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 | May 8, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Generations, News, Opinion, Predictions, Retail Strategy
Fly View Productions/Getty Images The generation craves in-person retail experiences much like Gen Z, but their experience growing up in virtual worlds have created unique expectations for in-store shopping. Just when it felt like we finally had a firm grip on what...
by admin | May 2, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Sales Training
Your associate looks up at the register and says: “Anything else?”The customer says no. The sale closes. And roughly 10% of that transaction walks out the door with them.Not because the customer did not want more. Because your associate handed them the...
by admin | Apr 27, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Clearance Sales / Discounting, Commercial Real Estate, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, E-Commerce, News
An Eddie Bauer store in March 2026 that is slated to shutter this year. Closures over the next five years could weigh on already struggling malls. Daphne Howland/Retail Dive Tariffs and immigration policies are weighing on the industry and could drive even more...
by admin | Apr 24, 2026 | News, Resources, Sales Training
Retail training fails for one reason: it protects associates from failure instead of using it as the mechanism for learning. Videos, quizzes, and microlearning apps improve completion rates but do not change behavior on the floor. The only thing that does is repeated...
by admin | Apr 21, 2026 | News, Surf Expo, Trade Shows
Surf Expo Show Director Roy Turner, second from left, with the Coastal Edge crew from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Photo by Surf Expo. As Surf Expo celebrates its 50th anniversary, the show continues to serve as a vital hub for the surf, resort, swim, and coastal outdoor...
by admin | Apr 17, 2026 | News
A shipping container is offloaded at the Port of Los Angeles on Sep. 25, 2026. Mario Tama via Getty Images The First Sale valuation method has helped companies lower their tariff costs for decades, but renewed scrutiny claims it harms U.S. production. Retailers, along...
by admin | Apr 14, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, Industry, News, Resources
Shop Eat Surf Outdoor has assembled a panel of independent retailers who will share their personal journeys, their learning curves, and the specific ways they are integrating AI to make their businesses more efficient Register now for Unlocking AI Tools for...
by admin | Apr 8, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Resources, Sales Training
It will be a place that has no idea who you are. There is a particular freedom in being unknown. No purchase history following you through the door. No algorithm anticipating your next move. No recommendations based on what people like you tend to buy. Just you,...
by admin | Apr 5, 2026 | Consumer Behavior, News, Opinion, Predictions
NRF Chief Economist Mark Mathews speaking Wednesday at the group’s annual State of Retail and the Consumer virtual event. Screenshot: National Retail Federation/YouTube The group acknowledged a softening labor market, persistent inflation and fallout from geopolitical...
by admin | Mar 30, 2026 | Community, Industry, Mental Health, Skateboard
Former pro John Gardner and fifteen minutes that is well worth your time. Key Points John Gardner, ex-pro skater, shifted focus to men’s mental health advocacy and therapy. His TEDx talk urges reimagining therapy “shoulder to shoulder,” not just traditional settings....
