Retail, eCommerce and marketing speaker

Practical insight, real business experience and plenty for your audience to take away

I speak at conferences, trade shows, business events, webinars and workshops about retail, eCommerce, customer experience and marketing.

My sessions are warm, energetic and grounded in the realities of running a business. There is no recycled motivational speech, no endless parade of buzzwords and no advice that assumes everybody has a huge team and an even bigger budget.

Instead, I bring 25 years of sales and marketing experience, ten years of running my own retail and eCommerce business, and a clear understanding of what it feels like when the decisions, costs and results sit with you.

Whether I am speaking to independent retailers, eCommerce businesses or a room full of founders, my aim is the same: to help people see the problem more clearly, make stronger decisions and leave with ideas they can genuinely use.

Enquire About Booking Steph

Why book me?

I understand marketing from both sides.

I have worked at a senior level, managed substantial budgets and developed commercial marketing strategies. I have also swept my own shop floor, packed online orders, managed stock, trained staff, dealt with customer complaints and spent my own money trying to generate sales.

I grew my independent retail and eCommerce business by 400% over five years and secured coverage from publications and broadcasters including Country Life, Good Housekeeping and the BBC.

That combination shapes everything I bring to the stage.

Real experience

My talks are built on work I have actually done, businesses I have supported and lessons I have learned first-hand.

Commercial perspective

I bring the conversation back to customers, sales, sustainability and what is realistically worth the time, effort and budget.

Useful ideas

Audiences leave with clear principles, practical examples and actions they can apply to their own business or role.

Energy without hype

I am enthusiastic, fast-thinking and comfortable challenging received wisdom. But I will not shout at your audience about smashing goals before breakfast.

Talk to Steph About Your Event

What I speak about

My talks can be adapted to suit the event, audience and time available. These are the subjects I am particularly well placed to speak about.

Bricks, clicks and customer trust

What physical retail can teach us about better online experiences

Customers may move between shops, websites, search engines, social media and email, but they still expect the experience to feel joined up.

This session explores what businesses can learn from face-to-face retail and how those lessons can be translated into stronger eCommerce customer journeys.

Topics can include:

• building trust online

• translating good in-store service into digital experiences

• reducing friction on eCommerce websites

• using physical and digital retail together

• improving product information and customer reassurance

• what independent retailers can do better than large brands

Best suited to: Retail conferences, eCommerce events, trade shows, BIDs, place partnerships and business programmes.

Get found, understood and trusted

A practical framework for marketing that earns its place

Being visible is not enough.

Customers need to find you, quickly understand what you offer and feel confident taking the next step.

This session looks at the relationship between SEO, messaging, content, customer experience and trust. It helps businesses move away from disconnected marketing activity and towards a clearer, more commercially useful approach.

Topics can include:

• how customers discover businesses

• why clear messaging matters

• practical SEO without the jargon

• building credibility and confidence

• making websites easier to understand and use

• creating content with a proper job to do

Best suited to: Founders, small business audiences, enterprise programmes, marketing events and creative business communities.

What to fix first

How busy founders can stop doing random marketing

Most small businesses do not have a shortage of marketing ideas.

They have too many competing priorities, conflicting opinions and unfinished jobs.

This session helps founders work out what matters now, what can wait and what probably does not need doing at all.

Topics can include:

• identifying the real problem before choosing a tactic

• focusing on the customer and commercial objective

• deciding which channels deserve attention

• making better use of limited time and budget

• understanding when marketing is not the real issue

• doing less, but doing it properly

Best suited to: Small business conferences, founder programmes, accelerators, membership organisations and business support events.

From shop floor to Shopify

The lessons that only running the business can teach you

There is a considerable difference between advising a retailer and being responsible for opening the doors, paying the bills and persuading customers to buy.

This session draws on my experience of building and running an award-winning bricks-and-clicks business.

It is an honest look at the realities of independent retail, including what worked, what did not and what I would approach differently now.

Topics can include:

• creating reasons for customers to visit

• making physical and online retail support each other

• customer service when things go wrong

• the relationship between marketing, merchandising and sales

• building visibility without an enormous budget

• the decisions that shape a sustainable retail business

Best suited to: Independent retailers, retail trade shows, town-centre programmes, high street organisations and eCommerce audiences.

What will your audience leave with?

I want people to leave my sessions:

• clearer about what deserves their attention

• more confident making marketing and commercial decisions

• better able to see their business through the customer’s eyes

• equipped with ideas they can apply immediately

• reassured that they do not need to do everything at once

• motivated to make useful progress, without being made to feel inadequate first

I am not there simply to fill a slot in the agenda.

The session should contribute something valuable to the wider event and give people reasons to continue the conversation afterwards.

