Dallas Market Center Announces Launch of Ret(AI)l Ready AI Training for Independent Retailers

October 1, 2026  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

Dallas Market Center, following requests from retailers, sales reps, and exhibitors, is the first B2B marketplace creating an AI education program tailored to the unique needs of independent retail.

RETAIL READY is being created and managed by a leadership council of industry professionals that includes Alison Dodson, award-winning owner of A. Dodson’s of Suffolk, VA; Trudi Bartow, AI evangelist and vice president of business growth and business strategy with gift manufacturer Unemployed Philosophers Guild and founder of TRB Insights, an AI learning and consulting company that helps retailers, sales representatives, and industry leaders use AI in practical, approachable ways; and Cole Daugherty, senior vice president of marketing communications with Dallas Market Center.

Alison Dodson noted the need for the program, “RETAIL READY is not designed to turn retailers into AI experts. It’s designed to create better retailers. I hear from my store-owner peers every week asking for help with AI, and this is the best way to support one another.”

Added Trudi Bartow, “I have helped so many retailers get started with AI to make their jobs easier. AI tools have changed: you no longer need to know how to code or understand complicated technology. Instead, you can simply type a question, talk, take a photo, or upload a file. That means AI can now help with some very ordinary — and very time-consuming — parts of running an independent retail business.”

The program, open to all retailers with no special sign-ups, is organized for busy business decision makers who want to quickly learn how to get started, learn practical tools to help solve problems and save time, and create easy-to-follow processes for supporting their business. The themes of RETAIL READY include:

 

1. Buy: Sales analysis, vendor comparison, assortment gaps, trend research, market planning
2. Sell: Retail merchandising, cross-selling, staff product knowledge, promotions
3. Promote: Email, social media, events, content calendars, customer messaging
4. Run: Scheduling, procedures, vendor communications, meeting notes, repetitive administration
5. Grow: Business analysis, competitive research, customer trends, strategic planning
6. At Market: Plan, discover, make appointments, compare lines, find merchandising stories, organize notes, and more.

 

Cole Daugherty framed the programming this way: “We're going to keep it simple. Each week, we'll present one real problem independent retailers face and one practical way AI can help via short demonstrations, real retail examples, and AI prompts to copy and try.”

RETAIL READY’s content via Dallas Market Center marketing channels begins immediately, including a dedicated webpage at dallasmarketcenter.com/retailready. Community oriented webinars will follow. And the at-market activations will take place in person during January Markets. Be sure to follow Dallas Market Center’s social media channels and register as a Dallas Market Center buyer for complete program content.

PLANNING AHEAD

Upcoming trade events at Dallas Market Center include the Apparel & Accessories Market and KidsWorld taking place Oct 20-23, and then January trade events including Total Home & Gift Market (Jan 6-12), Lightovation (January 6-9), AETA International Trade Show (Jan 19-22), Apparel & Accessories Market (January 19-22), KidsWorld (Jan 19-22), WESA’s International Western/English Apparel & Equipment Market (Jan 19-22), and the Dallas Men’s Show (Jan 23-25).

For information about all upcoming markets and events, visit the Dallas Market Center website and download the new, completely redesigned Dallas Market Center mobile app. Stay current by visiting Dallas Market Center on Facebook, Instagram, and the DMC Daily Dose blog.