From January 12 to 14, the traditional NRF – National Retail Federation 2025, Big Show, took place in New York, USA. In its 115th edition, it has been globally the largest annual retail event, with the presence of over 70 countries, attracting about 38,000 participants and a significant representation from Brazil, with over 2,000 participants.
Many articles have been published about the event, and before discussing it, I will mention another event that precedes NRF, the annual meeting of FIRA – International Federation of Retail Associations.
The FIRA meeting had the participation of 28 retail associations from 19 countries across all continents, showcasing the strength of retail worldwide, with the IDV (Institute for Retail Development) representing Brazil. The meeting addressed topics of global economy and retail.
We can infer that the participating countries have very similar concerns, with variations: high inflation, high interest rates, low economic growth, government performance issues, and in Europe, concerns about low birth rates. Enthusiasm for the future of the economy was not noticeable in most countries, except for the United States, likely driven by the government’s transitional period.
A common and noteworthy point in the FIRA meeting was the exponential growth in recent years of small volume exports (cross-border) from Asian countries to virtually all present countries, many of which are somewhat ‘bewildered’ on how to handle them. In this sense, we can affirm that Brazil is on the right path, as we have started governance aiming for competitive fairness with the ‘Remessa Conforme’ program, which is starting to show results, albeit still insufficient.
Going back to NRF 2025, during the event, 250 lectures were held covering a variety of topics crucial to the retail sector, and there was also a wide area of product and service exhibition with around 800 exhibitors showcasing innovations shaping the future of retail, from payment solutions to advanced data analysis tools.
The conclusions reported in the global press about NRF 2025 highlighted several important points, such as:
- Physical stores are reinventing themselves to not only attract customers but also keep them inside longer, emphasizing the growing importance of personalization and customer experience in modern retail.
- The critical role of sustainability and social responsibility in retail operations, topics present in multiple lectures but with less intensity this year.
- The impact of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence focusing on productivity increase, operational enhancement, consumer behavior understanding, and communication.
- The enhanced benefits from the effective implementation of omnichannel, essential for growth and success in retail.
- Advancements in marketing and monetization of digital and physical spaces, with endless possibilities in retail media.
With numerous lectures and technology product and service exhibitors, a significant amount of raw material was generated for many retail-focused companies to have excellent post-NRF meetings in Brazil.
For those who attended NRF or are well-informed about the event, depending on the company’s structure and size, they might be wondering:
Where to begin?
The answer is complex. All available technology, such as the fully autonomous store – controlling everything from customer entry, merchandise replenishment, digital payment of purchases, etc., checkout by image without using barcodes, inventory of merchandise on the store floor done by robots, digital media strategies using generative artificial intelligence, and all the other wonders and strategies presented, depend, above all, on having a structured, solid, and constantly updated database, specialized people, and choosing the right tools. Without this well-implemented initial structure, there is a significant risk of failure.
The use of advanced technologies is no longer a trend but a strategic necessity for companies wishing to remain relevant in the market.
Therefore, Brazilian retail has an important mission: to keep up with technological trends, implement them, and at the same time, ensure the return on technology investments, a challenging task for all sizes of retail, especially for medium and small companies that struggle with financial resources scarcity.
The retail sector, representing about 25% of GDP, due to its importance in the economy, requires public and private financial support programs to enable its technological development, supporting the construction of a vibrant and modern retail industry in Brazil.
