Indies have a week to do their prep work in order to make the most of their participation of this year’s #myshoplife initiative. This year’s month Instagram extravaganza, spearheaded by Sarah Holmes, owner of Pencil Me In (an independent card and stationery shop based in Elgin, Scotland) will start a week today (September 1), but the online planner for the daily activities is now available to download here and prepare posts for the month ahead.
Set to build on the success of the last three years’ #myshoplife, the month-long Instagram programme will provide heaps of inspiration and boost camaraderie among the hundreds of indies who participate, as well as encourage the public to shop at the retailers involved.
Sarah also hopes that the timing of this year’s challenge “will mean it will put hundreds of indie shops at the forefront of people’s minds as they begin Christmas shopping. Certainly, customers are already buying at Pencil Me In!”
The #myshoplife Instagram annual challenge began in April 2017 when Sarah realised “there was nothing out there for the wonderful community of independent shops. A lot of us work alone in store and maybe don’t have employees – this was a great way to bring a community of like-minded people together and celebrate the brilliant independent shops all over the UK and beyond,” said Sarah.
The Facebook group which then came after the first challenge has become “a water cooler and support network for those shopkeepers, as many work on their own or are the sole decision maker. The group really proved invaluable for support during the lockdown period,” believes Sarah.
Sarah is referring to this year’s #myshoplife as “less of challenge and more of an opportunity for shopkeepers to tell their story, including how lockdown has impacted on us all,” Sarah told PG Buzz.
The planner provides a great structure enabling indies, in bite-size nuggets and visual treats, to tell their respective stories, their lockdown silver linings, lessons learned, share some of their fave products, proudest moment, sustainable changes, strangest customer request, plans for the future are among the daily prompters for their Instagram posts.
Amid the more fun and quirky posts, September 9 will be especially poignant. “We will all be pausing on that day to remember all those who we’ve lost in 2020 to Covid-19, especially those in frontline retail. I am finalising an image for that day with Kate Dowling from Kate & the Ink card publisher that will be made available,” shares Sarah.
Sarah also highlights that as well as providing a sense of connection among retailers, #myshoplife will also help to build loyalty and awareness from consumers towards independent retailers.
“My own customer base have fed back how they love it for finding new indie shops/brands and then visit them too,” says Sarah. “I just love being a shopkeeper, visiting and buying from other independent shops, and anything we can do to elevate and promote these wonderful little businesses is a positive. The feedback we have received from customers from that first ever #myshoplife has guided me on what my online content needed to include and how that impacts and affects our customer base.
Retailers involved in the initiative this year are asked to tag @pencilmeinshop in their posts and use the hashtag #myshoplife20. People can also *follow* hashtags now on Instagram.
Top: Sarah Holmes inside her Pencil Me In shop in Elgin.
