Welcome to the Board Retailers Association (BRA) website. Below you will find helpful and relevant articles that we carefully curate for the benefit of our BRA Retail Members three or four times per week. Be sure to scroll through the most recent articles or use the Search/Lookup feature in the Menu above to find topics and keywords related to recent and not-so-recent articles that may help you lower costs, increase margins, or create more remarkable customer experiences. We deliberately made this our site landing page to demonstrate our commitment to “Protecting Retailers and a Lifestyle” for over 20 years (since 2003).
Be sure to visit the About Us, Retail Member Benefits and Join pages on this site to learn more about and benefit from our resourceful nonprofit trade association committed to helping board specialty, outdoor specialty, and lifestyle specialty retailers to survive, thrive, and keep “the special in specialty” for free.
“Dare to FIT” by Renee Bavineau via The Robin Report
The fashion industry is now tied for first place in destroying our beloved planet. In 2021, 54 percent of retail bankruptcies were in apparel. And 56 percent of online returns were apparel. In fact, overall return rates are up by 35 percent since 2011. Once...
“7 Sales-Boosting Social Media Retail Marketing Strategies” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
I remember when a local business group asked me to present for half a day and the focus became social media marketing for retail stores. It was a typical group of small and medium-sized businesses that sold everything from clothing and sporting goods to banking...
“Kelly Slater, Shaun White, and Tony Hawk Are Presenting at the 94th Oscars” by Alexander Haro via The Inertia
Kelly Slater will be at the Oscars. Pretty good for a surfer from Cocoa Beach, right? Photo: WSL/Heff/Wikimedia Commons There are a few people in sports who transcend the sport itself. They get famous for their talent, but stay famous for something else. Take,...
![“We’re [Outdoor Retailer] Moving Back to Salt Lake City” by Marisa Nichols and Jeff Davis via OutdoorRetailer.com News plus opportunity to be considered for OR SLC Lodging Scholarships](https://boardretailers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/OR-SLC_Salt_Palace-1920x700-1-400x250.png)
“We’re [Outdoor Retailer] Moving Back to Salt Lake City” by Marisa Nichols and Jeff Davis via OutdoorRetailer.com News plus opportunity to be considered for OR SLC Lodging Scholarships
Since 1982, Outdoor Retailer has brought the outdoor industry together for commerce, to share ideas, and to provide an experience that has grown into more than a trade show. Our community has become family, and for the past five years we’ve held our biannual...
“Why 2022 is the Year of First-Party Marketing for Retailers” by Ryan Milman via Total Retail
With the ad industry phasing out cookies and third-party trackers, data and privacy concerns and regulations taking center stage on a global scale, and a plethora of logistical issues like labor shortages and supply chain backups impacting inventory, retail brands...
“7 Critical Tips for Specialty Retailers in the Amazon Era” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor blog
Before I share how specialty retailers can survive and thrive, a question... Have you ever played Jenga? It’s a game where players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower constructed of 54 blocks. Each block removed from the bottom is then placed on...
“How BNPL Can Become Too Much of a Good Thing for Retailers” by Eleanor Ritchie via Total Retail
Credit: Getty Images by Suppasit Chukittikun Buy now, pay later (BNPL), a modern answer to retail layaway, is having a moment as a key payment option for online shoppers. It’s simultaneously soaring in popularity and finding that celebrity inevitably...
“We Spoke With Joel Tudor and a WSL Insider About Tudor’s Suspension; Here’s What They Had to Say” by Alexander Haro via The Inertia
After Joel Tudor was suspended indefinitely by the World Surf League, we caught up with him to hear his thoughts. Photo: Thomas Bennett//WSL Joel Tudor, three-time and reigning world longboard champion, was suspended from competition this week by the...
“3 Ways Retailers Can Reshape Their Digital Experience” by Jasmine Guthman via Total Retail
Credit: Getty Images by the_burtons Retailers and e-commerce players struggled with everything 2021 had to offer, from supply chain issues, delayed inventory, empty shelves, and a scarcity of talent. Based on close work alongside e-commerce and retailers and market...
“A grieving surfer is taking hundreds of strangers’ late loved ones for one last ride” by Faith Karimi via CNN
Editor's note: Two years ago, Covid-19 turned the world upside down. While the pandemic is not over, The Best in Us is a series that highlights people whose pandemic stories exemplify the resilience of the human spirit. (CNN) Dan Fischer has always found...
