In the recent Spark Retail NZ Awards, Goody Goodness was awarded Runner-up for the ServiceIQ Customer Service Experience of the Year.
We were absolutely thrilled. Honestly, it was completely unexpected, which somehow made it feel even more special. Of all the things we could be recognised for, customer experience means an enormous amount to us because it sits right at the heart of what Goody Goodness is about.
For us, the customer experience has never been about following a script or ticking boxes. It’s about making people feel welcome. It’s remembering a conversation, helping someone find just the right thing, accommodating an unusual request, sharing the story behind a local maker, or simply creating a space where people feel comfortable to wander, discover, be inspired and enjoy themselves.
The awards are open to online and physical retailers across Aotearoa, and the winner of this category for the previous two years had been an online store. This year, all six finalists were small, physical stores punching well above their weight. There was something pretty special about that.
It was also heartwarming to see that three of the six finalists were women-led from the Wellington region. Retail here is challenging, and I think anyone running an independent business in our region right now knows just how much energy, resilience and belief it takes to keep showing up.
That made it feel like more than an individual achievement. It felt like a little celebration of independent retail itself.
Why the physical shop still matters
At Goody Goodness, we believe there is still enormous value in real places, run by real people. A physical shop can be so much more than somewhere to buy something. It can introduce you to an artist you’ve never heard of. It can give a local maker somewhere to test an idea. It can become part of someone’s regular walk through their neighbourhood. It can provide a conversation, a recommendation, a laugh, or a moment of inspiration.
Our shelves are filled with the work and ideas of talented people, alongside vintage treasures, quirky finds and things with stories attached to them. We love championing local creativity, finding ways to reuse and upcycle, keeping things accessible across different budgets, and making room for the unexpected.
And underneath all of that is something we care deeply about: where our money goes matters. When people choose to spend locally, that money has the opportunity to keep moving through our community. It supports independent businesses, makers, artists and the people who bring character and creativity to the places we live. That’s a big part of the reason Goody Goodness exists.
This was our first time entering the Retail NZ Awards, and it was an experience I would genuinely recommend to other independent retailers. It is not only a great opportunity to sit down and reflect on what you have achieved over the last year, it is a straight forward process, and the Retail NZ team were great to deal with.
The awards evening brought together retailers from all over the country, big and small, and it was refreshing to be reminded that although our businesses might look very different, there are lots of people working incredibly hard to create meaningful experiences for their customers and communities. I loved that every person at the awards evening supported each of the finalists named. We all know how challenging the sector is at present so we were genuinely thrilled for everyone in the room. Tony from ServiceIQ who was the sponsor of our award was fantastic, and even the official photographer for the evening made our win feel extra special.
For a little shop like ours, being recognised alongside retailers from across Aotearoa was a pretty wonderful moment. But perhaps the nicest part is knowing that the thing we were recognised for is the thing we care about most.
Goody Goodness has never set out to be the biggest shop. We want to be a place full of personality, creativity and local goodness. A place where people feel welcome regardless of their age, ability or budget. A place that supports talented people and encourages all of us to think a little more consciously about where we spend our money.
So, to our wonderful customers, makers, artists, supporters and wider Goodness community: thank you. You are the reason we get to keep doing this.
And to all the other little independent shops out there punching above their weight, keep being true to you, more than ever we need you to shine 💛
