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.

“Gift cards gain popularity as top choice for holiday shoppers in 2025” by Lea Grgich via National Retail Federation (NRF) Newsletter articles

by admin | Dec 22, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, E-Commerce, Gift Cards, News, Retail Economy

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is in full swing, and plenty of consumers have gift cards on their shopping list. Gift cards rank as the second-most popular gift this holiday season and total spending on gift cards is expected to reach $29 billion this...

“Will Gift Cards Dominate the 2024 Holiday Season?” by Jon Houke via Retail Wire

by admin | Nov 11, 2024 | Brick & Mortar, Gift Cards, News, Opinion, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy

The 2024 holiday shopping season is almost in full swing, and many consumers plan to skip the traditional gift this year, opting to give away gift cards instead. As tighter budgets, increased credit card payments, and higher prices apply pressure to shopping habits,...

“Gift Cards and the Age of Customer Loyalty” by Sam Lituchi via Total Retail

by admin | Jul 22, 2024 | Customer Loyalty, Gift Cards, News, Retail Strategy

Credit: Getty Images by Adem Percem Increasing customer loyalty is always top of mind for retailers. Loyal customers spend more money at their favorite businesses, patronize shops more often, and promote the brands they love to other consumers in their networks. To...

“2023 year-end tax planning opportunities for hospitality and consumer businesses” by Lauren Precipe, Anton Rayetskyy & Yelena Belaks via CohnReznick blog plus special CR offer for all BRA Retail Members

by admin | Dec 26, 2023 | Accounting and Business Services, Associate Members, Gift Cards, News, Retail Strategy

As another year comes to an end, there are some major tax opportunities and concerns impacting the hospitality and consumer industries that should be considered for planning purposes. Although many COVID-19 related programs and changes are behind us, there are other...

“9 Best Practices for Improving Gift Card Program Performance” by Joe Keenan via Total Retail

by admin | May 9, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, E-Commerce, Gift Cards, m-commerce, News, Omnichannel, Resources

As part of the 2023 US Merchant Gift Card Omnicommerce Evaluation, US Edition, a comprehensive report produced by Total Retail in conjunction with sponsor partner Blackhawk Network, best practices for the three channels (digital/e-commerce, in-store, mobile)...

“7 Ways How To Grow Your Retail Sales The Week After Christmas” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Dec 26, 2022 | Brick & Mortar, Gift Cards, Holiday, Retail Strategy, Returns

After-Christmas retail can be fun if you focus on making money instead of just giving it away through aggressive promotions and discounts. After Christmas Day has come and gone, retailers of all sizes, from boutiques to department stores to big-box stores, may want to...