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.

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

by admin | Aug 31, 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...

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

by admin | Aug 21, 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...

“Why Do Brick-and-Mortar Stores Struggle Without Sales Training?” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Aug 17, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, News, Resources, Retail Strategy, Sales Training

Brick-and-mortar stores struggle without sales training because the purchase decision is made on the sales floor, and most associates were never taught how to influence it. In first-time mystery shops across our client base, associates score an average of 36%. They...

“The Slow Burn in Retail” by Deborah Patton via The Robin Report

by admin | Aug 8, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, Community, Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Customer Service, News

It’s summer-escape time, and we’ve all run into the addictive, slow-burn love stories typically found on epic, multi-episodic romantic streamers. You’re rooting for the intractable lead character who just needs a persistent love-washing treatment to reveal his or her...

“5 Visual Merchandising Tactics That Lift Conversion” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Jul 9, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Merchandising, Opinion, Resources, Story Telling

Brazil’s biggest retailer built an AI avatar from scratch and put her on the cover of Vogue Brasil.Her name is Lu. She started as a mascot for Magazine Luiza, grew into 30 million followers, and has since worked with Adidas, Samsung, and McDonald’s. Magalu...

“From Clicks to Bricks: Taking Full Advantage of In-Store Pickup” by Grant Gustafson via Total Retail

by admin | Jun 25, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Service, E-Commerce, Opinion, Resources, Retail Strategy

Paths to purchase have changed significantly over the past decades, with customer journeys nearly unrecognizable compared to those of the early 2000s. With the internet at their fingertips, shoppers are more informed, connected to brands, and able to discover new...