by Board Retailers Association | May 27, 2022 | Associate Members, Educational Opportunity, m-commerce, News, Resources, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies, Social Commerce, Social Media
A warm and enthusiastic WELCOME to our newest BRA Supporting Vendor Partner Crystal Media! As a Board Retailers Association member, you save 15% on select Crystal Media Services! As always, we at BRA continue to bring you Supporting Vendor Partners that are here to save you time and money. Crystal Media is one of them. Take a look and decide for yourself whether this will work for you and your company, Please give us feedback at doug@boardretailers.org with your opinions. For a decade, Crystal Media has been devoted to helping retailers—just like you—grow through social media. Their team has worked with thousands of companies in the retail industry to help them generate millions of dollars in additional revenue by deploying successful social media campaigns, providing consulting services, and managing digital marketing on their behalf. They’ve also taught thousands of retailers how to implement social media that delivers powerful results. What makes Crystal Media special is their unmatched expertise of retail and social media which allows them to produce what their clients care about most—results. Their passionate, approachable team of experts that, as a client, becomes an extension of your team—encouraging and supporting you no matter what your comfort level is with social media. They live their happy-to-help motto everyday, and are grateful to play a small role in helping independent businesses make a positive impact in their local communities. Check out these Crystal Media services to see what’s right for you and your business.Board Retailers Association members save 15%! Use code BRA15 at checkout.➤ Insider: The social media membership every retailer needs. Get comprehensive, on-demand training, transformative virtual and in-person...
by Board Retailers Association | May 15, 2022 | News, Predictions, Retail Economy
Americans continued to pump money into the U.S. economy in April, with increased retail spending offering the latest sign consumers are driving demand at stores and manufacturers despite the pinch from high inflation. Retail sales—a measure of spending at stores, online and in restaurants—rose a seasonally adjusted 0.9% last month compared with March, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That marked the fourth straight month of higher retail spending.Monthly percent change in retail sales. Source: Commerce Dept via St. Louis Retail sales aren’t adjusted for inflation. That means that while consumers have continued to spend more, they are getting less due to rapidly rising prices. Consumers spent more at restaurants and bars and boosted expenditures on vehicles, furniture, clothing, and electronics. They cut spending sharply on gasoline in April as pump prices pulled back briefly from a run-up related to the war in Ukraine. In another sign of economic momentum, the Federal Reserve said industrial production, a measure of factory, mining and utility output, increased a seasonally adjusted 1.1% in April—also a fourth month of gains. U.S. retail and food services. Source: U.S. Census Bureau via St. Louis Fed Note: Seasonally adjusted.RECESSION2020 $700million Economists said the figures showed the highest U.S. inflation in four decades and uncertainty from the Ukraine war haven’t deterred consumers from spending, which makes up the bulk of economic output. The U.S. is also experiencing a historically tight labor market—with April marking the 12th straight month of solid job gains—adding to positive signs for the second-quarter performance by the U.S. economy. “Today’s numbers suggest that domestic demand momentum is very robust,” said ING economist James Knightley. That gives the Fed a green light...
by Board Retailers Association | May 6, 2022 | Awards, Community, News, Surf
Owen Beim with the winning entry of the Black and White Category presented by White Claw. Last weekend, at the Traveler Surf Club in Malibu, The Inertia awarded the winners of the 2022 Film and Photo Challenge presented by White Claw. And the talent runs thick. A big congratulations goes out to everyone who entered and many thanks to all the talented photographers and filmmakers who participated. It was a huge success! With nearly a thousand submissions and so many people sharing great work from around the world, it’s always tough to select just one winner of each category. This contest is a great reminder each year of the depth of talent in our community. You’re all an inspiration. With that said, here’s a quick look at the winners. Young Owen Beim gets us started with the heat and his Black and White beauty of Eimeo Czermak on a Tahitian bomb (above). “Absolutely pumped to have won the Black and White category,” Beim said. “This shot of Eimeo Czermak is no doubt my favorite shot in black in white and it was truly a moment I won’t forget.” Blair Conklin, deep in the belly of the beast, as seen through the lens of James Ferrell. In the Emerge category presented by Miir, a category dedicated to up-and-comers, James Ferrell captured this gorgeous shot of Blair Conklin in deep. The Wedge continues to help develop astounding young talent, and Ferrell is chief among the youthful photogs in residence at the famous mutant wave. This image of a solid winter swell won Paul Greene the Lineups category of The Inertia Film & Photo Challenge presented by White Claw. Photo: Paul Greene Meanwhile, Paul Greene captured...
