The National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show and Expo, the retail industry’s largest annual conference and trade show, took place in January 2025 in New York City. The event brought together retail executives, technology innovators, and industry leaders to discuss trends, showcase new technologies, and explore strategies for the future of retail.
NRF 2025 highlighted how retailers are leveraging technology to adapt to changing consumer expectations and market dynamics. High-profile presentations focused on specific applications of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, retail media networks (RMNs), radio frequency identification (RFID), and social commerce. Presenters showcased how technology—particularly AI—is reshaping the landscape of commerce. As retailers face an increasingly complex market environment, the conference illuminated both challenges and opportunities that will define retail strategy in the coming years.
Expectations for the sector include additional scrutiny in investment activity but optimism on the back of AI technology deployed in diverse retail settings. B2C brands face intense competition, but key value-creation opportunities can help these companies evolve. On the private equity side, home goods and hobby products face challenges, while wellness brands are well positioned this year.1
AI in Retail
AI has moved far beyond experimental stages, transitioning into a strategic tool for retailers. The NRF 2025 conference demonstrated that AI is no longer merely a buzzword, but a practical solution driving tangible business value. Retailers are implementing AI across diverse applications, from intelligent inventory management to sophisticated customer experience personalization.
Emerging AI Applications
- Operational Efficiency: AI is being deployed for advanced inventory tracking, streamlined store design, and enhanced security protocols.
- Customer Interaction: Natural language processing and “agentic commerce” (referring to bots that can anticipate business or shopper needs) are creating more intuitive shopping experiences.
- Strategic Decision Making: AI-powered tools can assist with complex tasks like contract negotiations and predictive analyses.
Retail Media Networks: A New Monetization Strategy
RMNs have emerged as a significant revenue stream, with major players like Amazon introducing updated advertising platform services.
An RMN is an advertising platform run by a retailer where third-party brands can promote their products directly on the retailer’s digital platforms like a website and app, leveraging the retailer’s first-party customer data to precisely target relevant audiences right at the point of purchase.
Further, retail media spending is expanding beyond major platforms like Amazon and Walmart. These networks represent a critical opportunity for retailers to create incremental monetization channels, transforming how brands connect with potential customers. However, there’s a growing challenge for RMNs to demonstrate tangible results as pricing increases. Brands are asking for better measurement and transparency to justify spending.
Market Dynamics & Economic Outlook
The conference unveiled a nuanced economic landscape. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) adjusted for inflation grew by 2.7% in the four quarters through 2024’s third quarter: that figure will drop to 2.1% by the end of 2025 and 1.6% by the end of 20262. Retailers are navigating a challenging environment characterized by:
- Increased technological scrutiny
- Complex tariff landscapes
- Evolving consumer expectations
- Persistent challenges in areas like returns management
NetSuite’s Strengths for Retail
In the current landscape, technology providers like Oracle NetSuite are proving to be instrumental to retailers seeking robust operational solutions. NetSuite distinguishes itself through:
Integrated E-Commerce Functionality
NetSuite provides integrated e-commerce functionality for both online and offline sales channels, supporting a unified shopping experience for customers. This integration enables retailers to efficiently handle inventory, orders, and customer interactions across multiple platforms.
Advanced Inventory Management
With real-time tracking and predictive stock optimization, NetSuite can help retailers maintain ideal inventory levels. This capability helps reduce the risk of stockouts and overstock situations, driving profitability and customer satisfaction.
Automated Order Processing
Order management in NetSuite can automate the processing of orders, returns, and exchanges to streamline transaction management from order placement to delivery and beyond.
Customer Relationship Management
NetSuite’s customer relationship management (CRM) integration can provide retailers with enhanced customer relationship tracking and personalization. By leveraging customer data, retailers can deliver targeted marketing campaigns and personalized shopping experiences, fostering customer loyalty and retention.
Enhancing Order Management
In addition, Orderful, an electronic data interchange (EDI) software provider, announced during the NRF event that its Orderful SuiteApp achieved the “Built for NetSuite” status. Developed using the Oracle NetSuite SuiteCloud Platform, this new SuiteApp can help simplify order management and improve communication with trading partners, enhancing collaboration across the supply chain.
Diving Deeper: How NetSuite Can Help With Order Processing
NetSuite order management features can help businesses process orders efficiently across multiple sales channels, supporting accurate and timely order fulfillment. Here are additional details on how order management in NetSuite can work.
- Order Automation: Automate tasks like order validation, inventory allocation, and invoicing, reducing manual errors and accelerating order processing times.
- Real-Time Inventory Visibility: Track inventory across fulfillment locations and providers, enhancing resource use and improving customer satisfaction.
- Omnichannel Fulfillment: Manage fulfillment for various sales channels, including digital platforms, online stores, marketplaces, and physical retail locations, streamlining operations.
- Order Routing: Automatically route orders to the most efficient fulfillment location, reducing costs and elevating timely delivery.
- Delivery Coordination: Align delivery schedules with service-level agreements (SLAs), expanding customer satisfaction.
- Pick & Pack Logic: Guide users through the fulfillment process to help inventory be managed in accordance with company policy, reducing errors and optimizing resource use.
Looking Forward
One key takeaway from NRF 2025 is clear: the future of retail is not about choosing between technology and traditional approaches but about intelligently integrating solutions to create more responsive, efficient, and customer-centric business models. This means embracing a multi-faceted approach to remain competitive:
- Leveraging AI and modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) technologies
- Developing omnichannel strategies
- Improving personalized customer experiences
- Prioritizing operational efficiency and bottom-line growth
Another notable trend highlighted at the conference is the rise of connectivity between human creativity and technological capability. As AI and advanced ERP systems like NetSuite become more sophisticated, these tools are not replacing human insight but amplifying it. Retailers who view these technologies as extensions of human strategic thinking—rather than replacements—are likely to unlock novel solutions and opportunities for growth.
How Forvis Mazars Can Help
NetSuite ERP and AI tools can enable and enhance the human-technology synergies presented at NRF 2025. Forvis Mazars is a certified Oracle NetSuite partner offering software implementation, integration, and consulting services in addition to two premier program options:
- NetSuite Solution Provider – Helping your business get up and running with its own suite of NetSuite modules
- NetSuite Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) – Helping fast-growing startups and small and midsize organizations supercharge their business management with outsourcing services
To learn more about evolving retail trends and how NetSuite can help retailers automate processes and gain real-time insights, connect with a professional at Forvis Mazars today.
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