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.

“Do Shoppers Want to Be Left Alone in Stores?” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Sep 26, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Opinion, Resources, Retail Strategy, Sales Training

No. Shoppers want to be left alone by an associate who opens with “Can I help you find anything?” They welcome one who earns their trust in order: a greeting, a personal connection, then one question about what brought them in. Skip those steps and you get...

“JAMIE O’BRIEN AND FUN DAY SURF BRING THE STOKE BACK TO SURF SHOPS” via Building The Revolution

by admin | Sep 15, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Industry, News, Opinion, Surf, Surf Expo

Every few months someone in the surf industry asks the same question: “How do we grow surfing?” The answers usually revolve around social media strategy, influencer marketing, YouTube analytics, paid advertising, or the latest content campaign. What rarely gets...

“Why Are Stores Closing Fitting Rooms?” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Sep 12, 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...

“The Retailers That Win AI-Mediated Shopping Will Do Three Things” by Eric Brackmann via Total Retail

by admin | Sep 12, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, Consumer Behavior, Holiday, Internet, m-commerce, News, Opinion, Predictions, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies

This upcoming holiday shopping season is already shaping up to be unpredictable. Inflation, geopolitics and fickle consumer sentiment are conspiring against retailers’ best-laid plans. But here’s one prediction that requires no crystal ball: this will be known as the...

“NRF finds shoplifting stabilizing as online fraud grows” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive

by admin | Aug 26, 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...

“Retail Staff Management: How to Hire, Develop, and Keep a Team That Sells” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Aug 23, 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...