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.

“5 Ways How To Sell More By Talking Less” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Oct 1, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Service, HR, Resources, Sales Training

How do you become a good retail sales associate and move visitors from shoppers to customers? In the Broadway musical Hamilton, the character Aaron Burr offers this advice to the fast-talking Alexander Hamilton, “Talk less, smile more.” We’ve all had that friend...

“Are US Retail Workers Calling It Quits?” by Dennis Limmer via Retail Wire

by admin | Sep 27, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Service, HR, News, Retail Crime, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy, Sales Training

According to a recent Bloomberg report, retail employees in the U.S. are “fed up and quitting at record rates.” A McKinsey study from 2022 found that the quit rate for retail and hospitality workers is over 70% higher than the overall U.S. quit rate. “Low...

“Defensive Selling Isn’t Customer Service: Insights for Retail Managers” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Jul 23, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Clearance Sales / Discounting, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Resources, Retail Strategy

Defensive selling is a sales approach typically driven by a sales associate’s anxiety and the assumption that a customer will only make a purchase if the salesperson is proactive to perceived customer objections. Salespeople feel it is customer service, but...

“Retailers’ Attempts To Dissuade Returns May Impact Brand Loyalty” by Alicia Thorpe via Retail Wire

by admin | Jul 18, 2023 | Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, Debate, News, Omnichannel, Returns

The tension between retailers and shoppers is growing, and it’s because of returns. Shippo, a leading shipping platform for growing e-commerce businesses, has come out with a 2023 Benchmarks Report that “takes a comprehensive look at how mid-market...

“Customer Effort Score: What it is and How to Use it” by Reilly Nolan via Total Retail

by admin | Jul 3, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, News

Broadly speaking, a customer effort score measures how easy or difficult it is for a customer to resolve a given issue with a company’s customer service team. Have you ever waited your turn to speak to a customer service representative, only to be transferred to...

“As Retailers Use New Tactics to Drive Loyalty, Here’s How to Tell What’s Working (and What’s Not)” by Mike Debnar via Total Retail

by admin | Jun 26, 2023 | Apparel /Fashion, Brick & Mortar, Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, Data Driven Performance, News, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies

Several companies are experimenting with new initiatives to improve customer loyalty, including Amazon.com paying customers to pick up purchases and retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch, Anthropologie, and Gap ramping up discounts. Others, like Jenni Kayne and...