Download planner for #MyShopLife25 Instagram challenge and get set for indie retail action
Indie greeting card retailers have the chance to show what they get up to every day as the eighth annual #MyShopLife Instagram Challenge is all set up and ready to roll.
Organised by Sarah Holmes from her Pencil Me In greeting card and stationery store in Elgin, she has already instigated this year’s daily prompts for the week of fun starting on Monday, 21 April – and a downloadable planner so retailers can get to grips with what they want to say.
“#MyShoplife is not just a typical Instagram challenge,” explained Sarah, who also runs Seasgair homeware and gifts outlet in the Scottish town. “It’s a unique opportunity for shopkeepers to showcase their businesses and enhance their sales strategies.
“Each day’s prompt is carefully designed to empower shop owners, providing them with a platform to celebrate their shops and connect more effectively with their customer base.
“I’ve created a planner with specific tips on how to use each prompt to sell your in-store experience and product. I really recommend to plan out the seven days content to ensure you can make the most of the week and not duplicate any points.”
The prompts – Shopfront, Shop Tour, How To Shop, Throwback Thursday, Bestsellers, Saturday Shelfie, and Being A Shopkeeper – offer plenty of scope for each retailer to showcase their store’s USP using photos, selfies and reels, and many participants upload to their Facebook page as well as Instagram.
To get an idea of the content created, the launch reel from the 2024 #MyShopLife challenge can be seen above, and Rebekah Blandamer’s A Day In The Life reel for Mrs B’s Emporium in Wolverton, Milton Keynes, can be seen below.
Indies up and down the country are already getting excited to strut their stuff on social media, with Stoke Newington’s Earlybird, The Letter Arty in Manchester, Plewsy in Bedale, Inspired Worthing, Chirpy in Chapel Allerton, Taunton’s Rocket And Bird, Cards ’N’ Things in Hellesdon, Bristol’s These Two Hands, and The Pug And The Pussycat in Aldeburgh starting their planning.
“it’s a fun week of finding the best independent shops all over the UK,” Sarah added. “If you’re a shopkeeper join us online for this gathering and post along – if you love shopping, you’re going to be discovering lots of lush new shops!”
If you want to take part, check out Sarah’s Instagram page and download the planner from the website – there’s also the private My Shoplife Collective networking Facebook group which those taking part in the challenge can join to chat about what’s going on.
