Agenda

Today's store associate wears more hats than ever - serving customers, fulfilling digital orders, managing inventory, supporting pickup, and more. As these responsibilities continue to expand, retailers are rethinking how technology can simplify work rather than add complexity. This session explores how mobile tools, AI, and connected workflows are helping frontline teams work more efficiently, make faster decisions, and deliver more consistent customer experiences across physical and digital channels. Hear how retailers are equipping associates with the information and capabilities they need in the moment, while creating a more agile store operation that can adapt to changing customer expectations and evolving business needs.

A 75-minute session that will bring together influential retail DTC founders for an honest, three-part exploration of what it takes to build a company from idea to impact. The series follows the founder's journey through the initial bet, the inevitable pressure tests, and the long view required to create an enduring business. Through candid conversations, panelists will share pivotal decisions, hard lessons, and outlooks on the future of retail and consumer brands. Moderated by veteran retail executive, investor and advisor, Ken Pilot, this first of its kind Big Show session is not to be missed.

By 2035, Generation X are projected to command $23 trillion in spending power. Yet, most brand strategies prioritize the sheer volume of Gen Z. The core reality is Gen X is not a footnote, they are the load-bearing generation: balancing families and workplaces and holding decades of institutional expertise while quietly driving economic velocity.  From the multi-generational spending power to the untapped loyalty, what would your company do differently if it stopped treating Gen X as a bridge between other generations?

Physical stores continue to evolve, expanding their role and relevance. The ability to win over and engage customers and communities, enhance product experiences, and integrate hub functions in logistics, services, and media is driving retail innovation processes. AI challenges the store in its precision in assortment, inventory, pricing, and operation, and in the personalization of the customer experience. Learn from the experience of Wegmans and Boticario Group, two companies that have been innovating and expanding their store base.

Digital capabilities have reshaped how consumers discover products, brands and ideas. Now, the physical store has an opportunity to support that same journey, creating richer discovery while giving retailers new ways to understand what engages their customers. This session explores this evolution at Sephora, where an ongoing in-store pilot is testing how connected content, technology, physical experiences, data and media can work together. The discussion looks at how these capabilities can facilitate discovery, create greater visibility into the customer journey and help physical environments become more responsive to the people and brands they serve.

In this panel discussion, we will explore the concept that retail is no longer just a place to buy — it’s becoming a stage, a story, and a social experience. The session will explore a provocative shift: what happens when entertainment becomes the primary value proposition, and commerce becomes the by‑product. From immersive brand worlds and gamified shopping to AI‑driven personalization and hybrid digital‑physical experiences, the boundaries between retail, media, and culture are dissolving.

 A 75-minute session that will bring together influential retail DTC founders for an honest, three-part exploration of what it takes to build a company from idea to impact. The series follows the founder's journey through the initial bet, the inevitable pressure tests, and the long view required to create an enduring business. Through candid conversations, panelists will share pivotal decisions, hard lessons, and outlooks on the future of retail and consumer brands. Moderated by veteran retail executive, investor and advisor, Ken Pilot, this first of its kind Big Show session is not to be missed.

Agentic AI is reshaping not just how consumers shop, but how retail businesses operate, from the way work gets done internally to how brands show up across every touchpoint of the consumer journey. Levi Strauss & Co. and Etsy are approaching this moment from opposite ends of the retail spectrum.   

Levi’s, a 170-year-old global brand, is accelerating its push into direct-to-consumer and digital capability as it evolves into a head-to-toe lifestyle retailer. Etsy, the online marketplace for unique and creative goods, is leaning into its roots as the home for human creativity in an increasingly automated world. Both are asking the same fundamental questions about AI while undergoing significant business transformations— just from very different starting points. 

In this conversation, the Chief Digital & Technology Officers of both companies will share how they are embedding AI into how their organizations work, how they are using it to deepen and personalize the consumer experience, and how they are preparing for a world in which AI agents play an active role in how shoppers discover, evaluate, and buy. 

