Thanks to the internet and the emergence of eCommerce, consumers are more informed than ever.
As the retail industry continues to be disrupted by emerging technologies and shifting consumer behavior, how do you keep up? One of the first steps is to keep up to date with the latest innovations and trends that will transform how you start, market, manage, and grow your business in 2019 and beyond.
We’ve put together a list of the best retail blogs on the internet and outlined the subjects each of them covers. We’ve selected blogs based on their industry expertise, the volume of content they publish, and how actionable their content is.
The 15 best retail blogs to add to your reading list in 2019:
- Convince and Convert
- Retail Dive
- Insider Trends
- RetailWire
- Harvard Business Review
- Retail Insider
- TechCrunch
- Lightspeed Blog
- The Retail Doctor
- The National Retail Federation
- Medallion Blog
- Forrester Blog
- Hubspot Blog
- Retail Design Blog
- Niel Patel Blog
1. Convince and Convert
Website: https://www.convinceandconvert.com/blog/
Marketing moves fast. To keep up, we like reading Convince and Convert.
Written by marketing strategists and practitioners with experience in social media marketing, content marketing, influencer marketing, word of mouth marketing (WOMM), and the ever-evolving customer experience.
Subscribe to Convince and Convert’s blog for actionable tips on how you can improve your retail marketing, secure more customers, and maximize the impact of your marketing campaigns.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Social media marketing
- Content marketing
- Digital marketing
- Email marketing
2. Retail Dive
Website: https://www.retaildive.com/
Retail Dive analyzes emerging and existing trends, stories, and technology in the retail industry, and writes in-depth articles on them.
Their blog features topics like tech, trends, eCommerce, marketing, payments, logistics, corporate news, loss prevention, and how to thrive during busy sales periods like the holiday season.
Additionally, Retail Drive conducts its own primary research and offers up opinion pieces on the state of affairs in the retail industry.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Technology trends
- Marketing
- eCommerce
- Payments
- Retail logistics
- Loss prevention
- Corporate news
3. Insider Trends
Website: https://www.insider-trends.com/retail-trends-retail-innovation/
Insider Trends isn’t just a media site, they’re established retail trend specialists that offer consulting, workshops, and keynotes to Nike, Nespresso, L’Oréal, and many other established organizations.
Their goal is that their clients and their readers are prepared for the future of retail.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Retail trends
- Technology trends
- Retail strategy
- Store design
- In-store experience
- Experiential retail
- Concept and pop up stores
- Order fulfillment
- Case studies
4. RetailWire
Website: https://www.retailwire.com/
RetailWire is retailing’s premier online discussion site, serving the industry for over 15 years with compelling content that goes well beyond headline reporting. Their editors post daily topics worthy of commentary by the RetailWire BrainTrust panel. The results are virtual round tables covering the most dynamic trends affecting retailing today.
In addition to their newsfeed, RetailWire also has a Discussions section that features commentary from their BrainTrust panel.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Retail news and trends
- Case studies and editorials
- Brick-and-mortar and eCommerce
5. Harvard Business Review
Website: https://hbr.org/
Harvard Business Review might not publish content exclusively for the retail industry, but retailers can certainly learn a thing or two from accredited sources with tons of real-world experience, as well as researchers and consultants.
Rather than talk about retail tactics like order fulfillment, HBR specializes in research-driven content that touches on subjects important to most entrepreneurs. From how to build high-performing teams to how to manage your stress and be a better leader, you’ll find it here.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Customer success
- Stress management
- Government
- Ethics
- Strategy
- Diversity
- Research and development
- Design
- Innovation
- Hiring
- Organizational culture
- Marketing
- Leadership
- Technology
- Business operations
6. Retail Insider
Website: https://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider
Retail Insider doesn’t feature blogs as much as they feature news in the retail industry. From expansion into other markets and company acquisitions to product launches and case studies, Retail Insider is a great place to stay up-to-date on what some of the SMBs, big-box retailers, and franchises are up to.
Retail Insider splits their newsfeed into 2 sections:
1. RI Articles
The RI Articles column tends to focus more on company initiatives and retail trends like the flexibility of pop-up shops and kiosks, as well as issues like how Canadian retailers can overcome increasingly high job vacancies and property taxes.
2. Daily News
This section focuses more on Canadian retail industry news. Their most popular weekly series is “Canadian Retail News from Around the Web”. It’s a quick way to get a feel for stories that involve Canadian retailers.
7. TechCrunch
Website: https://techcrunch.com/
This is your go-to resource for the latest news in the tech industry. From emerging startups to the rise of tech-driven disruption like automated cars and augmented reality in retail to how changes to Google and Facebook’s algorithm impact your marketing, TechCrunch has a lot of insightful articles written by industry insiders.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Tech trends
- Emerging startups
- Venture capital funding
- Silicon Valley news
8. Lightspeed Blog
Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com/blog/
Okay, we’re certainly a little biased here, but Lightspeed Blog serves up actionable insights that independent retailers can use to scale their business. We write about any key topic associated with starting, marketing, managing, and scaling a retail business.
