On the NRF Floor
Walking the floors at the Javits Center during NRF Retail’s Big Show is not about chasing trends. It is about the scope of the infrastructure beneath them.
With a background in engineering and robotics, and over a decade in fashion spanning store-side roles through Ecommerce Operations, I have learned to look past the surface. At NRF, I was not reacting to what looked impressive. I was paying attention to how it was built, how it scales, and where it holds under pressure.
NRF 2026 reinforced something I have learned both on the floor and behind the dashboard.
The future of retail is not louder. It is more precise.
From Store Floor to Systems Thinking
Working store-side teaches you quickly where systems fail. Inventory does not sync. Fulfillment promises fall apart. Tools look strong in theory but struggle under real customer pressure.
Moving into Ecommerce Operations sharpens that perspective. You stop observing the breakdown and start owning the fix at scale.
That lens stayed with me throughout NRF. Every demo, panel, and activation raised the same internal question. Would this actually work when volume, complexity, and human behavior collide?
The Ocado Session: Applied Intelligence Over Hype
The most compelling session for me was the warehouse automation deep dive led by Mark Richardson of Ocado.
Ocado did not begin as a tech company. It began as an online grocer in the UK, solving real-time fulfillment constraints at scale. Their robotic grid-based pick-and-sort system, paired with AI-driven robotic selection arms, was engineered out of operational necessity. Today, that same infrastructure is licensed globally by retailers managing complex, high-volume SKU environments.
What stood out most was the modularity.
They did not build one perfect warehouse.
They built a system that adapts to demand.
That distinction between innovation and application is where real efficiency lives.
Applied Innovation on the Floor: The Pit Stop Activation
Some of the most effective innovation at NRF lived below the main show floor.
The Food Service Innovation Zone, branded as The Pit Stop, was designed like a NASCAR-style driveway and focused on automating the point-of-service experience from ordering through fulfillment.
Attendees interacted with the systems from inside cars. The experience made automation tangible. You did not have to imagine the benefit. You could see and feel the reduction in friction and the improvement in flow.
The best systems do not ask users to adapt.
They adapt to real behavior.
Commerce Next, Community, and a Reset
Day two at NRF shifted the focus from backend systems to applied intelligence in motion. The Commerce Next AI playground showcased how artificial intelligence is already being used in practical, everyday ways across retail, content creation, and personal wellness.
For a closer look at the applied AI tools and products I explored at the Commerce Next AI playground, check in tomorrow 1/22 after 5pm.
Closing Moment: Community and Culture
The closeout for my NRF experience this year was the NRF ’26 Retailβs Big Concert featuring Joe Jonas.
I stitched together a few short moments from the night, moving from the DJ set into the crowd energy, and finally to Joe taking the stage. Below is a mini Big Concert captured in motion.
His final performance of Cake by the Ocean was the right note to end on, especially with event merch naming him Employee of the Month. Somewhere between the jacket and those sharply darted trousers, I was also reminded that great style, like great systems, lives in the details.
Even in a retail landscape shaped by automation, AI, and data, the work remains centered on people.
π Letβs Keep the Conversation Going
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