NRF 2026 AI, Culture & the Future of Retail | Five Things Friday USA

In this Five Things Friday – USA Edition, we sit down with Jill, SVP of Content at National Retail Federation (NRF), live from the largest NRF show ever.

With 41,000 attendees, 1,000+ exhibitors, 550+ sessions, and 100 countries represented, Jill breaks down what actually mattered at NRF this year — and what retailers must take forward.

Key topics covered:

Why customer relevance now outweighs platform strategy

AI’s shift from buzzword to embedded business infrastructure

How agents and automation are driving margin improvement, not layoffs

Why retail is moving at the speed of culture, not just technology

The rise of contextual commerce and attention-based discovery

How search behaviour is changing with ChatGPT-style queries

What retailers should leave behind — and take forward — into 2026

NRF’s global expansion: Singapore, Paris, and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) 2027

Jill also reflects on standout voices including Gary Vaynerchuk, major announcements from Google, and future-focused thinking from Jason Goldberg of Publicis.

This episode is a field guide for retail leaders navigating AI, culture, loyalty, and what comes next-now.

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