I know there are a million NRF summaries and takeaways floating around, but after being roughly 24 of these shows deep, I figured I’d throw my thoughts into the mix. Consider this less of a recap and more of a “what actually stuck with me once the feet stopped hurting.”
1. Unified Is No Longer Optional
Whether it’s Supply Chain, Customer Journey, or Store Experience, one theme was impossible to miss: solution providers and services firms are designing with unification at the center.
The goal is clear—bring together fragmented processes, improve visibility across the enterprise, and (most importantly) add real effectiveness and efficiency to the business of retail. The long-standing pain of juggling disparate systems, brittle integrations, and application sprawl is closer than ever to being solved.
Are we 100% there yet? No.
Are we closer than we’ve ever been? Absolutely.
2. Data: The Unsexy Foundation of Everything
Data is still the starting point for it all.
Vendors, analysts, and influencers have been marketing the wonders of AI for what feels like an eternity (even though, realistically, it’s been about 18–24 months). As with every major technology shift, retailers and brands are responding thoughtfully—asking what, why, and how before going all in.
Here’s the reality: Getting your data in order is what actually unlocks AI’s value.
It’s not glamorous. It’s technical. It’s the kind of work no one puts on a keynote slide. But it’s exactly what enables the shiny, boardroom-ready use cases the C-suite is excited about. No clean data, no magic.
3. The TopDown Conundrum
For the first time I can remember, Boards and CSuites can personally interact with a technology that directly applies to their businesses.
Large Language Models make AI feel deceptively simple—almost like, “Why can’t we just turn this on?”
That perception is creating real friction. I heard it repeatedly from both retailers and solution providers: active projects are being disrupted, priorities are being reshuffled, and CIOs are spending time they don’t have explaining a hard truth —
It’s not that simple.
4. How Big Is Too Big?
This year felt bigger than ever. More crowded. More options. More everything.
I probably saw 25% of what I wanted to see. The content was rich, innovation was everywhere across all three expo floors, and the surrounding events were almost impossible to keep up with. Many of us even started on Friday—and still came up short.
I’m exhausted, not feeling great, and it may be borderline blasphemous to say this, but…
Do we need another day?
5. Community Still Matters Most
Whether it was Vicki Cantrell’s VIP Awards, Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI, Inc)’s SuperSaturday, Incisiv’s Speakeasy@NRF and Great Indian Meal, or RETHINK Retail’s Gala—one thing was crystal clear:
No matter how much AI we implement, the people in this industry are what truly matter.
2026 is shaping up to be another seminal year of change and disruption (much like 2025). As decisions get made and strategies get set, the C-suite needs to remember this more than ever.
Technology matters.
Data matters.
People matter most.