“7 Eye-Openers for How To Hire Good Employees In Retail” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog plus link to register for Tuesday’s BRA M1 quarterly webinar about staffing and training related solutions
Prior to its opening, I was asked to visit a franchise to evaluate the new crew. I discovered the team members were bland, boring, and reticent. None of them were customer-focused. Without that focus, in particular, the store would fail disastrously. When I asked...
“Russian Surfing Federation Issues Defiant Statement After ISA Bans Russian Athletes” by Alexander Haro via The Inertia
The Ukraine National Surfing team competing in the finals in Odessa in the Black Sea of Ukraine at the Ukrainian National Championships. Photo: USF/Courtesy of ISA Russia is currently invading Ukraine in what is the largest conventional military conflict on...
“The One-Legged Snowboarder Who Built an Ingenious Prosthetic for Himself—and His Opponents” by John Rosengren via GQ
Mike Schultz riding in the adaptive banked slalom final during the 2017 Dew Tour Ezra Shaw / Getty Images After a horrific accident took his leg, Mike Schultz invented a high-tech artificial limb that action sport athletes quickly adopted. And now, to win gold at the...
“How to Enhance Recruitment and Retention Through Employee Engagement” by Chad Jensen via Total Retail
COVID-19 continued to make its presence known across industries in 2021. While businesses successfully adapted their work environments, many struggled to keep employees engaged, or even retain them, as well as find new employees to hire. Eighty-five percent of...
“The Rise Of African Surf Culture With Selema Masekela And Mami Wata – special exhibit at Surfing Heritage and Culture Center” via SHACC Newsletter
Coming to SHACC this month, we’ve partnered up with Selema Masekela and the incredible people at Mami Wata to bring you a very special exhibit that celebrates the rise of African surf culture. Featuring images and artifacts from Ghana to Mozambique and beyond, opening...
“SHOP TALK AT NJ SKATE SHOP IN JERSEY CITY” by via JENKEM MAG
We’re back with another episode of Shop Talk! After hearing from some young New Yorkers, and some obvious New York transplants, we figured that if we wanted to continue to hear from the everyday skater we had to leave New York. So we took a trip to the foreign land of...
“Fenty’s New Mall Stores Have a Lot to Teach Us” by Jasmine Glasheen via The Robin Report
Rihanna’s intimates brand, Savage X Fenty, opened its first physical store at Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas, Nevada in January. Four more locations are scheduled to open in the next few months in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Houston. The...
“Details Make The Difference – Changing Your Advertising Style to Maximize Results” by Tom Shay via ProfitsPlus.org
The rain that started Thursday evening continues to pour on this Saturday morning with no sign of letting up. Understandably, many customers have chosen to stay home. The two retailers, Al and Bill, have made their inventory purchases, media buys, and have extrasales...
“North Shore Home Collapses Onto Rocky Point Beach” by Alexander Haro via The Inertia
A Rocky Point house on Oahu’s North Shore collapsed onto the sand early Monday morning, broadcasting a stark warning to other residents nearby. https://youtu.be/CJEPwbGbzWQ Many of the beachfront homes on the North Shore are built on sand berms, and as storms get more...
“Stores of the future – Brands and retailers are giving their fitting rooms a high-tech upgrade” by Maile McCann via Modern Retail
Apparel brands and retailers are investing in high-tech fitting rooms in their brick-and-mortar stores. 2021 was the year of the virtual fitting room: Walmart, Shopify, Amazon and Snap all invested in augmented or virtual reality tech to help customers...
“How to Use Selling With Storytelling In Retail Sales” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
When you use storytelling in retail, it helps shoppers quickly become engaged. In retail sales, that is especially important because people are loyal to people, not products. And during tough times, they often want to escape the news. The purpose of storytelling...
“WE WENT TO NASHVILLE TO CELEBRATE SKATE SHOP DAY” by Ian Michna via JENKEM MAG
What’s special about Feb 19th? Absolutely nothing. It’s just another slush-filled day in most places in the world. That is until some friends decided to turn it into something meaningful: Skate Shop Day. Skate Shop Day is simply meant to remind us all to support...
