Why getting your brand story right has never mattered more

At the end of April, we released Voices of Retail in partnership with Spring & Autumn Fair, a new report drawing on feedback from 650 independent retailers and more than 2,000 shoppers to uncover what's working in retail.

The report made one thing clear: Britain's love for independent retail isn't going anywhere. Yet with household budgets under pressure, it's easy to assume that success means competing on price and the high street is won by whoever discounts hardest.

However, our research tells a more encouraging story. The retailers gaining ground right now aren’t competing on price, they’re winning on brand. Retailers that invest in brand storytelling are nearly twice as likely to be growing, and retailers finding things most challenging are often those who responded to pressure by cutting costs. 

Interestingly, we found that shoppers aren't just looking for the cheapest option - they're looking for people and places they believe in. More than four in five shoppers told us they prefer independents to chains, and people said they would spend up to £145 more per month on their local high street if the offer improved.

The consumer appetite is clearly there. For most independents, brand storytelling doesn't mean a polished advertising campaign and big marketing budgets. It means communicating, clearly and consistently, who you are and why you exist.

Take Wongs Jewellers in Liverpool, a customer of Faire’s who opened a second site in Manchester after their most profitable year. Rather than heavily pushing specific products from their range, they created a story that demonstrated how embedded they are in their local community - partnering with a local sandwich shop, celebrating their heritage and the milestones they've enjoyed. When they shared this on social media, they generated over 62,000 views before the new store even launched, because it meant something to the people watching and sharing it.

I see and hear these stories all the time when I speak to independent retailers. They put themselves at the heart of their community, they show their relevance, and they really start to thrive. Mookau in Sheffield is another great example: it's a design-led boutique, and the owner Kitty Evans re-merchandises constantly, so that visitors always find something new and the shop always looks fresh, using her products as a constant talking point both online and in-person.

The Voices of Retail research found shoppers love the face-to-face interaction they get with independent business owners and this makes them more likely to buy. So putting yourself at the heart of your brand - both in-store and online - makes a real difference.

Collaboration with relevant partners is also one of the most underexploited levers in independent retail. Eighty-nine per cent of retailers who try it report a positive commercial impact - yet fewer than one in four are actually doing it. The barriers are almost entirely practical rather than conceptual: it just takes time, coordination and someone to take the lead.

The key is finding the right partner - someone who shares your values and serves a complementary audience. Donaghys, a family footwear business in Banbridge, partnered with a local coffee shop's walking group to offer free gait analysis. That partnership created new sales opportunities the business would ordinarily have missed. Keith Hunt of Our Precious Earth in Minehead runs weekly beach cleans attended by up to 90 people at a time - not all of them customers, but the shared experience he creates means they end up becoming customers. 

The thread running through all of it is simple: find a community that shares your values, talk to them authentically, and give them a reason to seek you out.

It's easy to think that effective marketing requires big budgets. It simply doesn't. Shoppers are buying into authenticity. They want to support people who are passionate about what they do and are rooted in their community, whether that's local or global. When you get that part of your brand storytelling right, price becomes secondary.

My five steps for retailers to build their brand story and unlock growth.

1. Be front and centre, online and in-person. This may feel awkward, especially when you're first starting out, but people are no longer just buying into the brand - they're buying into the people behind it. Make sure people know who you are. In your social content, talk to your audience the same way you would a customer standing in your shop: warmly, knowledgeably, and with personality. Let them get to know you.

2. Tell the story behind what you sell. People want to have a story they can share, and it's easy to give them one by telling them where a product came from, who designed it, and why it earned a place on your shelves. Sharing that knowledge helps attract more customers who share the same tastes and values as your existing audience.

3. Show up consistently. Brand storytelling only works if it's sustained. That means the same voice, the same values, the same visual identity across every touchpoint - your window, your social feed, your packaging, the way your team talks about products in-store. Consistency is what turns a first-time visitor into someone who feels they know you.

4. Make your customers part of the story. Sharing their reviews, photos and the moments they've had in your shop is a brilliant form of third-party endorsement that further cements who you are and what you stand for. User-generated content is one of the most powerful and underused tools independent retailers have - it's authentic and free, and, most importantly, it says more about who you are than any campaign could.

5. Curate a range that communicates value and quality. This final point ties all of the above together. If the brand experience feels purely driven by price and promotion, everything starts to become transactional and ultimately replaceable. When a business becomes known primarily for its low prices, customers begin to hold out for discounts and sales - and those who could be spending with you regularly start shopping elsewhere when they spot something similar for slightly less. This doesn't mean avoiding affordable products altogether. A few well-chosen entry-level items can be a wonderful, guilt-free treat for customers. It means: don't let price become your reason to exist. Make value, quality and experience your competitive edge.