Retail is at an inflection point. AI is moving from experiment to expectation. Omnichannel is no longer a competitive advantage—it’s table stakes. And physical stores are being reimagined as experience hubs rather than mere transaction points.
These aren’t distant predictions. They’re the challenges retailers are solving right now. And there’s no better place to see how the industry is responding than NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show, taking place January 11-13 at the Javits Center in New York City.
This year’s event will bring together 40,000 attendees, over 1,000 exhibitors, and 175+ sessions. With so much content, topics most critical to supply chain and IT leaders can easily get buried. This guide highlights where to focus and how to make the most of your time at the show.
Key Must-See Supply Chain Seminars at NRF 2026
In our view, the most important trends for supply chain and IT leaders to pay attention to at NRF 2026 center around AI-driven operations, item-level visibility, forecasting and fulfillment challenges, intelligent automation, and IoT-enabled resilience. While the show covers a wide spectrum of topics, the sessions below align most closely with the shifts reshaping modern retail supply chains today.
- AI-first by 2026: The new baseline for every retail brand — A spotlight on how the next generation of retail growth will be powered by autonomous agents that run campaigns, serve customers, and turn data into real-time action.
Sunday, January 11 | 12:10pm – 12:40pm | Snowflake Stage - Beyond the tag: RFID & the future of retail — A deep dive into the transformative power of RFID technology and other cutting-edge trends revolutionizing the retail landscape. This must-attend session will equip retail professionals with the insights and tools needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving market.
Sunday, January 11 | 1:00pm – 1:30pm | Exhibitor Big Ideas Stage 3 - CPG and retail: Supply chain challenges in a competitive market — CPG providers and retailers face complementary challenges reaching customers and meeting their needs. This is especially true in forecasting and fulfillment. Despite potential conflicts, data sharing is crucial. Join leaders from CPG and Retail as they discuss how collaboration leads to better sales, improved margins and enhanced customer interaction.
Sunday, January 11 | 4:00pm – 4:30pm | Exhibitor Big Ideas Stage 5 - The quiet backbone of retail: IoT supply chain systems that prevent store failure — Discover how modern platforms move beyond basic sensing to orchestrate prescriptive actions, generate adaptive SOPs, automate workflows, and deliver real-time training to frontline teams.
Monday, January 12 | 11:45am – 12:15pm | Exhibitor Big Ideas Stage 1 - From vision to value: How Agentic and Perceptive AI are shaping the future of retail — Learn how retailers are embracing the new frontier of intelligent automation, moving from science experiments to autonomous value creation. From reducing shrink, to accelerating decisions, and enhancing experiences that are predictive, perceptive, embedded, and actionable. Join industry leaders as they discuss what it takes to design, deploy, and scale these new AI frontiers.
Monday, January 12 | 2:15pm – 3:00pm | Exhibitor Big Ideas Stage 1 - AI in retail: Developing the intelligent supply chain— A panel discussion featuring Supermicro, NVIDIA and partners exploring use cases, best practices, and pitfalls for retailers as they adopt AI to improve supply chain processes.
Tuesday, January 13 | 1:00pm – 1:45pm | Exhibitor Big Ideas Stage 3
Must-Meet Supply Chain Leaders at NRF 2026
NRF brings together more than 5,000 brands and 40,000 industry professionals—making it an ideal place to connect with the technology and solution providers shaping the next generation of retail operations. Below are several Made4net partners we consider essential stops for any supply chain or IT leader looking to upgrade fulfillment, automation, and execution capabilities. These partners are innovating across POS, omnichannel fulfillment, robotics, and supply chain optimization.
Celerant Technology Corporation | Booth Level 3 — Booth 4232: A comprehensive retail software provider offering POS, ecommerce, and unified commerce solutions for businesses from start-ups to enterprise chains.
EasyShip | Level 1 — Booth 1761: A leading ecommerce shipping and fulfillment platform designed to simplify global logistics with real-time rates, flexible delivery options, and integrated shipment management.
Locus Robotics | Level 3 — Booth 6545: A global leader in warehouse robotics and automation, delivering flexible, scalable autonomous mobile robot (AMR) solutions that boost throughput, efficiency, and real-time operational intelligence.
Bricz | Level 3 — Booth 4158: A global supply chain consultancy helping retailers and brands optimize end-to-end operations—from network design and system implementation to advanced performance tuning and continuous improvement.
And, be sure to stop by to meet us! We’ll be exhibiting on Level 1 — Booth 1852, where our team will be showcasing how our retail WMS platform strengthens fulfillment performance and elevates the customer experience. We look forward to connecting with you during the show.
What to Watch for at NRF 2026: Retail Trends That Matter Most
We predict three trends will dominate the conversations shaping the future of retail at NRF 2026. These are topics we believe every supply chain and IT leader should be watching closely:
1. AI-Powered Personalization and Predictive Retail
AI is redefining how consumers discover, engage with, and purchase products. From predictive analytics to intelligent promotions and new shopper-facing tools, the industry is rapidly moving toward highly personalized, AI-driven customer journeys.
2. Omnichannel Integration as the Industry Standard
Today’s retail journeys span multiple touchpoints—and customers expect every one of them to align. Real-time inventory visibility, unified customer profiles, and flexible fulfillment capabilities are no longer differentiators; they’re operational requirements.
3. Stores Evolving Into Experience + Fulfillment Hubs
Physical stores continue to grow in relevance, but in new ways. Retailers are transforming stores into multifunctional spaces that deliver immersive experiences while also serving as efficient fulfillment nodes.
These trends are already being executed at scale by one of our customers, the Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer. IKEA is modernizing its digital supply chain and transforming its stores into omnichannel hubs—supported by Made4net’s fulfillment platform. Their work illustrates how real-time visibility, unified fulfillment, and store transformations are becoming essential foundations for retail growth. Visit us at the show for an update on IKEA and our other retail customers.
Preparing for NRF 2026
There’s a lot to take in at NRF 2026, but with the right preparation you can turn three busy days into real momentum for your retail operation. Don’t forget to grab Our Ultimate Guide to Attending NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show to help you navigate the floor with confidence and purpose.
See you at the show!