by Board Retailers Association | May 1, 2022 | Community, DIY, News, Outdoor, Resources, Skate Art, Skateboard
You might have seen footage floating around Instagram of a giant new skate spot somewhere in the middle of New York. Known officially as Under the K Bridge Park, this new hotspot is tucked away next to a recycling center and bus yard in the middle of Northern Brooklyn. On the surface, it may seem like just another public city park that’s been taken over by skaters, like Tompkins or TF West, but there is something different about this particular space. K Bridge Park is an anomaly because it breaks a lot of norms we’ve come to expect for newly built public spaces in New York. For one, it’s massive, spanning seven acres, and it’s filled with a ton of skate-friendly obstacles. The ledges and stairs have coping on them and nobody is batting an eye at the dropped-off ramps, rails, or skaters who are there every day. So is it a city park, a proper skatepark, or something else entirely? Should we be worried about an eventual crackdown, or is it actually being used exactly as it was intended? After talking with a few people behind the scenes, we got the story behind the park and what the greater plans are for Brooklyn’s newest spot. To clarify, K Bridge Park is designated as an “open public space,” not an official NYC skatepark, although it has skateable ledges—complete with steel coping—and handrails that are naturally built-in to make the park skate friendly. That means no one’s coming through to knob the ledges or rails here any time soon. It’s actually not even run by the city and is managed by a nonprofit group called the...
by Board Retailers Association | Apr 22, 2022 | E-Commerce, News, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies
Tero Vesalainen via Getty Images Dive Brief: Following previous reports of increased digital payment adoption, the Experian Global Insights Report found that 62% of respondents said they use mobile wallets, and 63% use traditional forms of payment, the credit reporting agency announced on Thursday.More than half of survey respondents (53%) said they have spent more online in the past three months, and half said they are likely to increase their spend online in the next three months.Fifty-seven percent of respondents said using buy now, pay later services could replace their credit card. But only 18% of respondents said they used by now, pay later services in the past six months. Eighty percent of U.S. consumers said they use digital installment payment services to avoid credit card debt. Dive Insight: Experian’s international survey of 6,000 consumers and 2,000 businesses suggests that offering a range of efficient payment options is critical for attracting customers. The report found that most respondents (81%) said a positive digital experience gives them a more favorable view of the brand than a physical store experience. However, 23% of respondents said their expectations for digital experiences were met only somewhat or not at all, down from 30% of consumers who said the same thing in 2021, per Experian’s research. “Results from our latest survey reveal that many consumers are more concerned now about the security of their online transactions and activities than they were a year ago, with regional differences in the nature of their primary concerns,” David Bernard, Experian’s executive vice president of strategy and operations for global decision analytics, said in a statement. “The past two years...
by Board Retailers Association | Apr 19, 2022 | Competitions, Industry, News, Skateboard
Red Bull has turned the old New Orleans Airport into a skatepark. After a new terminal in New Orleans International Airport was built, the original terminal has been closed since November 2019. The Red Bull Terminal Takeover took the opportunity and held an event that took place between April 15 to 16 at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). The setting of an airport is an exciting place for skaters to skate. As it is difficult to skate in operating terminals of an airport, the Red Bull Terminal Takeover utilized an empty terminal and made a skate park in an airport a remarkable reality. A new terminal Skating in an airport is a rare opportunity and that makes the skating park more iconic and valuable for skaters. The construction of the skate park was done by the New York Design and Construction (NYDAC) and Red Bull. The iconic skate park was set up in 4 days and skaters were seen skating in amazing scenery. Ramps such as half-pipe and vert ramps were integrated into the terminal. Through and out the halls of the terminals, rails and gate benches were used as obstacles for skaters to enjoy a unique setting of an airport. The Parabola Park was the location where skaters got to be in the architecture of the airport, using escalators to skate down the park. One of the most memorable scenes from the skating park is during the tarmac jam session where skaters used the jet bridge to launch onto ramps and perform their stunts. These features were present during the first Red Bull Terminal Takeover in 2021. Devin Flynn launching himself from the jet...