Wholesale leaders are navigating a challenging market with greater focus on efficiency, smarter growth and stronger retailer relationships. Yet while the commerce landscape is expected to see single-digit growth, 67% of leaders report a digital gap where their technology isn’t meeting expectations or keeping pace with their strategy.   Drawing on our latest research, this session explores how forward-thinking brands are taking a more proactive role in retail success through data sharing, demand forecasting and curated assortment—and how AI is beginning to reshape what comes next.   As wholesale technology becomes more connected and intelligent, the opportunity for AI is also evolving from surfacing insights to helping teams act on them. That could mean identifying replenishment opportunities earlier, making smarter assortment recommendations, reducing manual work across the order cycle, or helping retailers discover brands and products that better fit their business. These emerging capabilities also lay the groundwork for a more agentic future, where AI can increasingly support and automate multi-step wholesale workflows.   We’ll explore how brands and retailers are navigating this shift, what an increasingly connected and agentic wholesale ecosystem could look like, and how technology can help create a more scalable, intelligent model for growth.

Michaels and Stanley 1913 come from different corners of retail, but their recent growth stories reveal a shared truth: enduring brands never stop evolving. Through strategic acquisitions, unexpected collaborations, product innovation, and a deep understanding of changing consumer expectations, both organizations have successfully introduced their brands to new audiences while remaining true to their heritage. In this two-part conversation, leaders from Michaels and Stanley 1913 will share how they are balancing legacy with innovation, building relevance across generations, and creating sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Putting technology directly into shoppers’ hands in ways they find useful in both decision-making and point of purchase is changing the in-store journey.  Retailers are finding that the tech tools customers deem valuable and easily use can become a competitive differentiator. Panelists will share what’s working, what’s flopped and how to design in-store technology that earns trust and moves the sale.

Walmart has already announced the partnerships, the protocols and the pilots, but what happens next is far more important. In this session, Walmart goes beyond the headlines to reveal how AI is changing the real mechanics of retail.

62% of retail organizations have deployed agentic AI. Only 10% are completing autonomous work across teams — and store operations is where that gap is most visible. Brand directives go unconfirmed. Associate priorities are unclear. Store teams spend hours each shift on work that should resolve itself. In this fireside chat, leading retailers share what closing that gap is actually requiring: the infrastructure decisions, the organizational change, and what it looks like when AI starts finishing work rather than just starting it.

In luxury, a small fraction of clients drive a disproportionate share of revenue — and the majority of that revenue starts with an appointment, so every interaction counts. Join Kering, home to Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta, and Petra Schindler-Carter, GM of Retail & Consumer Goods at AWS, as they share how Kering built SARA, an agentic assistant powered by Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Bedrock AgentCore that lets sales associates retrieve products through multimodal search, prepare appointments autonomously, and surface personalized next best actions. You'll walk away with a practical blueprint for extending existing applications into agentic experiences.

H&M operates at a truly global scale, but its success is built on creating meaningful connections in local communities and culture. In this fireside chat, Vogue Business Executive Editor Hilary Milnes sits down with Kate Rogowski, Head of Marketing, H&M U.S., to explore how one of the world's largest fashion retailers balances global brand consistency with locally relevant marketing that resonates with customers across America. From high-profile collaborations and culturally driven campaigns to community investments and market-specific activations, Rogowski will discuss how H&M brings its brand to life in ways that reflect the unique needs and interests of U.S. consumers. The conversation will highlight recent examples including the H&M&NY campaign, the Nordstrom Marketplace launch, major partnership moments, local community investments, and expansion. Attendees will gain insights into how H&M leverages the influence of its U.S. business to shape marketing strategy, build brand relevance, and create customer experiences that strengthen loyalty while driving growth in an increasingly competitive retail landscape.

