NRF 2025: Key Themes Emerging Ahead of Retail’s Big Show

As retailers, brands, and tech leaders prepare for NRF 2025, early signals point to a heavy focus on AI integration, supply chain resilience, and immersive customer experiences — themes expected to dominate the agenda at next year’s “Big Show.”

Organizers say the January event will spotlight how companies are operationalizing artificial intelligence across marketing, logistics, and workforce management. Retail media, sustainability, and unified commerce will also take center stage, with sessions exploring real-time analytics, automation, and personalization at scale.

Top CPGs and retailers are expected to highlight case studies showing measurable ROI from recent investments, especially in areas like generative AI, last-mile delivery, and customer data platforms. The event will also expand its focus on next-gen retail formats and consumer expectation shifts, making 2025 a pivotal year for innovation benchmarking.

corpbrief insight:

NRF 2025 won’t just showcase what’s new — it will reveal what’s working. For CPGs and retailers alike, this year’s Big Show is shaping up to be a litmus test for who’s leading the future of commerce.