NRF Retail's Big Show 2025, held in New York between January 11 and 14, brought essential discussions for the future of retail, highlighting the transformations driven by generative artificial intelligence (AI) and retail media networks.
The head of the ESPM retail core, Ricardo Pastore, was present at the event and states that the debates on generative AI demonstrated how this technology is reshaping the daily operations of retail companies' offices. "From the creation of automated omnichannel marketing campaigns to product personalization and operations optimization, AI promises to enhance company efficiency and enrich the customer experience," he says. Pastore, however, believes that his integration requires cultural changes, focusing on requalifying teams and creating a collaborative environment between humans and machines.
Retail Media has been identified as one of the main monetization opportunities for retailers. "Transforming physical and digital spaces into advertising platforms and data hubs for brands is a strategy that not only increases revenue but also strengthens the retail sector's role as a direct connection point with the consumer," completes the head of the ESPM retail center. During the event, some platforms were presented in a self-service model, aiming to give the retailer a mechanism to operate the processes that will have, on one end, the advertisers and, on the other, the consumers.
Pastore says that the fair was a show in itself, with technologies such as smart carts, automated price displays, and interactive screens that represent the future of physical stores. These innovations are not just isolated solutions, but parts of an integrated approach that combines experience, convenience, and data into a single ecosystem.
Based on your immersion at NRF 2025, the ESPM professor emphasizes that retail is in a period of profound transformation, where the balance between technology and humanization will be essential for success.
