Day 1 at NRF 2025: Unified Commerce - from transformation to future

New York City was abuzz with excitement as NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show opened its doors to over 40,000 attendees from across the globe, bringing together the industry’s best and brightest. The conference brings together visionaries, innovators, and leaders to discuss the trends and technologies redefining retail. From luxury fashion brands embracing digital transformation to AI-powered solutions driving personalisation, Day 1 set an inspiring tone for the future of commerce.

The first day felt significantly more crowded compared to last year, with bustling halls and lively discussions. The exhibition area is so huge that it becomes hard to navigate. Navigating through the venue took longer, adding to the anticipation and energy of the day.?

For me, focusing on Unified Commerce meant exploring it from multiple dimensions: strategy, implementation, creativity, and the possibilities it holds for the future. Each perspective offered unique insights into building a seamless and cohesive retail experience.

Digital Transformation: The transformation at Levi’s and Starbucks

A highlight of the day was the featured insights from Jason Gowans, SVP & Chief Digital Officer at Levi Strauss & Co., and Deb Hall Lefevre, EVP & CTO at Starbucks. These retail giants shared how they are redefining their customer experiences and operational strategies through digital transformation.

Levi’s: A shift to Unified Commerce excellence

Levi’s is embracing a DTC-first (Direct-to-Consumer) strategy while amplifying its wholesale presence. By leveraging digital tools and customer data, Levi’s has restructured its operations to prioritise:

• 3D Design: 95% of Levi’s tops are now designed digitally, reducing time-to-market and enhancing sustainability.
• Personalised Customer Experiences: With tools like the Back Pocket app, store associates can access customer data, inventory, and styling recommendations to create a seamless shopping experience.
• E-Commerce Growth: Levi’s has achieved 10 consecutive quarters of growth in its digital channels, driven by investments in site speed, fit education, and an enhanced discovery journey.

Starbucks: Empowering employees and innovating with AI

Starbucks’ digital transformation is built on five guiding principles: global mindset, scaled agility, value-driven decisions, reliable tech, and a strong partner (employee) experience. Highlights include:

• Smarter Production Systems: Starbucks is testing AI-powered algorithms to optimise order sequencing and reduce customer wait times.
• Unified Tech Stack: The company is creating a consistent customer experience across its 40,000 stores worldwide by unifying its retail, Martech, and supply chain platforms.
• AI Innovation: By prioritising partner (the employee) empowerment and efficiency, Starbucks ensures that partners can focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Both Levi’s and Starbucks emphasised the importance of blending operational excellence with customer-centric innovation to remain at the forefront of the retail industry.

E-commerce modernisation: Boosts performance and customer experience

Another highlight of the day was Max Mara’s session on e-commerce modernisation, presented by Matteo Stevani, IT Director, and Luca Pelli, IT Digital Director. Known for its elegant designs, Max Mara demonstrated how it is also a trailblazer in technology by transitioning from a monolithic, on-premises system to a modern MACH architecture (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless).

Key achievements:

• A 90% surge in organic traffic, with organic channels now contributing 40% of online revenue.
• Significant enhancements to Core Web Vitals, particularly on mobile platforms.
• Deployment of a unified omni-channel strategy, offering a seamless customer experience across digital and physical touchpoints.

This transformation underscores Max Mara’s commitment to staying ahead in both fashion and retail technology.

The Creative Imperative: Insights from Coach and Anthropologie

Giovanni Zaccariello of Coach and Elizabeth Preis of Anthropologie took the stage to share how creativity is a cornerstone of customer engagement.

Coach’s approach:

• Coach Play, a hospitality-driven concept targeting Gen Z, reimagines stores as community hubs. These spaces boast dwell times four to five times higher than average locations.
• Innovative elements like Coach Café and hyper-localised designs resonate deeply with younger audiences.

Anthropologie’s strategy:

• The brand’s focus on creating “Anthromagic”—immersive, highly personalised retail experiences—has attracted a younger demographic while maintaining its loyal customer base.
• Recent initiatives, such as holiday pop-ups and bespoke store designs, underscore its ability to blend storytelling with commerce seamlessly.

Both brands highlighted the importance of balancing data-driven insights with creative intuition, creating emotionally resonant experiences that build lasting customer loyalty.

AI Agents: A new era of Unified Commerce

Salesforce was showcasing how autonomous AI agents are set to revolutionise unified commerce. The session highlighted how these agents augment teams across marketing, loyalty, service, and commerce.

Key highlights:

• Salesforce’s Data Cloud powers real-time insights, enabling hyper-personalised customer interactions.
• Autonomous agents streamline workflows, reduce operational burdens, and enhance customer satisfaction.
• Luxury retailer Saks is already piloting this technology, envisioning AI-powered personal assistants for shoppers across channels.

Salesforce’s innovations are not just tools—they’re a vision for how AI can redefine the retail landscape by blending human creativity with machine efficiency.

Theme from day 1: Innovation meets purpose

Day 1 of NRF 2025 delivered me a clear message: the future of retail lies in blending technological innovation with customer-centric purpose. Whether through AI-powered personalisation, unified commerce strategies, or experiential retail, the industry is evolving to meet the dynamic needs of modern shoppers.

From the latest in AI to groundbreaking creative initiatives, NRF 2025 is proving to be a playground for ideas that will shape the future of commerce.

What inspired you most from Day 1 of NRF 2025? Let’s connect and discuss how these innovations can redefine your retail strategies!

(Disclaimer: This is based on my notes from the NRF 2025. I believe they are correct, but I might have missed a word or two!)

#NRF2025 #unifiedcommerce #innovation #retailtransformation #columbus