The Top 6 Highlights from NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show
The National Retail Federation hosted the 2025 Retail’s Big Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City last week. Speakers included some of the biggest retail companies, such as Walmart, IKEA, Target, and Macy’s.
Here are some of the highlights from that show:
Leveraging AI to make your business smarter
Walmart US President and CEO John Furner was joined by NVIDIA Vice President and General Manager, Retail & CPG Azita Martin to open Day One with a discussion of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing retail.
NVIDIA is a world leader in AI computing and has been developing AI-powered products for retailers. As Martin explained, AI is a tool that can help human workers be more productive.
Among some of the exciting advancements:
- AI-powered digital assistants that understand text- and image-based prompts for more personalized shopping experiences
- The ability to develop a “digital twin” of a store or distribution center to test various layouts before committing capital investments
- Using generative AI to optimize more engaging ads and marketing campaigns
Martin urged attendees to embrace AI, ask questions, and learn as much as possible about how AI can improve their operations.
Using social media to build brand awareness and loyalty by building community
Dan Frommer, founder and editor-in-chief of The New Consumer, and Katie Welch, Chief Marketing Officer at Rare Beauty, discussed how Gen Z and millennial consumers use social media to discover new brands and learn about new products.
Welch emphasized the importance of clearly demonstrating how the product works because this market demographic is discerning and better educated. This has helped Rare Beauty, founded by Selena Gomez in 2020, build its loyal following on TikTok. However, with the prospect of a potential ban on TikTok, she also emphasized the importance of companies being ready to follow the community of their loyal followers wherever they are, whether that includes Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook, or other social media platforms.
Sustainability is good business
A roundtable of sustainability leaders from Target, IKEA, and Walmart discussed circularity, reusing, and recycling efforts that are both environmentally friendly and good for their businesses.
WalMart resells used appliances, electronics, sporting goods, and apparel on its marketplace, while Target recycles car seats, which has helped it bring materials back into the supply chain. IKEA wants 100% of its products to be reusable by 2030.
Inside Macy’s “Bold New Chapter”
Macy’s has been working to strengthen their brands for almost a year. Tony Spring, chairman and CEO at Macy’s, Inc., Olivier Bron, CEO of Bloomingdale’s, and Maly Bernstein, CEO of Bluemercury, participated in a roundtable discussion that provided insights into Macy’s strategies.
Spring said the company listened to 60,000 customers to learn what they wanted in their shopping experience. They mentioned:
- Better choice of merchandise
- Improved service
- More visual experience
- Faster supply
As a result, each brand has shown growth.
Bron said that luxury is more than the product at Bloomingdale’s. It is the experience.
Bernstein said that Bluemercury has invested in education and training to elevate the experience of creating custom beauty plans.
Ultimately, according to Spring, department stores are all about choice.
Beyond AI
In an interesting take on the future uses of AI, Brendan Witcher of Forrester Research chaired a roundtable with Karen Etzkorn, chief information officer for Qurate Retail Group, Trang To, vice president of Omni at Tapestry, and Ellen Svanström, chief digital information officer with H&M.
The discussion ranged from computer vision to biometrics. Companies are using AI to create small snippets of live content on social media channels and analyze its impact with AI.
Tapestry is applying AI to analyze the buyer’s journey through its stores, just as it analyzes page time and click-through rates on its website.
AI is also being applied to computer vision, the ability to understand content like humans do, which has applications to store design and merchandising.
Microsoft, Salesforce, and AI
Not surprisingly, AI for retail was a centerpiece of the NRF Retail Big Show this year. There were plenty of vendors and service providers showing their wares on the expo floor and in live sessions.
Jason Gumpert, Editor of MSDynamicsWorld.com, provides a candid review comparing the differences between the AI presentations offered by Microsoft and Salesforce. While Microsoft had demonstrated genuine use cases at their booth, their live sessions were not as product-centric as Salesforce.
Check out Jason’s review at NRF 2025: Microsoft and Salesforce offer contrasting AI pitches to retail industry.
Get serious about your retail operation
Talk to the retail experts at ArcherPoint today to learn how you can take advantage of modern retail technologies.