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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.