"A shared interest brings people together into a group. Care is what makes them a community."
Retail Community exists to help retailers, brands and industry professionals connect, support one another, exchange practical knowledge and build authentic, lasting relationships.
Our groups are safe spaces for honest discussion and peer support—not a sales lead database or prospecting pool.
To ensure every member has a valuable experience, all participants in our WhatsApp groups, online forums and events must follow these Community Rules:
Community Rules
- Treat Everyone with Respect Engage with courtesy, professionalism and empathy. Different perspectives and healthy debate are encouraged, but personal attacks, condescension and hostility are never tolerated.
- No Unsolicited Selling or Pitching Do not post unsolicited sales pitches, software demos, discount codes, service advertisements or webinar promotions in general chat threads.
- No Direct Message (DM) Prospecting Do not harvest member names or numbers from group lists to send unsolicited private messages pitching your products or services. Unsolicited private pitching is grounds for immediate, permanent removal.
- Helping is Always Welcome When a peer actively asks for a recommendation, vendor suggestion or advice, you are welcome to provide helpful, transparent input. If you represent a solution provider, disclose your affiliation honestly.
- Zero Tolerance for Harassment & Bullying We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for harassment, bullying, intimidation, discrimination, hate speech or unwanted physical conduct at any event.
- Protect Privacy and Confidentiality What is shared in the community stays in the community. Respect the Chatham House spirit—do not screenshot private conversations, member contact details or commercial insights without explicit written permission.
- No Data Harvesting or Scraping Extracting phone numbers, names or corporate details for CRM lists, outbound marketing, or commercial databases is strictly prohibited.
- Keep Topics Relevant Keep conversations aligned with each specific group’s purpose (e.g. keep eCommerce discussions in the eCommerce chat, and social plans in the Meetup channels).
- Respect Administrator Guidance Our volunteer and staff administrators moderate chats to protect member experience. Please follow administrator requests and instructions promptly.
- No Unlawful or Misleading Content Do not share defamatory, abusive, misleading or unlawful content.
- Commercial & Partnership Inquiries If you wish to partner with Retail Community, sponsor an event or run a sanctioned community initiative, please reach out via our Become a Partner page or contact Dean directly rather than self-promoting in member chats.
Moderation & Enforcement
- Retail Community administrators may delete messages, issue warnings, or remove individuals from any or all community groups at their discretion, subject to applicable law.
- Immediate Removal: Serious breaches—including unsolicited DM prospecting, harassment, scraping or abusive conduct—will result in immediate removal without prior warning.
Reporting Concerns
If you receive an unsolicited pitch, encounter inappropriate behavior, or have a privacy concern:
- Contact a group administrator directly in WhatsApp; or
- Email Dean at dean@retailcommunity.com.au or message through our Contact Page. Reports are handled privately and sensitively, with information shared only as reasonably necessary to investigate, respond or meet legal obligations.