The “Next Now” of Retail: Lessons from NRF’s Big Show 2026
Posted by Kit Campoy on Jan 20, 2026
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The lights were low, the bass was heavy, and the promo videos moved in cinematic slow motion. Standing on the fifth floor of the Javits Center at NRF 2026, it was impossible not to feel the “Next Now” theme bumping through the room. But as the spectacle of Retail’s Big Show unfolded, the most interesting takeaway wasn’t found in the loudest music or the flashiest screens. Instead, I found it in a shift toward something invisible. Leaders are leaning into their people and relying on invisible technology to push their companies into the future.
From the keynotes of luxury titans like LVMH to the scrappy startup stories of Dick’s Sporting Goods, a clear consensus emerged. The industry is leaving behind the old, clunky customer service days. Now, it’s entering a phase of seamless integration. The retail store is no longer a simple point of sale. Retail buildings are an ecosystem of community, service, and agentic intelligence.
Let’s take a look.
Ed Stack, the mind behind Dick’s Sporting Goods, kicked things off by talking about the new House of Sport. He also shared the philosophy that shaped it. His message was a masterclass in humility. “The higher you go, the more you listen,” he said.
Stack described an inverted organizational chart. In this model, the customer is at the top, while he and the executives are at the bottom. This leadership style means that whoever is in front of the customer is the most important person in the company.
For brick-and-mortar retailers, this philosophy creates a high bar for technology. If the associate is the most important person in the company, the tools they carry must be worthy of that title. This is why we saw such a heavy focus on removing the physical barriers between the employee and the guest. Stack advises leaders to “not tolerate jerks” and focus on collaboration. The “jerk” in the room can even be the legacy hardware that keeps an associate’s back turned to the person they are meant to serve.
Tech should be invisible and make humans even more exceptional.
A notable vision of the future came from the LVMH panel. For a brand that prioritizes humanity as a core value, technology plays a paradoxical role by being omnipresent while remaining unnoticed.
The goal for 2026 isn’t to have more screens in the store. The goal is to use tech to help humans be excellent. This is the “Yes, if” mindset in action that Ed Stack referred to in an earlier session. Instead of a “No, because” response—No, because the system is down; No, because I have to check the back—associates are being equipped to provide seamless, customized experiences.
By moving the entire store’s capability onto a mobile-first architecture, brands are finally achieving that LVMH ideal. When an associate can check global inventory, personalize a recommendation, and process a transaction from an iPhone without any glitches, the technology has successfully retreated into the background. It is no longer a POS system. It is an extension of human hospitality.
Agentic commerce will be another extension of this kind of hospitality.
The technical buzzword of NRF 2026 was clearly agentic commerce. As Jason Goldberg (Retailgeek) noted, we are witnessing the rise of the AI-native customer. These are shoppers who no longer use a Google search for products. These customers use AI agents to find, vet, and even buy goods on their behalf.
This presents a challenge for physical retail. How do you best assist an AI-native customer? Will tried-and-true processes still work in this new digital age?
Ed Stack mentioned using AI for merchandising and “building baskets.” Another real power of agentic commerce is in the hands of the frontline. When AI can sort out the intention, discipline, and restraint of data management, the associate can focus on the “trust” that LVMH insists makes AI work.
In 2026, the device in an associate’s hand is the interface for this agentic future. This includes a living website that brings the website’s superpowers directly into the aisle. It bridges the gap between digital predictive power and physical human touch.
How else are brands reaching customers and providing authentic experiences?
Marketing legend Gary Vaynerchuk provided a reality check on how we reach our customers. Audiences can tell when brands are marketing to them. They can feel it. New sales channels may be signaling the end of the traditional ad funnel.
Vaynerchuk spoke at length about interest media. In 2026, the algorithm doesn’t care about how many followers a brand has. The algorithm cares about the relevance of a single moment. Your first video could go viral if done well.
This relevance translates back into the store. Gymshark hosts runs, and Skims hosts pop-up dinners. But store teams can treat every day like a special event.
By training associates to be approachable and authentic, leaders like Fran Horowitz at Abercrombie & Fitch are making connections that digital cannot match.
While the excitement was abundant, there was a call for strategic discipline. The co-founder of Skims, Emma Grede, warned against the “fixer-upper” mentality of expansion. Her message? Resist the urge to do everything you can.
This discipline is especially critical in an era of macroeconomic uncertainty. Retailers are being more mindful of their physical space. They are focusing on specific locations instead of opening 100 stores to then close 50.
This lean approach makes omnichannel a necessity. Agility lets brands switch from a pop-up to a permanent spot. They do this without fixed ideas about what a retail tech stack should be.
As the heavy bass of the NRF promo videos faded, one quote from Ed Stack lingered. When asked what he was most proud of, he didn’t point to global market access or the acquisition of Foot Locker. He said, “The team.”
The Next Now of retail is a world where the customer is at the top of the org chart, and the technology is invisible so that the team may shine. We’re moving away from legacy systems but back toward authenticity. We’re replacing rigid systems with agile, mobile-first platforms. Retailers are delivering on the promise I found in that dark Javits auditorium.
The future isn’t always shiny and polished. The future is the freedom to talk less, listen more, and serve the neighborhood.
Kit Campoy is a retail expert and the author of the book, The Retail Leader’s Field Guide. She spent 46,000 hours in stores leading teams. Today, she trains frontline teams and writes for world-class SaaS retail tech brands.
