Social media for retail stores: a weekly plan that brings people in

Shoppers use social media to see what is in store before they make the trip. Choose the platforms where your products look best and where your customers already scroll.

Tie the week to what happens in the shop. New deliveries, weekend footfall and seasonal windows give you a ready-made schedule.

• Monday: what arrived this week, filmed as you unpack.
• Tuesday: one product up close, with price and sizes or colours.
• Wednesday: a how-to or styling post.
• Thursday: a staff pick or a customer favourite.
• Friday: the weekend reason to visit, such as an event, an offer or a restock.

Real stock in your real shop beats polished stock photos. People want to know if it is on the shelf, what it costs and whether it suits them. Put price and availability in the caption so nobody has to message to ask.

Your staff are your best content. A 20-second clip of someone explaining why they love a product feels like a shop visit. Reuse the same clip across Reels, TikTok and Facebook rather than filming three times.

• Unboxing new arrivals.
• Three ways to wear, use or gift one product.
• "Under £20" or "under $20" gift edits.
• Window display time-lapses.
• Behind the counter: wrapping, restocking, opening up.

People searching for a shop nearby often see Business Profiles in the results. Google lets you add update, offer and event posts. Offer posts need a title and dates and show a "View Offer" button, which suits weekend deals and seasonal sales.

Ask happy customers for a review with your Google link or a QR code at the till. Google prohibits offering anything in exchange for reviews, so no discounts for five stars.

1. Keep regular and holiday hours accurate, especially in December.
2. Add fresh photos of the shopfront, inside and new stock every month.
3. Post an offer or update every week.
4. Reply to every review, good or bad, politely and briefly.

Sources: Google Business Profile Help: Create & manage posts on your Business Profile, checked 14 October 2026; Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more reviews, checked 14 October 2026

In the UK, the CAP Code applies to claims you make and offers or promotions you run on your own social media channels and website, not just to paid ads. Prices, savings and "limited stock" claims need to be true and clear.

In the US, the FTC's Endorsement Guides apply to social media. If you give someone free products or pay them to post, the connection should be disclosed clearly in the post itself. You can ask all customers for honest reviews, but you cannot ask only happy ones, suppress negative reviews or give discounts for positive ones.

If you run a giveaway on a Facebook Page, Meta's Pages terms make you responsible for official rules and require that entrants are not asked to share on their own timeline or tag friends to enter. Read the platform's current rules before each giveaway.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check with your trading standards office, an adviser or a lawyer if you are unsure.

• Show the real price and any conditions in the post, not only in a link.
• Use "was" prices only if the item really sold at that price.
• Label gifted or paid creator posts clearly, for example "Ad".
• Write simple giveaway rules: dates, who can enter, how the winner is picked.

Sources: ASA: Advice for businesses, checked 14 October 2026; FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking, checked 14 October 2026; Meta: Facebook Pages Terms (promotions), checked 14 October 2026; Google Business Profile Help: Tips to get more reviews, checked 14 October 2026

Use four pillars: new in, how to use it, people and proof, and reasons to visit. Map them onto the month's key dates and delivery days.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. You can add your own product photos to a post, and Brand Brain keeps your tone and colours consistent. Zolyp does not check offers against advertising rules, so confirm prices and terms before you approve. Plans start at $29/mo.

1. Week 1: list deliveries, events and key dates for the month.
2. Week 2: post styling and how-to content around your best sellers.
3. Week 3: run one offer or event, posted on social and on your Google profile.
4. Week 4: check which posts brought visits or messages, then plan next month.