From January 12 to 14, the traditional NRF took place – National Retail Federation 2025, Big Show, in New York, in the USA. In its 115th edition, has been, globally, the largest annual retail event, counted with the presence of more than 70 countries and attracted about 38.000 participants and a significant representation of Brazil, with more than 2.000 participants
Many articles have been published about the event, and before commenting on it, I will mention another event that precedes the NRF, the annual meeting of FIRA – International Federation of Retail Associations
The FIRA meeting had the participation of 28 retail associations, from 19 countries from all continents, showing the strength of retail in the world, in which the IDV (Institute for Retail Development) was present throughout Brazil. In the meeting, topics of the economy and global retail were addressed
We can infer that the participating countries have very similar concerns, keeping the proper proportions: inflation on the rise, high interest rate, low economic growth, performance issues of governments and, in Europe, concerns about the low birth rate. There was no enthusiasm for the future of the economy in most countries, except for the United States, certainly motivated by the moment of government transition
A common point, and of prominence, at the FIRA meeting, it was the exponential growth in recent years of small volume (cross-border) exports from Asian countries to practically all countries present, in which mostly, are, let's say, "disoriented" about what they should do to contain them. In this sense, we can affirm that Brazil is on the right track, because we started a governance aimed at competitive equity with the Remessa Conforme program, that starts to show results, although still insufficient
Returning to NRF 2025, during the event, 250 lectures were given covering a variety of topics, very important for the retail sector, and there was also a large exhibition area for products and services, with around 800 exhibitors, that presented innovations that are shaping the future of retail, from payment solutions to advanced data analysis tools
The conclusions published in the world press about NRF 2025 highlighted several important points, such as
- Physical stores are reinventing themselves, for, in addition to attracting customers, keep them inside for longer, resulting in the growing importance of personalization and customer experience in modern retail
- The crucial role of sustainability and social responsibility in retail operations, themes present in various lectures, however, with lower intensity this year
- The impact of emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence, focusing on increasing productivity, in the improvement of operations, in understanding consumer behavior and communication
- The potential gains from the effective implementation ofomnichannel, essential for growth and success in retail
- Advances in marketing and monetization of digital and physical spaces, with infinite possibilities ofretail media.
With so many lectures and exhibitors of technology products and services, an important volume of raw material was generated for many retail specialized companies to hold excellent post-NRF meetings in Brazil
Who attended the NRF or has already informed themselves well about what was presented at the event, depending on the structure and size of the company, you may be wondering
Where to start
The answer is complex. All available technology, like the fully autonomous store – controlling everything, since the client's entry, restocking of goods, payment by digital means of the purchase, etc. –, checkout by images without using the barcode, the inventory of goods on the shop floor done by robots, the digital media strategies using generative artificial intelligence and all the other wonders and strategies presented, depend, before everything, to have a structured database, solid and constantly updated, specialized people and choosing the right tools. Without this initial structuring, very well implemented, there is a significant risk of failure
The use of advanced technologies is no longer a trend, but another strategic necessity for companies that want to remain relevant in the market
So, Brazilian retail has an important mission, follow technological trends, implant them and, at the same time, guarantee the return on investments made in technology, something challenging for all sizes of retail, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, who suffer from the scarcity of financial resources
The retail sector, which represents about 25% of GDP, for its importance in the economy, requires public and private financial support programs that enable its technological development, providing support for the construction of a thriving and modern retail sector in Brazil
