Major events bring us important trends and reflections. This time, NRF 2025, held at the Javits Convention Center in New York, showed that even with all the power of digital, physical stores remain the heart of local retail, integrated with the most advanced technologies to meet the sector’s demands. During the event, discussions focused on themes such as technology, personalization, social commerce, and the reinvention of physical stores, transforming them into unique and unforgettable experiences for consumers.
Considered the largest and most influential trade fair in the sector, NRF, organized by the National Retail Federation, annually brings together market giants, visionary startups, and technology experts to discuss the future of commerce. For César Baleco, CEO of Grupo IRRAH, a Paraná-based group present at the event that serves 70 countries with digital solutions for fashion and retail, participating in the event was an opportunity to bring innovations that truly make a difference in people’s daily lives.
“Unique experiences, community connection, and integration with online are the keys to transforming retail. Our commitment is to continue innovating to surprise and simplify the customer journey,” he states.
Among the main trends presented, César highlights four key takeaways that stood out during the event and how they work in practice:
Customer-centric technology: Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming retail, enabling personalization at scale and experiences that reduce consumer effort. The secret, according to experts, is to dream big, start small, and act quickly.
In practice, applying AI in retail involves collecting customer data to create personalized experiences in real time, such as product recommendations and automated interactions via chatbots. It also optimizes the purchasing process, making it more efficient and intuitive, and aids in creating personalized marketing campaigns.
The key is to start with simple solutions, conduct rapid tests, and continuously improve based on feedback, ensuring ongoing personalization that better meets customer needs and creates a frictionless experience. This means offering the customer a simple, smooth, and obstacle-free process throughout their entire interaction journey with the brand, whether in physical stores, online, or other channels.
“The idea is to minimize or eliminate any barriers that could cause dissatisfaction, delays, or difficulty for the consumer through an intuitive website or app, fast navigation, reducing queues with self-checkout, for example, or even implementing efficient chatbots or virtual assistants,” comments César Baleco.
Stores as connection hubs: Transforming physical stores into connection hubs means creating immersive and interactive spaces that go beyond simple product purchases, offering experiences that establish emotional connections between customers and the brand, strengthening loyalty. Examples like IKEA and LEGO perfectly illustrate this approach by creating environments rich in storytelling and design that delight consumers.
Social commerce on the rise: Social commerce brings the convenience of purchasing directly on social media, using influencers to create an authentic and engaging experience, as well as leveraging features like live shopping to boost sales. It transforms how consumers discover and purchase products, creating new opportunities for engagement and loyalty.
Sustainability here to stay: It means offering durable and ethical products while adopting responsible business practices. By aligning with environmental preservation and social justice values, brands can retain conscious consumers who seek to make a difference through their purchasing choices.
For IRRAH’s director, NRF 2025 made it clear that the retail of the future needs to balance technological innovation with strong human connection, reinforcing the vision of always putting the customer first. “We are attentive to market transformations, but above all, we seek solutions that truly positively impact our consumers’ lives,” Baleco stated. He concludes: “With these trends widely discussed and highlighted during NRF, Grupo IRRAH remains aligned with the changes shaping retail, investing in technology and purpose to continue surprising and delighting its customers.”