Every year, retailers manage billions of dollars in excess inventory and returned goods — and most of it gets written off, liquidated, or destroyed. But a growing number of retailers are discovering something remarkable: that merchandise that can’t be resold is exactly what a family in crisis needs. Join Good360 and two of its retail partners for a discussion on how excess inventory and returns can become a strategic giving asset, and what that looked like in practice for the communities receiving those goods.

Commerce has a new customer – and it isn’t human. Shopping agents are beginning to compare, decide and buy at machine speed and volume. They don’t browse – they read your data. And when an agent evaluates your catalog, speed alone isn’t enough – it needs to trust that your data is true. One stale price, phantom inventory count or hallucinated attribute can remove you from consideration.

This panel goes inside the intelligence layer that makes commerce agent-ready – enriched & verified product data, real-time pricing & availability, taxonomy machines can reason over, and governed endpoints that ground every answer in evidence. Leave with a practical definition of “agent-ready” – and why the next share shift in retail may be decided there.

If discovery happens in < 3 seconds:  What replaces search? What replaces brand building?  Creative becomes merchandising  In this panel discussion, we examine how in today’s retail landscape, the first impression isn’t made at the front door — it happens in a feed, a swipe, or a scroll. Consumers are making split-second decisions about what to watch, click, buy, or ignore, forcing brands to rethink how they capture attention and convert interest instantly. This session will explore how retailers and brands can win in the “scroll era” by designing experiences that stop thumbs and drive action across social commerce, digital storefronts, live shopping, and mobile-first platforms. From visual storytelling and creator partnerships to frictionless checkout and AI-powered personalization. 

Physical retail is experiencing a renaissance. As consumers seek discovery, connection, and experience, stores and shopping centers have proven more relevant than many predicted. In this candid conversation, Tanger CEO Stephen Yalof and President and CEO Global Gap Brand Mark Breitbard discuss the unique role of brick-and-mortar in building brands, putting products in front of shoppers, and attracting a new generation of consumers who increasingly value the experiences that only physical retail can provide.

As payments become increasingly invisible and identity becomes the new currency of trust, retailers face a pivotal question: how do you balance seamless commerce with security, privacy, and consumer confidence? In this fireside chat, Jeff Pomeroy, Payment Services & Crypto at PayPal discusses game-changing new technologies like palm and facial recognition — and the impact that getting identity right can have on merchants' bottom line. He will be joined by a leading brand to explore real-world use cases, emerging risks, and what retailers need to prepare for as the line between "who you are" and "how you pay" continues to blur.

The market has spent years chasing growth at the extremes, trading up with affluent consumers and defending value at the bottom. But in between sits the largest, and most overlooked, opportunity: the middle. An increasingly ‘E’ shaped economy means today’s middle-income consumer isn’t collapsing, they’re cautious, selective and unpredictable. Spending hasn’t disappeared; it’s become harder to unlock. In this session, we’ll unpack how the E‑shaped economy is reshaping demand across categories and channels. Why the middle is becoming more cautious, more deliberate, and harder to influence and where spending is still being released—and the signals that trigger conversion. 

Consumer behavior is shaped as much by emotion as by economics, with shoppers seeking joy, reassurance, and a sense of connection – not just efficiency – in their purchasing experiences. Every purchase must “earn its place,” which means retailers need to build trust, personalization, and emotional connections rather than relying solely on convenience-driven tactics. And with AI reshaping the journey and shopper expectations shifting rapidly, retailers that prioritize meaningful, human-centered moments over transactional speed will differentiate themselves – and hopefully build loyalty. Ultimately, consumers want to feel a sense of belonging, community and identity.

Gen Z and Gen Alpha don't consume media the way previous generations did. They discover products and brands through a fluid mix of creators, social platforms, haul content, peer influence, experiential events, and in-person shopping experiences. The path to purchase is increasingly shaped by authentic moments rather than traditional advertising. For retailers, adapting to this reality is essential. Success requires showing up in the moments that influence consideration and purchase, from creator partnerships and social content to pop-up activations, experiential retail, and even the resurgence of the mall as a destination for shopping, entertainment, and social connection. Above all, brands must earn attention rather than demand it, integrating naturally into the environments and experiences that matter most to these generations, where authenticity is a prerequisite for engagement.

