Retail is undergoing an accelerated transformation driven by technology, personalization, and customer experience, aspects that come together in a unified journey. Events like NRF 2025, the most significant in the retail and consumer sector worldwide, held in January in the USA, reinforce that the industry can no longer delay strategic changes, as the present moment already demands new approaches to stay competitive.
Among the main highlighted trends presented at NRF, five are essential for brands that want to lead this new era of retail.
The Unified Journey: A Seamless Experience
The consumer journey is increasingly integrated, with the lines between the physical and digital worlds blurring. NRF 2025 highlighted the importance of providing an experienceseamless, that is, fluid, in free translation, in which the customer can start a purchase online and complete it in store or vice versa.
This customer interaction cycle requires:
- Channel integration:a holistic view of the customer, with data shared across different touchpoints;
- Personalization:offering personalized products and services at every stage of the journey, from discovery to after-sales; and
- Ease:simplifying the shopping experience with agile and intuitive processes.
In the United States, Starbucks is a successful example of implementing the journeyseamless. The coffee shop chain demonstrates that retail, across different regions and business models, is replacing the fragmented view of purchasing with a holistic approach that connects and integrates – with personalization and convenience – all points of contact with consumers.
It also leaves another lesson: not to stagnate with success. Even in light of the good results achieved, Deb Hall Lefevre, Starbucks' executive vice president and Chief Technology Officer, highlighted during the digital transformation panel that the company "still hasn't arrived there." For her, there is still much work to be done in the face of the diversity of franchises and business models spread across the regions of the country. The purpose of Starbucks, according to the executive, is to continue advancing in the unification of its channels to serve better. In Lefevre's words, "it all boils down, once again, to a consistent tactile experience."
Retail Media 2.0: the audience at the heart of strategies
Retail Media is evolving into a new era where the combination of data and behavior allows for the construction of consumer profiles with increasing accuracy. This transformation has significant implications for retail
- Targeted audience:the ability to identify and segment audiences in a granular way allows for more targeted and effective campaigns;
- Personalized messages:create personalized messages that resonate with each consumer’s needs and interests; and
- Optimization of results:measure the impact of campaigns and optimize strategies in real time.
In the words of Pete Nordstrom, President and Brand Director of Nordstrom, "the consumer journey, previously fragmented, now unifies into an omnichannel, personalized, and highly technological experience." The company, founded as a shoemaking shop in 1901 in Seattle, is a reference in innovation and shopping experience.
Located next to Central Park, Nordstrom's megastore focused on selling exclusive luxury items for the female audience. Combined the high-end brands like Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent with two floors of owned restaurants and cafes and proprietary services such as ultra-personalized tailoring and makeup offered by "Beauty Services." To exemplify the integration capability and convenience, a client of theflagshipYou can order a drink from one of the restaurants while trying on a dress. If you choose to have your meal at home, the establishments deliver to the requested address.
Analyzing cases like Nordstrom makes it clear that the future of retail is marked by the convergence between physical and digital.
Artificial Intelligence: the key to data analysis
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way companies analyze and interpret large volumes of data. At NRF 2025, the importance of AI for:
- Demand forecast:anticipate consumer needs and optimize stocks;
- Mass customization:create personalized experiences for millions of customers; and
- Price optimization:set dynamic prices based on demand and consumer behavior.
This means that AI impacts decision-making, and this is a revolution that is only just beginning. It is certain that it will transform everything we know, from business to consumer, work, and interpersonal relationships.
The idea of disruption promoted by Artificial Intelligence has permeated countless lectures since the opening of the event, in the panel entitledGame-Changing, presented by Walmart CEO and NRF president, John Furer, and Azita Martin, vice president and general manager of AI for retail at Nvidia. Beyond the literal translation "Game Change," the term aims to express the concept of disruption that the use of technology represents for the world from now on.
Azita Martin lived up to the theme and told us about one of the processes implemented by Nvidia in logistics. She said that, with software and cyclic testing of AI agents, it is possible to evaluate and refine how the system adapts to the unpredictability of the real world. If an incident occurs along the planned route of the AMRs (automated mobile robots), the computer vision updates the occupancy map in real time and sends it to the AI model with a new optimized route.
This example demonstrates the AI's ability to model and adapt to real-time data, as observed in distribution centers, optimizing logistics operations. Used to forecast demand, optimize prices, personalize experiences, and much more, given its ability to analyze large volumes of data in retail, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making.
In-Store: o novo digital
As we have already noticed, physical stores are becoming increasingly digital and interactive spaces. Logo, the fourth highlight presented at NRF 2025 was the adoption of the same digital practices by thein-store:
- Immersive experiences:use of technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to create unique experiences;
- Integration with e-commerce:offering online and offline purchasing options in an integrated manner; and
- Real-time data analysis:collects in-store customer data to personalize the experience and optimize operations.
One of the giants in the beauty luxury market, Sephora, has shown that "omni" is not just a word but a strategy rooted in the company's DNA. Artemis Patrick, CEO of the company in North America, emphasized the company's long-standing commitment to the unified omnichannel approach. According to Patrick, the massive investments in digitalization of the in-storeThey involve, for example, the automation of payment methods so that the physical shopping experience has the same fluidity as online.
OmniADS: the convergence of channels
Finally, the union of online and offline gave rise to a new concept: "OmniADS". This approach refers to creating campaigns that span all channels, offering a consistent and personalized experience for the consumer.
The NRF 2025 made it clear that the future of retail has already begun. The fusion of technology, personalization, and integration is not just a trend, but the new rule of the game. Companies that implement these transformations by investing in technology, data, and customer experience will be prepared for market challenges and to lead the next era of consumption. This is the opportunity to redefine strategies, reinvent experiences, and reach a new level of relevance.
*Célio Martinez is CEO of Converta Ads
