Below you will find helpful and relevant articles that we carefully curate for the benefit of our B.R.A. Retail Members almost every day. Be sure to scroll through the most recent article or use the Search/Lookup feature to find topics and keywords related to articles that may help you to lower costs, increase margins or create more remarkable customer experiences.
by admin | Aug 29, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Opinion, Resources, Sales Training
Theft is the reason usually given. Labor is the reason that keeps surfacing underneath it. And in the most-watched case of 2026, no reason was given at all. Four companies have closed their fitting rooms in the last three years. Their stated reasons do not match, and...
by admin | Aug 26, 2026 | Resources, Retail Strategy, Shipping
When you think about how to optimize your shipping operations, the freight you receive from vendors might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, you have more control over your inbound shipping than you may realize, and when you have the right resources...
by admin | Aug 22, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, E-Commerce, News, Retail Crime
The NRF attributes a slowdown in shoplifting to retailers’ investments in “technologies, training and measures to harden stores.” Some have resorted to locking up merchandise. Kaarin Moore/Retail Dive Phone and gift card scams, plus supply chain vulnerabilities like...
by admin | Aug 17, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Service, HR, Opinion, Resources, Retail Strategy, Sales Training
Why is turnover so high in your stores? Why are your managers exhausted by closing time? And how do you get the same selling behavior in location 1 and location 200? Your team is your customer experience. In a punishing labor market, the retailers who win are the ones...
by Doug Works | Aug 14, 2026 | Associate Members, Brick & Mortar, News, Opinion, Product Reviews
A Sun Care Brand With Strong Shelf Appeal, Smart Repeat Sales Potential, And A Story Customers Connect With Not every sunscreen belongs in every store. Big-box SPF may work in a supermarket aisle, but independent surf, skate, wake, SUP, and outdoor retailers know...
by admin | Aug 11, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, News, Resources, Retail Strategy, Sales Training
Brick-and-mortar stores struggle without sales training because the purchase decision is made on the sales floor, and most associates were never taught how to influence it. In first-time mystery shops across our client base, associates score an average of 36%. They...
by admin | Aug 8, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, Community, Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Customer Service, News
It’s summer-escape time, and we’ve all run into the addictive, slow-burn love stories typically found on epic, multi-episodic romantic streamers. You’re rooting for the intractable lead character who just needs a persistent love-washing treatment to reveal his or her...
by admin | Aug 1, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Consumer Behavior, Holiday, News, Predictions, Retail Economy
While online shopping is still holding its own, its share of spending among both K-12 and college households is slipping year by year. Yearly BTS spending for college students cracks $100B for the 1st time Back-to-school spending is on track to smash records this...
by admin | Jul 27, 2026 | Apparel /Fashion, News, Opinion, Story Telling, Surf
Photos courtesy of Louis Vuitton. Pharrell Just Made Surf the Coolest Thing in Paris. Surf Industry Leaders Weigh In. SESO asked Pat Tenore of Tenore, Ryan Hitzel of Roark, Evan Slater of Sun Bum, Candy Harris of Unlisted Brand Lab, Ryan Mangan of Quiksilver and...
by admin | Jul 24, 2026 | Industry, News, Opinion, Outdoor, Resources, Snowboard
Avalanche beacons are a crucial part of backcountry skiing. However, even if the devices have saved many lives already, we haven’t yet reached the pinnacle (pun intended) of the technology’s potential. Students at OSU Cascades are working to change that, though. As...
