By: Dr. Adal M. Hussain, PhD (AKA) Dr. Abbey, Editor @ Large for World Liberty TV

The National Retail Federation has represented retail for over a century. Every day, we passionately stand up for the people, policies and ideas that help retail succeed.

As the nation’s largest private-sector employer, retail contributes $5.3 trillion to the annual GDP. No other industry comes close.Wherever the industry goes, the nation follows — so we’re committed to helping retail go further.

Together with our philanthropic arm, the NRF Foundation, we stand up for, celebrate, educate and inspire our industry. We’re retail’s greatest advocates, uniting an industry of leaders and boundary breakers around complex issues and bold opportunities.

Membership in NRF gives retailers the opportunity to advocate on important policy issues and gain insights from industry leaders and visionaries and network with retail’s best and brightest.

NRF Board Chair and BJ’s Wholesale Club Chairman and CEO, Bob Eddy, kicks off NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show with a welcome address and a look ahead at what’s in store for the industry. He’ll offer a preview of this year’s event highlights and share NRF’s key initiatives shaping retail in 2026.

Immediately following, Ed Stack, Executive Chairman of DICK’S Sporting Goods, will join Bob on stage for a fireside chat. Their conversation will explore leadership strategies for navigating shifting consumer expectations, the evolving role of experiential retail in sports, and how DICK’S is leveraging technology and community engagement to drive growth and loyalty.

The theme of this year’s NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show, which took place Jan. 11-13 at New York’s Javits Center, was “The Next Now,” and the packed event provided plenty of solutions exemplifying that leap forward in available capability and performance.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the term on many peoples’ lips was “agentic AI.” In a fireside chat with CNBC anchor Jon Fortt, Walmart EVP and CTO Hari Vasudev discussed the company’s partnership with Google to embed Gemini AI in the retailer’s e-commerce site to create a seamless experience for the customer.

“What they then get is the ability to essentially complete the shopping journey in a very, very timely way,” Vasudev explained. The philosophy behind Walmart’s implementation of such solutions, according to Vasudev, is “effectively deploying technology that is purpose fit to reduce friction for the customer and making sure that they’re having a very highly optimized experience.”Among the other agentic AI solutions at the show was a key offering from Revionics as part of the company’s full suite of pricing software used by such grocers as Coborn’s.

Agentic AI pricing capabilities will become essential in 2026 for retailers beset by tariffs, inflation and customers’ relentless pursuit of value, according to Matt Pavich, Revionics’ senior director, strategy and innovation. The tool employs a simple-language interface to provide retailers with a customized pricing algorithm.

The Innovators’ Showcase featured agentic AI software as well, including BetterBasket, which provides grocery retailers with AI agents for pricing, competitive intelligence and promotion optimization, with the aim of helping teams boost revenue, manage margin targets and automate decisions using real-time data across operations.

In the quest for enterprise AI wins, the marketing department’s pain points offer plenty of opportunities.Microsoft brought its new tagline “Return on Intelligence” to NRF 2026 this week and hosted a discussion with customer Coca-Cola and partner Adobe about the multi-national beverage company’s efforts to streamline global marketing and brand management initiatives.

The companies have worked together on marketing tech like a CDP strategy, content creation, and brand identity management. NRF Foundation Honors raises $2.7M to support retail careers, “The NRF Foundation Honors is more than a celebration; it’s a catalyst for the work we do year-round,“ NRF Foundation Executive Director Adam Lukoskie.

Presented by American Express and PwC, the event hosted over 700 attendees and was co-driven by Goodwill Industries International President and CEO Steve Preston and NRF Foundation Board Chair, as well as BJ’s Wholesale Club Chairman and CEO Bob Eddy, who also serves as NRF Board Chair. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. CEO Fran Horowitz was honored with The Visionary award for her expertise in building brands and as a globally recognized industry leader.

The event also recognized the honorees of The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future 2026, including e.l.f. Beauty Chief Marketing Officer Kory Marchisotto, Brooklinen CEO Billy May, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. Chief Global Asset Protection Officer and Chief Security Officer Scott McBride, Walmart Inc. Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Kathleen McLaughlin and PacSun CEO Brieane Olson.

NRF Rev 2026 was an event to help retailers, brands and manufacturers reduce costs and increase profits from retail and other product returns, excess inventory and obsolete equipment by improving reverse logistics processes.NRF Rev took place January 11-12, 2026 at the Sheraton Times Square in New York City.

There were so many people in attendance from all over the World, in attendance to share there retail experience , network and learn more about Technologies and AI, in the Retail industries.

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