“Build shop awareness AND boost sales for less than twenty five cents!” by Dave Seehafer of Global Wave Ventures
On a recent sales trip, I was reminded how powerful a logoed sticker can be. At the end of the meal, the server brought the check along with two of the restaurant’s stickers, a survey card and an invitation to join their mailing list. For the rest of the...
“What Happened to Authentic Streetwear?” by Mikelya Fournier via The Robin Report
Everywhere you look, you see the same jogger outfits with predictable brand logos on display for the world to see. If you stop and ask the wearer about it, they’ll harp on the fact that they waited for hours in a digital waiting room just to have their chance to...
“Why Have Customers Become so Aggressive and Belligerent?” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor blog
We’ve all seen videos of customers being abusive to airline personnel, in grocery stores, in banks, and … also, bad customer service examples are everywhere. Stories have been written about the abuse and there is an abundance of signs imploring people to not...
“WHAT’S GOING ON AT BROOKLYN’S BLUE PARK?” by MATT L. ROAR & CHARLOTTE TEGEN via JENKEM Mag
In 2011, I began teaching 6th grade at Lyons Community School, a small, progressive public school predominately serving local low-income families in the building overlooking Martinez Playground, known to skaters as Blue Park. Two years later, one Friday...
“Bettylou Sakura Johnson on Being the Youngest Woman on the Championship Tour” by Rebecca Parsons via The Inertia
Bettylou Sakura Johnson definitely has all the tools to compete at the highest level. Photo: Tony Heff//WSL Bettylou Sakura Johnson’s huge win at the Haleiwa Challenger before the New Year may seem like it came out of left field, but in a lot of ways, it was...
“Skate Shop Day is happening today – answers to FAQs to share with your customers & more”
What is Skate Shop Day? Skate Shop Day, like Record Store Day and Comic Book Store Day, is the day that the skateboard community celebrates our cultural hubs, the foundations of every skate scene, the places that bring skaters together and act as the glue for...
“Patagonia, REI, Public Lands threaten to boycott Outdoor Retailer trade show” by Cara Salpini via Retail Dive
Dive Brief: A group of major outdoor retailers — including Timberland, Patagonia, REI, The North Face and Public Lands — are threatening to boycott the Outdoor Retailer trade show if it's moved to Utah, according to a release put out by The Conservation Alliance.The...
“Used surfboards causing you headaches? The prescription to save time and earn more has arrived.” by the good people behind SimplSurf
Overview We’re seeing the largest boom in outdoor board sports in history. Retailers, you should be getting a bigger slice of that sweet pie. SimplSurf helps you do just that. By leveraging our free software tool, you can turns board consignment from a headache to...
“Consumers Embrace Digital Experiences In-Store: What You Need to Know” by Thomas Butta via Total Retail
Credit: Getty Images by zeljkosantrac The pandemic accelerated e-commerce by 10 years in a matter of months and ushered in new consumer behaviors, not the least of which was the trend of switching brands because of availability (in-store and online),...
“INTERVIEW WITH SIMA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR VIPE DESAI.” by BTR staff via Building The Revolution blog plus #SaveTheDate and logos for Surf Shop Day
Vipe rocking his limited edition BTR Brews and Boards shirt he purchased from Spyder. Vipe Desai is a hair over 60 days in his new position as Executive Director at SIMA and is already making some serious change. Just last week Vipe announced that SIMA has officially...
“Retail Customer Service Training: 14 Ideas, Plus Examples” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor blog
The goal of retail customer service training is to create an exceptional customer experience. So, what do you focus on when you teach your employees how to give customers exceptional experiences? Sometimes good customer service means something quick, cheap,...
“Apple unveils Tap to Pay on iPhone tool for merchants” by Tatiana Walk-Morris via Retail Dive
Courtesy of Apple Dive Brief: As more companies and consumers adopt contactless payments, Apple announced Tuesday plans to introduce Tap to Pay on iPhone. The feature will enable sellers to accept Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital...
“With a stunning first run, Chloe Kim wins another gold in the halfpipe.” by John Branch via The New York Times
Chloe Kim’s score from her first halfpipe run delivered her second consecutive gold medal in the event.Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times Kim was awarded with an untouchable score of 94. Queralt Castellet, of Spain, earned the silver medal, and Sena Tomita, of Japan,...