In luxury retail, the customer journey no longer happens in isolation; it moves fluidly between online browsing and the physical store floor. In an era shaped by shifting consumer expectations and rapid AI advancements, brands must bridge digital discovery with real-time, personal engagement to build lasting shopper devotion.

This session features a leadership conversation with Sharonda Weatherspoon, Senior Vice President of Retail Stores, Operations & Retail Development at Michael Kors. Led by a Twilio moderator, we’ll explore how Michael Kors empowers frontline store teams, improves daily store operations, and connects digital interactions with modern in-store clienteling.

Attendees will gain actionable strategies for eliminating friction, strengthening customer trust, and establishing the foundational data and messaging infrastructure required to stay competitive in an AI-driven retail landscape.

More details coming soon!

Gouvêa and the Ebeltoft Group will unveil the 2027 edition of the Global Retail Innovations report. This session provides a fast-paced, high-impact deep dive into the most significant retail case studies from around the world, curated by local experts across five continents. The global trends report will be followed by an exclusive onstage presentation with a senior executive from one of the year's standout companies. 

Gap Inc. EVP and Chief Technology Officer Sven Gerjets joins us to unpack how the retailer is embedding AI and agentic technology into every layer of the business – from product design and supply chain to marketing and the customer experience. He’ll share what it takes to move fast without losing the brand's human core, including lessons from Gap’s multiyear Google Cloud partnership and its early bet on agentic commerce.

The way people shop has fundamentally changed, and it's only accelerating. In this fireside chat, Amanda Doerr, VP of Amazon Shopping, and Petra Schindler-Carter, GM of Retail & Consumer Goods at AWS, explore how Amazon pioneered agentic shopping and how those learnings inspired the Agentic Shopping Assistant on AWS. From how AI enters the customer journey to what levels of autonomy and trust take hold, they'll unpack how platforms must evolve to support new models of discovery, evaluation, and transaction, and what it means for retailers' businesses.

How did ALDI turn shoppers into fans, lining up around the block for the opening of a new store and convert its uncompromising operating model into a powerful consumer proposition? The session explores how simplicity creates value and trust, and how discovery and exclusivity turn everyday grocery shopping into something customers want to talk about and share. Discover why stripping complexity out of retail can actually create a richer brand experience and turn customers into advocates.

NRF and Kantar have been partners on research for more than a decade, reporting on the Top 100 Retailers and the Hot 25 Retailers. While most can guess the companies leading the Top 100 list, discerning which retailers are “hot” and which are moving the growth needle with sales, store expansion and trend savvy assortments calls for a closer look at the data. Meet two of the quiet giants shaping the future of retail.

Examining the growing role of creator trust in shaping consumer purchase decisions –specifically, what transforms creators into credible shopping companions. Influencers have evolved into storefront owners and product curators, and retailers are increasingly tapping into creator partnerships to blend in-store and in‑feed experiences. As a result, we’re seeing significant investment in creators as the new voice of the brand, along with heightened interest in driving creator‑led in‑store conversions. Several retailers have launched notable, narrative‑driven campaigns in collaboration with creators, signaling a shift away from traditional marketing funnels toward more dynamic, story‑based funnels.

Session details are to come.

Session details are to come.

AI is no longer a back-office tool – it's the nervous system of the retail value chain. This session unpacks how predictive analytics, agentic AI, real-time demand signals, supplier transparency, and dynamic pricing are converging to build retail operations that are faster, leaner, and more attuned to the customer - while positioning organizations for what comes next.

AI is changing what's possible for retail marketers. Join e.l.f. Beauty and Hightouch to explore how an Agentic Marketing Platform brings together customer data, intelligence, and AI agents to help teams uncover opportunities, make smarter decisions, and execute marketing work in entirely new ways. Get a look at what it takes to put agents to work and how retail marketing could evolve in 2027.

