing with that emotion?”

Because it’s one thing for customers to love your shop. It’s another for them to feel like they’re part of it.

If we want people to keep choosing independent, in a world of one-click convenience and algorithmic everything, we have to offer something richer. Something warmer. Something more human.

That means:

• Telling our story

• Showing our values

• Making people feel good about choosing us - not guilty

It also means taking up space.
Speaking up.
And making our shops something people are proud to support.

Let’s Step Out From Behind The Till

I know how easy it is to play small, to just get through the day, stay behind the counter.

But this year, more than ever, I’ve seen how powerful it is when we open up. 

When we share what our shops mean.
When we give customers something to stand behind.

They don’t want us to be perfect. They want us to be real.

That’s why I’ve started creating campaigns that tell a bigger story

• Small Shop Summer: A way to celebrate the joy of shopping small and shine a light on all the beautiful things hiding in plain sight.

• Thinking of You Week: A reminder that cards create connection and that independent shops are where those connections grow even stronger

• Christmas Starts in Small Shops: Coming soon - to show customers how magical and meaningful shopping small can be.

Every campaign is designed to help retailers speak up, show up, and stand out, without needing a big team or marketing budget.

They’re about telling the truth about indie retail.
The effort. The care. The creativity. The people.

And customers respond. They want to share these stories. They want to support something good.

Let’s not waste the momentum

We don’t have to beg for attention.
We don’t have to guilt people into shopping local.
We just have to remind them why they already want to.

Because they’re not just buying products, they’re choosing us.

And now more than ever, we need to help them actively make that choice - more often, more intentionally, as an act of everyday activism. Not just shopping.

We already know, and they know, that we’re offering something worth choosing.
But we have to stay top of mind.
We have to keep showing up.
We have to make it easy for them to say yes to us, again and again.

That’s what my campaigns are designed to do and what the Small Shop Supporters Club will be built for.

Let’s give people something to believe in - and a way to show it.

💬 Want to join in?

Follow along at @smartshopkeepersclub
Join the email list for updates, free campaign materials, and first access to the Small Shop Supporters Club coming soon.