NRF 2020 concluded as one of the greatest Big Shows ever. The National Retail Federation united over 40,000 people to share visionary ideas, build visionary partnerships and experience visionary technology. The show may be over, but the vision for retail’s future is just getting started! Here are some of the highlights from the show.
Day 1 Recap
Following BJ’s Wholesale Chairman and CEO Chris Baldwin’s conference kickoff, industry luminaries appeared on the stage to share their thoughts on the future of retail technology and transforming company culture. The day ended at the NRF Foundation Honors which raised $4 million to support the next generation of retail talent.
Stephanie Wissink, Managing Director of Consumer Research from Jefferies, gave a presentation on the rapid growth of CBD products and how they are impacting big box, digital, specialty and department stores. Between skyrocketing healthcare costs and more health-conscious consumers, CBD is at the forefront of their minds and therefore projected to continue to rise in popularity over the years.
Day 2 Recap
On the second day of the world’s largest retail conference and expo, the stages were packed with visionary CEOs from Starbucks, Cartier North America, Bonobos, Hudson’s Bay Company, Ocado Group, Mastercard and more. Innovative brands shared secrets to increase customer engagement and speakers in the FQ Lounge explored how women are leading the industry through transformation.
Shyft CEO Brett Patrontasch, the leading provider of mobile workforce management solutions, ran a Big Ideas session titled, “Gen Z and Millennials are here: How and where to engage them.” In this session, Patrontasch helped retailers understand how to engage digital-native employees to optimize frontline service and increase sales. Through user feedback and UX research, Shyft has seen that the most critical factor for apps engaging Gen Z and Millennials is to provide multiple engaging forms of communication.
Day 3 Recap
The final day of NRF 2020 began with Erik Nordstrom sharing some of the unique ways Nordstrom is meeting the evolving needs of their customers and how they shop. The retail insights continued with featured sessions that included presentations from Peleton, Shinola, Allbirds, Drybar, American Girl, Nike and more.
For a more in-depth recap of the NRF 2020 Big Show, you can visit nrfbigshow.nrf.com/recap.