International expansion has never been more accessible and yet also more complex. Digital commerce means consumers can discover brands from anywhere in the world long before those brands have a physical presence, but awareness does not automatically translate into trust, loyalty or commercial success. This panel brings together retail leaders who have successfully expanded into international markets to discuss what it really takes to grow globally while winning locally. From entering entirely new countries as an unknown brand to adapting product ranges, marketing, customer experience and store formats for different consumer expectations, the session explores the practical realities behind international growth. Hear how brands balance global consistency with local relevance, use data and experimentation to understand new audiences, and align physical stores and digital channels to create seamless customer experiences. From choosing the right locations and merchandise mix to building awareness, creating demand and responding to cultural differences, the discussion will reveal the strategies that separate successful international expansion from costly mistakes. 

Ulta Beauty is transforming wellness from a merchandising category into a full retail experience.  A commitment that began a few years back has evolved into “Wellness by Ulta Beauty,” a dedicated shop-in-shop concept that expands the in-store footprint, and doubles-down on education with specialty-trained wellness advisors. Core to the brand’s strategy, Ulta is looking to expand the category, develop exclusive partnerships and curate a one-of-a-kind marketplace. Hear how this is taking shape and what’s on tap for 2027.

Shopping and checkout are increasingly happening outside retailers’ owned storefronts, across marketplaces, social platforms, delivery apps, AI assistants, and embedded commerce experiences. As the path to purchase becomes more fragmented, maintaining ownership of the customer relationship is becoming more complex. This session will explore how retail leaders can evaluate emerging commerce channels, protect the customer relationship, and stay connected to customers wherever they choose to buy.

What does it look like when a story fans love jumps off the screen and into real life? At Netflix, fandom isn't just a byproduct of great content — it's the starting point for everything the company builds next, from consumer products to immersive experiences to physical destinations. Netflix House is one powerful example: 100,000-square-foot spaces in Philadelphia and Dallas (with Las Vegas to follow) where fans can eat, shop, play and step inside the worlds of their favorite shows and films. But it's part of a bigger philosophy — the "Netflix Effect" — where cultural relevance drives new ways for fans to engage, spend and return. In this exclusive NRF session, Netflix's CMO, Marian Lee shares how the company thinks about extending IP beyond the screen, building fan-first experiences, and what retailers can learn from a digital-native company creating entirely new reasons for customers to show up.

Session details are to come. 

Session details are to come.

Retailers are moving beyond AI pilots toward agentic merchandising—intelligent systems that augment decisions, streamline execution, and enable merchants to focus on strategy. Yet disconnected platforms, legacy technology, manual workflows, and limited real-time visibility can slow progress. This session will explore how agentic capabilities can advance omnichannel planning and forecasting, pricing and revenue growth, and AI-powered commerce—and the data, technology, and operating model changes required to scale value across the enterprise. Hear from industry leaders as they share practical lessons on what is working, what must evolve, and the actions retailers can take to unlock the full potential of agentic merchandising.

Agentic commerce has moved from concept to production. The infrastructure decisions retailers make today will determine who captures this revenue.  Stripe has been working with retailers on agentic commerce for over a year, across modalities from AI-powered product discovery to checkout within agents. In this session, Stripe and a leading retailer will share what it took to go live as early movers, including the decisions, tradeoffs, and learnings from being first. Attendees will gain a clear picture of where the agentic commerce market stands today and an understanding of the core infrastructure that will matter as the landscape evolves.

For all the talk of the “death of the website,” the retailers getting ahead are doing the opposite: investing in owned digital experiences and using AI to make them more intelligent, personalized, and valuable.

This conversation looks at what it actually takes to build that future: how retailers are rethinking personalization as AI moves from recommending products to acting on a customer's behalf, where a brand's own channels fit into that shift, and what separates a truly agentic experience from a chatbot bolted onto a website.

Session details are to come.