Speaking formats

I am available for:

• keynote talks

• conference and trade-show sessions

• workshops and masterclasses

• panel discussions

• fireside chats

• webinars and virtual events

• business programme and accelerator sessions

• in-house training

Sessions can range from a focused 20-minute talk to a longer workshop or interactive training session.

Every booking begins with a conversation about the audience, the event and what you want people to take away.

I will adapt the examples, emphasis and delivery to suit the people in the room rather than arriving with the same slide deck I have delivered twelve times already.

Speaking experience

Recent appearances and engagements include:

• Top Drawer A/W26, Olympia London, September 2026

• Public Policy Exchange: The Future of UK High Streets

• Ecommerce Scotland Conference

• The Retail Reckoning Podcast

• business webinars, panels and founder events

I have also been invited to speak at Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring 2027 in Glasgow.

What I bring to the room

Broad commercial experience

My background covers sales, marketing, communications, retail, eCommerce, SEO, content and customer experience.

That means I can connect the subject of the talk to the wider realities of how a business works.

A founder’s perspective

I understand the responsibility, pressure and occasional chaos that come with running a small business.

My advice is shaped around real people, real constraints and the fact that somebody still has to get the work done on Monday morning.

A retailer’s eye

I naturally notice customer journeys, trust signals, friction, missed opportunities and the small details that affect whether people buy.

Warm, direct delivery

I speak in plain English, tell stories, use practical examples and bring restrained amounts of dry humour.

I am supportive, but I will also challenge assumptions when the evidence suggests something different.

Who I speak to

My sessions are particularly relevant for:

• independent retailers

• eCommerce and Shopify businesses

• small business founders

• creative and lifestyle brands

• retail teams and trade audiences

• BIDs and place partnerships

• local authorities and high street programmes

• enterprise networks and growth hubs

• membership organisations

• marketing and communications teams

I can tailor the session for people who are new to the subject or for more experienced audiences looking for a sharper commercial perspective.

About Steph Briggs

Steph Briggs MCIM is a marketing consultant, retail expert and speaker based in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

She has spent 25 years working across sales, marketing, retail and eCommerce, including ten years building and running her own award-winning independent retail and online business.

Steph grew the business by 400% over five years, led its marketing and eCommerce strategy, managed a team and secured national media coverage.

Today, she works with founder-led businesses, independent retailers and eCommerce brands across the UK, helping them improve visibility, customer experience and sales.

Steph is known for combining clear commercial thinking with the practical realities of running a business. Her sessions are engaging, honest and full of useful ideas, delivered with warmth, energy and no unnecessary theatre.

Planning your session

To recommend the right topic and format, I will ask about:

• the event and its purpose

• the audience

• the number of attendees

• the session length

• whether the event is in person or online

• the wider programme and other speakers

• what you want people to think, feel or do afterwards

• any particular commercial or industry context I should understand

From there, I will suggest a clear theme and structure.

Speaking fees depend on the format, preparation required, location and level of customisation. You will receive a straightforward proposal setting out what is included.

Location and travel

I am based in South Ayrshire and speak at events across Scotland and the wider UK.

I am happy to travel for the right event and can also deliver engaging online sessions for remote audiences.

Travel, accommodation and any additional costs will be agreed clearly before the booking is confirmed.

Frequently asked questions

Do you tailor your talks?

Yes.

I will tailor the examples, emphasis and practical takeaways to the audience and event. A session for independent gift retailers should not sound identical to one for a room of service-business founders.

Can you deliver workshops as well as talks?

Yes.

Workshops can include practical exercises, discussion, live examples and time for attendees to apply the ideas to their own businesses.

Are you available for panels?

Yes.

I am comfortable contributing to panels, fireside chats and moderated discussions, particularly around retail, eCommerce, customer experience, marketing and small business.

Can you speak online?

Yes.

I regularly work with clients and audiences remotely and can deliver webinars, virtual workshops and online training.

What are your speaking fees?

Fees are quoted according to the event, format, preparation, travel and level of customisation required.

Send me the event details and I will provide a clear proposal.

Can you provide a biography and photographs?

Yes.

A short and longer biography, professional photographs and session description can be supplied once the booking is agreed.

Book Steph for your event

If you are organising a conference, trade show, workshop, webinar or business event, tell me a little about what you are planning.

You do not need to know the exact talk title yet.

Let me know who the audience is, what the event is trying to achieve and what you would like people to leave with. I will suggest a subject and format that makes sense.

Contact Steph

Booking & Enquiries

To check availability, fees or speaker fit, get in touch with me.

📩 Email: steph@stephbriggs.co.uk
📞 Phone: 07969511507