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Charlotte Broadbent is Faire’s Head of International Marketing & Partnerships, and she recently attended Autumn Fair. Today, she’s sharing her observations on the coming selling season and how retailers can create memorable shopping experiences.
September always feels like the moment when retail is truly at its best. To me, Autumn Fair is the perfect way to kick off selling season, and this year, I got to spend time at our stand speaking to dozens of independent retailers, speaking to many of you about the Faire Forecast, and doing lots of listening in Retail Corner on both the state of retail and how to make customers’ experiences even better.
I came away from the Retail Corner with pages of notes, a head buzzing with ideas, and a heart full of admiration for the way this community of amazing suppliers and independent retailers is writing its own future. Here are the talks that stayed with me most, and why I think they matter.
Harness all of the senses
Stephen Spencer, Stephen Spencer Associates & Demi Pendakis, Find Your Glow
Find Your Glow specializes in creating dynamic scentscapes through candles, fragrances, and diffusers, and in this talk, Stephen and Demi reminded us that retail is not just visual, it’s emotional. Their research shows that 35% of memory from a brand experience comes from smell alone. For retailers, that means a fragrance can be more powerful at driving buying behaviors than an advert, a loyalty card, or even a discount.
I loved the idea of creating a sensory journey for customers, like the rise and fall of a concert. Too much energy all at once, and shoppers burn out. Too little, and they drift away. But a carefully curated mix of intensity, surprise, and calm can keep people engaged, comfortable, and most importantly, happy to spend.
Some practical scent insights that stood out to me:
- Citrus scents speed customers up. The energizing bursts of orange, grapefruit, and lemon keep customers at attention.
- Fruity and musk scents slow customers down, encouraging browsing.
- Rotate fragrances seasonally. Autumnal warmth with cinnamon gives way to sprucey Christmas spice, which gives way to floral spring freshness, keeping your store atmosphere dynamic and memorable.
The takeaway? Scent and storytelling together are transformative, as Demi shared his own story of starting his business. A chance encounter with the smell of figs took him back to childhood and inspired a whole business. And isn’t that what independents do best? Tell stories that customers can feel. It’s a business that’s about hearts as well as minds.
The enduring power of physical retail
Becky Jones, Someday Studios
Becky reminded us of a truth that often gets lost in the noise: 70% of sales still happen offline. In a world where headlines are dominated by e-commerce, it was refreshing to hear someone champion the strength of bricks-and-mortar. And Someday Studios’ business is the proof.
Her key idea is that retailers create a halo effect within their communities: Open a shop in a city, and your online sales there can rise by 37%. That means a store isn’t just about footfall, it’s about trust, visibility, and energy that ripples outward.
I loved her call for keeping a flexible mentality: movable fixtures, pop-ups, community events. Retail doesn’t have to be set in stone; it can be fluid, agile, playful. Becky’s advice was clear: Experiment, test, and let your space evolve with you.
Independents have a real edge here. You don’t need layers of approval or 12-month leases to try something new. You can open your doors, host an event, move the tables, invite another brand in for a collab—and your customers will thank you for it.
Visual merchandising as science
Sarah Manning, Visual Merchandising Specialist
Sarah’s session was a masterclass in turning displays into strategy. Too often, windows and tables are thought of as “pretty” things, but Sarah showed that, done right, they’re powerful commercial tools. Her tips were practical, memorable, and frankly, brilliant:
- Make sure what’s in your window is the first thing customers can shop when they walk in, a simple change that can lift sales by up to 25%.
- Maintain consistency across channels. From windows to online banners to social channels, customers don’t browse in silos, so why should your displays be contained in them?
- Use pyramid layouts on tables to keep hero products at eye level, framed with symmetry to make information easier to process.
What I loved most was the way she broke down the flow of a store, using hot spots to push products and layering from top (aspirational) to bottom (practical). It’s science, but it’s also empathy, making it easier for customers to say “yes.”
My takeaway
Each of these talks reminded me that independent retail has superpowers the big players can’t replicate: scent, storytelling, community, flexibility, and humanity.
Together, they showed me just how creative and inventive independent retailers are. Small changes—a scent, a table, an event—can unlock loyalty, joy, and growth.
As we move into the Golden Quarter, that’s what I’m holding onto. That the magic isn’t always in the big campaigns or the glossy images. Sometimes, it’s in the little details that make customers feel something they’ll never forget.
