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.

“Sales Training – 5 of The Stupidest Questions to Ask Retail Shoppers” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Mar 5, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Service, HR, Resources, Retail Strategy

1. How are you today? Admit it, you don’t care; the shopper knows you don’t care. This leads the customer to parrot a specific answer, “Fine, and you?” To which the retail employee responds with another expected answer, “Fine,” or they launch into another unthinking...

“Should retailers open stores in malls or look outside for better results?” by Tom Ryan plus 20 experts weigh in on the discussion via Retail Wire

by admin | Mar 4, 2023 | Commercial Real Estate, Debate, Resources, Retail Strategy

Bath & Body Works, among several chains reorienting their footprint away from malls, added 95 off-mall North American stores in 2022 and plans to open approximately 90 more in 2023. Forty-five of the stores Bath & Body Works closed in 2022 were...

“Beyond the Resume: 3 Hidden Characteristics of Valuable Employees” by Mike Szczesny via Total Retail

by admin | Mar 2, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, HR, Resources, Retail Strategy

Credit: Getty Images by Luis Alvarez The question of employee engagement has never been more pressing. Coming out of the pandemic, there has been a shift in employee expectations about both pay and working conditions. With potential economic headwinds — e.g., debt...

“14 Ideas for Effective Retail Customer Service Training” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Feb 26, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Service, HR, Resources, Retail Strategy

Retail customer service training aims to create an exceptional customer experience. So, what goals do you focus on when you teach your employees how to give customers exceptional experiences? Sometimes good customer service means something quick, cheap, and...

“3 Reasons Why Retailers Must Use TikTok to Grow Their Business” by Louie Bischoff via Total Retail

by admin | Feb 24, 2023 | Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies, Social Commerce, Social Media

Credit: Getty Images by Mario Tama I grew up with a self-employed retail family. Our “family trips” to other cities always involved going to a trade show or to see a new vendor. As a child, I felt slighted and disappointed that these “family...

“The Retail Party’s Not Over…It Just Has a Different Menu” by Warren Shoulberg via The Robin Report

by admin | Feb 22, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy

A funny thing happened on the way to the next recession: the consumer said, “No thanks.” With surprisingly strong retail sales numbers for January, shoppers are continuing to act like it’s business as usual when it comes to buying things. Driven by high employment...