For us, New York in January means two things: sub-zero temperatures and the NRF Retail’s Big Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
From the 11th to the 13th of January 2026, the Big Apple returns to the centre of the global retail stage, and power2Cloud is ready to fly across the pond once again!
This is where the industry reveals itself without filters and takes stock. The data shows us exactly where investments are flowing, how consumer culture is shifting, and what has suddenly become the new standard in retail.
"The Next Now" is not just a tagline; it’s a clear declaration of intent. Retail isn't waiting for the future; it is betting on technologies to connect channels, measure performance in real-time, and scale operations and customer experience (CX) without losing its identity.
And here lies the heart of the matter. While the accelerator is being pushed on artificial intelligence, robotics, retail media, and social commerce, the real question that the market and people continue to ask brands is far more human: "Do you recognise me? Do you understand me? Can you make my life easier?". This is why wallets, loyalty programmes, and newsletters can immediately become strategic relationship tools, rather than just promotional vehicles.
This revolution won't wait. It doesn't just involve eCommerce or physical stores, but the entire sales ecosystem. The purchase journey no longer begins and ends where we thought it did; it happens across diverse channels. A product might be discovered on TikTok Shop, via a Google search, or even through an advice sought from ChatGPT, a check on a digital wallet, an email or SMS promo, and why not, during an in-store pickup or while using loyalty points.
It is no secret that in America, many innovations are born and tested earlier, partly thanks to more progressive regulations.
Retailers here have long adopted solutions that profile customers (age, origin, movement) and analyse flows and behaviours using technology that even tracks product movement within the store, between checkouts and displays, to understand what works and what doesn't. Meanwhile, experiences and promotions are proposed in real-time when a customer is in proximity to the point of sale. Incredible? Not at all.
NRF offers plenty of provocative insights, especially for those in Europe still trying to nail the more "basic" functions like click & collect, reliable stock levels, integrated returns, and customer care that doesn't get lost between channels.
All this happens while advertising demands higher budgets, platforms evolve, and many companies find themselves in an uncomfortable position: on one side, the pressure to innovate; on the other, the difficulty of building solid foundations quickly. And let’s repeat it: you can no longer scale without automation, and you can no longer automate without data!
The agenda for these three days in New York is packed. The NRF 2026 stage will feature stories from iconic brands like Tiffany & Co. and Walmart, alongside an unexpected protagonist: Ryan Reynolds (whom we already met at INBOUND 2024). As a famous actor and modern entrepreneur, he is a concrete example of how storytelling, community, and business can become one and the same.
Visionary speakers also include Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, and Google Cloud leaders such as Jose Gomes (VP Retail & Consumer) and Carrie Tharp (VP Solutions & Industries). They are gathering to inspire us on the importance of connection and integration as the enabling engine for fluid, scalable, and data-driven experiences.
Google (at the Expo area, Booth #5507) has already highlighted the importance of continuous measurement and optimisation based on first-party data and activation capabilities. In short, this isn't just a marketing topic, but real performance along the entire customer journey, with AI entering the fray to read behaviours, personalise interactions, and speed up decision-making.
The presence of the AI Stage at NRF, focused on artificial intelligence, agentic AI, and emerging technologies, is there to prove that the sector no longer wants generic inspiration. It demands cases, methods, and frameworks to bring AI into both strategy and operations.
Shopify, having long shifted the spotlight from eCommerce to AI-native commerce, confirms itself once again as the ecosystem to bet on for increasing conversions across multiple channels, speeding up execution, and creating smoother experiences without adding complexity.
Making all touchpoints (physical retail with Shopify POS, social, marketplaces, and customer service) communicate in unison is genuinely simple. The Black Friday numbers were dizzying, not to mention the over 150 new features just announced with the Shopify Winter Edition. Because retail never sleeps!
Then we come to automation, the engine of team workflows and every relationship. Automation, yes, but with a heart. Klaviyo (Booth #6605) continues to champion not isolated campaigns, but a system where data, segmentation, content, email, SMS, and customer care work together to grow retention and the value of every customer.
We must surrender to the fact that the era of manual and reactive marketing is setting, making way for agents and automations that transform data into action. All in real-time.
As always, we will try to attend as many speeches as possible, listen to the strongest perspectives (even the uncomfortable ones), visit key stands, and look closely at how retail lives outside the convention centre: in the shops, in real experiences (you can read about our experience from last year here), and in the details that often make the difference.
Naturally, we will share everything in real-time on our LinkedIn page, reporting insights and solutions to continue helping companies achieve strategic results through timely choices.
If you are at NRF in New York between January 11th and 13th, drop us a line for a coffee and a chat.