“Where is Physical Retail Heading? Navigating 3 Diverging Strategies” by Vered Levy-Ron via Total Retail
Credit: Getty Images by Francesco Corticchia The way people shop in stores is changing. Concerns of safety still exist, and many people continue to practice social distancing. Furthermore, with the emergence of COVID-19 variants, in-store shopping behaviors are prone...
“Retail Best Practices: 12 Tips for the Creation of Exceptional” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor blog
Online retailers are jealous. Many retail best practices don't work online. They can't do what brick-and-mortar retailers can do. They can’t create an emotional connection to an object. A shopper can’t pick up an item and see how it feels around...
“IOC approves proposal to include skateboarding, surfing and rock climbing at 2028 LA Olympics” by David Wharton via LA Times
An LA 2028 sign is seen in front of the Olympic cauldron at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.(Richard Vogel / Associated Press) BEIJING — The International Olympic Committee has approved a proposal to include surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing among...
“Tech-Driven In-Store Experiences Are an Essential Investment for Every Retailer” by Bobby Marhamat via Total Retail
Credit: iStock.com by pixdeluxe Retail organizations must view the in-store experience as an essential investment, ranking in importance alongside cash registers, security cameras, and product inventory. In fact, Ernst & Young (EY) argues that the...
“JENK TV: BUILDING A BOX FROM NYC STREET TRASH” by Ian Michna & Alex Raspa via JENKEM MAG
Welcome to the third episode of Jenk TV! We grew up watching MTV and Adult Swim shows Beavis and Butthead, The Tom Green Show, and Tim and Eric, so we thought skateboarding could use a dose of that goofball editing. One thing that’s great about New...
“Download your free guide, 5 Types of Retail Loyalty Programs That Make Money and Retain Customers” via RetailWire Resources
5 Types of Retail Loyalty Programs: How to Make Money and Retain Customers Download the Free Guide Customer loyalty has never been more important for independent retailers. Throughout the last two years, effective loyalty programs helped many businesses stay in touch...
“Practices to Protect Your Store – Cyberattacks becoming retailers’ biggest threat says OSI” by Brady Hicks via Inside Outdoor Magazine (+ learn more about and connect to BRA Supporting Vendor Partner Outdoor Sports Insurance)
You’ve got your outdoor retail business. Years of passion and planning have finally paid off, and the physical – and potentially cyber – doors are now open. Your success depends not only on your ability to offer products that meet customer expectations but to connect...
“The best way to grow skateboard sales, PERIOD” plus link to register for this week’s 2nd Annual Skateboard Education Summit via THE US Skateboard Education Association
The 2nd Annual Skateboard Education Summit 1 February, 10 am - 2 pm PST (Livestream) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP7P0eYldgo ✨Register Now For Free✨ This free online summit will: Bring together skate shop owners, educators, program operators,...
“4 Things Retailers Can Do to Strengthen Customer Relationships in 2022” by Melissa Tatortis via Total Retail
Credit: Getty Images by metamorworks As marketers prepare for the evolution of how they use consumer data in their campaigns, there's a massive opportunity to improve customer relationships using more secure and accurate identity alternatives. While there's much doom...
“Should retailers add RFID to their marketing toolbox?” by Tom Ryan via Retail Wire
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is once again being viewed as a solution for item-level inventory tracking, but its side benefits in marketing, analytics and research are also gaining attention. Potential applications in the past included...
“Fashion Nova first company required to pay FTC for blocking bad reviews” by Kim Lyons via The Verge
Fashion Nova, a California fast-fashion retailer, will pay a $4.2 million settlement to the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that it blocked negative product reviews from being posted on its website. The agency says this is its first case to...
“How to Increase Retail Sales in 2022 With Virtual Queuing” by Steve Covate via Total Retail
Photo Credit: Getty Images If the last two years have taught retailers anything, it might be that workforce trends can be just as unpredictable as consumer trends. The industry has always faced challenges in hiring and retaining talent, but the current labor shortage...
“The Evolution of Skate Videos, From VHS to TikTok – The medium might have changed over the past 50 years, but interest is still riding high.” by Guillaume Patigny via Vice News
This article originally appeared on VICE Belgium. When it comes to skateboarding, the only thing more important than actually going skating is making sure that you have footage of you doing it. You can tell people you’ve pulled off this, or jumped that, but...
