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.

“Retail’s AI Taskmaster: Technology Turns Associates into Digital Servants” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Mar 24, 2025 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Service, HR, m-commerce, Resources, Retail Strategy, Social Media

I shared a story last month about a visit to Saks where associates were too engrossed in their smartphones to look up at shoppers. A friend commented they had the same experience and when they asked the manager, they were told, “Oh, they’re clienteling.” First, I...

“Tariffs Aren’t Your Problem: The Truth About Retail Pricing” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Mar 18, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Clearance Sales / Discounting, Governmental Affairs, News, Opinion, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy, Sales Training

I don’t care what side of politics you are on, the new administration in its first month in office unleashed waves of uncertainty surrounding the continued funding of federal grants, the work of federal employees and tariffs.  With many retailers already...

“How to Level the Technology Playing Field for Brick-and-Mortar Retail” by Kal Amin via Total Retail

by admin | Mar 14, 2025 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, News, Resources, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies, Reviews

Credit: Getty Images by MoMo Productions Competing in the tech-saturated business landscape is easier than you might think Industries are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence. Today, 83 percent of companies are prioritizing AI in their business plans,...

“THREE TWEAKS THAT BRING SIGNIFICANT CASH FLOW” by BRA Advisory Member, Retail Consultant, and remarkable speaker Dan Jablons

by Doug Works | Mar 10, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, News, Resources, Retail Strategy

Retailers often think that the next boost in their business is going to come from finding the next amazing line of merchandise, or discovering a new marketing tool (the next Facebook?).  Sometimes they believe it will happen because they hire a killer...

“The Retail Buyer’s Dilemma” by Mark Cohen via The Robin Report

by admin | Mar 8, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, News, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy

I’m going to use a loosely analogous reference here to a classic game theory thought experiment known as the Prisoner’s Dilemma. In a nutshell, the Dilemma demonstrates that, in a set of adversarial or confrontational circumstances, everyone involved benefits from a...

“From Family Legacy to Modern Success: The Island Water Sports Story” by Cheyne Cottrell (Co-Owner of Island Water Sports) via Trackfly blog

by admin | Mar 6, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Community, News, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies, Surf

Hi, I’m Cheyne Cottrell, General Manager and Co-Owner of Island Water Sports. My family has been riding the waves of the surf retail industry since 1977. This is my short story of how we navigated decades of challenges and expanded into new opportunities. I’ve also...