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 Wave Pools Actually Make Money? We Asked an Industry” by Evan Quarnstrom via The Inertia

by admin | May 6, 2026 | Customer Experience, Debate, Insurance, News, Opinion, Outdoor, Surf, Tourism

The Wavegarden pool under construction at DSRT SURF in Palm Springs, California. Photo: Wavegarden It feels like a lifetime ago that Kelly Slater unveiled his clandestine wave pool project in the Central California farmland. It’s been a little over a decade since...

“NRF forecasts 4.4% retail sales growth this year despite rising uncertainty” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive

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...

“Etnies, éS, and Emerica Closed E-Commerce Sites for Skate Shop Day” by Tiffany Montgomery via Shop Eat Surf

by admin | Mar 5, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Community, Customer Experience, E-Commerce, Event Planning, Holiday, News, Opinion, Shoe Market, Skateboard

Clockwise from top left: Swedish sales rep Ante with the Kiosk Skate Shop crew in Orebro, Sweden; Kevin “Spanky” Long delivered a hand-drawn postcard and donuts to Val Surf in Los Angeles; A special delivery of goodies for Slappy’s Garage in San...

“Does TikTok Shop Represent a ‘Modern Gold Rush’ Into Shoppertainment?” by Nicholas Morine via Retail Wire

by admin | Feb 17, 2026 | m-commerce, News, Opinion, Resources, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies

dookdui/Depositphotos.com Platforms such as Whatnot and TikTok Shop represent something of a “modern gold rush” into shopping as entertainment — or “shoppertainment” — as Forbes contributor Catherine Erdly pointed out. Out of a total $87 billion social...

“Curate or Get Curated” by Rich Honiball via The Robin Report

by admin | Feb 11, 2026 | Apparel /Fashion, Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Merchandising, Opinion, Retail Strategy

We live in an age of abundance: more information, more options, more products, more channels, more noise. On the surface, this abundance appears to be a gift—greater access, freedom, and personalization. But beneath that promise lies a growing tension: complexity...

“Gen Alpha loves brick-and-mortar retail. Here’s what they want when they shop.” by Erin Cabrey via Retail Brew

by admin | Feb 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...