What’s more is that we regularly publish articles from retail experts. From how to build your brand using Facebook and Instagram, to how to improve your online store’s product photography, we’ve got you covered.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Marketing
- Employee management
- Inventory management
- Payment processing
- eCommerce growth
- Customer service
- Leasing and financing
- Customer loyalty
- Business growth
- Hiring and training
- Sales tactics
9. The Retail Doctor
Website: https://www.retaildoc.com/blog
The Retail Doctor, otherwise known as Bob Phibbs, has over 25 years of experience consulting companies like LEGO and Paul Mitchell on how to optimize their brick-and-mortar stores, train their staff, and grow their in-store sales. His blog covers the tactics of how retailers can scale their business and thrive as the industry pushes forward.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Retail Sales
- Employee management
- Sales training
- Visual merchandising
- Seasonal sales
- Leadership
- Retail trends
- Loss prevention
- Hiring and training
- Customer service
10. The National Retail Federation
Website: https://nrf.com/blog
The National Retail Federation (NRF) is the biggest retail trade association in the US. For over 100 years, the NRF has lobbied with Congress to support the retail industry. Amongst other benefits, they provide mentorship and networking for their members.
The NRF’s blog touches on the economy, connected commerce, consumer trends, retail technology, small business trends, and holiday and seasonal trends. They also conduct a lot of in-depth primary research and translate their findings into great reports.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Loss prevention
- Connected commerce
- Cybersecurity
- Retail technology
- Customer experience
- Retail transformation
- Employment
- Careers and leadership
- Startups and transformation
11. Medallion Retail
Website: https://medallionretail.com/retail-marketing-ideas/
Medallion Retail’s blog focuses on retail marketing, from digital signage and seasonal marketing tactics to how brands can engage more with their customers. They also have a few cool examples of the customers they’ve helped with signage and experiential retail experiences, including Hershey, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and Converse.
Each blog is written to be actionable, with a ton of examples and a “how-to” writing style. Definitely worth subscribing to their newsletter if you’re looking to level up your retail marketing online and in-store and attract more customers.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Retail strategy
- Retail transformation
- In-store experience
- Shopper moments
- Pop-up shops
- Digital transformation
- Digital signage
- Order fulfillment
- Social media
- Brand building
- Product launches
12. Forrester Retail
Website: https://go.forrester.com/blogs/category/retail/
Since Forrester is a market research company, this blog is more technical and focused around the in-depth primary research that they’re known for producing.
Much of the content is long-form, so you’re in for a read, but it’s well worth it. You’ll get the latest news on emerging technology and learn how those innovations will transform the retail industry moving forward. Read their blog to learn everything from how to leverage mobile checkout in-store to merchandising and payments best practices. Their “The Future of Retail” series is a definite stand out.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Customer insights
- eCommerce
- B2B and B2C marketing
- Omnichannel retail
- Retail technology
- Customer experience
- Branding
13. Hubspot Blog
Website: https://blog.hubspot.com/
Hubspot builds marketing, sales, customer service, and CRM software, and their blog focuses on topics related to those sectors.
If you’re looking to learn about digital marketing, paid and organic search marketing, social media marketing, sales or customer service, Hubspot has a blog dedicated to those topics to assure that you’re only seeing content that’s relevant to what you actually want to learn.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Marketing tactics
- Sales strategies
- Customer service and customer experience
- Marketing, sales, and customer service news and trends
14. Retail Design Blog
Website: https://retaildesignblog.net/
For those of you looking for design inspiration, Retail Design Blog dives deep into anything and everything related to your store’s visual appearance, functions, and design’s impact on your customer experience and brand perception.
Each blog post features a lot of visuals, so if you’re in a rut and looking for inspiration for your store layout or design, this is the right blog for you.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Store design
- Hotel and restaurant design
- Furniture
- Lighting
- Materials
- Branding
- Visual merchandising
- Eco-friendly design
15. Neil Patel Blog
Website: https://neilpatel.com/blog/
Niel Patel’s blog is one of the most popular and visited digital marketing resources on the internet, and with good reason. He really knows his stuff and takes an action-oriented approach in his blogs.
If you’re just starting out in digital marketing and want to learn the ins and outs of everything from search engine optimization (SEO) to how to create Facebook and Instagram ads that people actually click on, Neil can help you get started.
What you’ll learn from this blog
- Content marketing
- Conversion rate optimization
- eCommerce
- Email marketing
- Entrepreneurship
- Digital marketing
- Online ads
- Paid ads
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Social media marketing
News you care about. Tips you can use.
Everything your business needs to grow, delivered straight to your inbox.