“Five Takeaways for Retailers from CES 2022” by Arick Wierson via The Robin report
Well, that was interesting. When CES 2022 came to a close, one day ahead of schedule; attendees were dismissed early as “an additional safety measure” for minimizing the risks of Covid-19. (Apparently the brain trust at the Consumer Technology...
“‘You Can’t Feel A Fact: The Analytical Sales Personality Style’ plus ‘Why Training On the Salesfloor Doesn’t Work (video)'” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor blog
When I was looking for a lawn spreader, I asked the sales clerk, “Why should I buy this one?” He quickly answered, “Because it makes sense.” At that moment he confirmed my suspicions that he had an Analytical personality style. I've previously shared my thoughts...
“World Surf League Announces Its Finals Event Will Return to Lower Trestles” by staff writers via The Inertia
If it ain’t broke. Photos: WSL Well, it went so swimmingly, why not do it again? Following a World Surf League finals event in September that saw a fantastic mix of swell and conditions, the League announced today that its championship tournament...
“TEST YOUR INNER SKATE NERD WITH THIS NEW TRIVIA CARD GAME” by Alexis Castro via JENKEM MAG
photo: gordon eckler Skateboarders’ brains contain tons of factoids that matter very little in the “real world,” like who the first person to skate up a handrail was, or who invented the salad grind. We love to tease each other about who knows more about short-lived...
“December retail sales were strong, no matter what the clickbait headlines said” by Steve Dennis via Retail Wire
Photo: RetailWire Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion, is a summary of Steve Dennis’ recent Forbes article. Steve is President & Founder of SageBerry Consulting and a senior Forbes Contributor. He is the author of Remarkable Retail: How...
“A Brief History of Snowboarding – Rebellious youth. Olympic glory. How a goofy American pastime conquered winter” by Max Ufberg via Smithsonian Magazine
Snowboarder Shannon Dunn competes for Team USA in the 1998 Winter Olympics, where she won the bronze medal in half-pipe. Alexander Hassenstein / Bongarts via Getty Images Long before the term “snowboarding” existed—and at least 80 years before it was an Olympic...
“Managing Sales Behaviors to Improve Sales Performance” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog
What are sales behaviors? They are a series of actions comprised in a sales process, the way salespeople act and talk with shoppers. It is not as some have said your thought process; it is something specific other sales associates can see or hear you do. For...
“Outdoor Retailer Releases Education Schedule and Floor Plan For Snow Show” by Outdoor Retailer via Shop Eat Surf (plus free hotel room scholarship opportunity for BRA Retail Members)
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, California – Outdoor Retailer Snow Show returns to Denver this month with a full schedule of in-person education and a redesigned floor plan structured around The Resource Center, a new information hub to access industry insight directly from...
“Content That Converts” (helpful downloadable report) via Total Retail
How retailers can grow e-commerce sales in a heightened competitive environment Over the past year, retailers have had to evolve their businesses to account for growing consumer demand for e-commerce. And for many consumers, the shift to online shopping is likely to...
“Volcom Unveils U.S. Olympic Snowboard Uniforms” by Tiffany Montgomery via Shop Eat Surf
Men's Brighton pullover jacket and the USST Hotlapper pant. Courtesy of Volcom Click on the following link to view additional official uniform photos from Volcom and related words via Shop Eat Surf: Volcom Unveils U.S. Olympic Snowboard Uniforms Be sure to visit...
“Rusty Preisendorfer Explains Why Your Surfboards Shouldn’t Be Bulletproof” by Rusty Preisendorfer via The Inertia
If your surfboard doesn’t dent up a little bit, it’s not a good thing. Photo: Rusty Surfboards/Instagram Editor’s Note: This feature was made possible by our friends at Rusty Surfboards. Like a fine pair of shoes, new boards need to dent up a bit....
“18 Retail Trends That will Shape 2022 and Beyond” by Werner Geyser via Influencer Marketing Hub
Clearly, the most significant factor affecting retail trends in 2021, continuing from 2020 and undoubtedly continuing through to 2022, has been the global emergence of COVID. We have examined the effects in detail, including a massive post looking at COVID-19...