This month the Syndigo Team joined 40,000 retail professionals at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2025 Big Show. We had exciting in-depth discussions about retail tech trends and changing needs with innovative retailers at our booth, where we offered demos of the new Syndigo Product Experience Cloud for Retail. The topics with the most “buzz” this year included the use of AI applications, meeting consumer sustainability demands, the benefits of using unified solutions, and immersive technologies that are dramatically changing consumer experiences. From warehouse operations to store optimizations and AI agents reshaping the customer journey, it was clear that the industry is fully immersed in a transformation driven by technology.

AI: Moving Beyond Hype to Impact
AI was everywhere at NRF, not just in keynote discussions but woven into the fabric of the event’s conversations. This wasn’t the typical “we should use AI” chatter. Instead, it was about how AI is already making measurable impacts in operations and experiences.
Retailers are deploying AI to optimize warehouses with precision, utilizing smart cameras to detect and respond to issues like fallen inventory and coordinating autonomous equipment like forklifts to address problems in real time. These are not experiments—they’re practical implementations.
Agentic AIs are also taking a front seat. These systems are fine-tuned with proprietary data to handle complex tasks, from shopping assistance to predictive maintenance in stores. For example, some retailers are now using AI to create store planograms tailored to local demand patterns, enhancing product placement and customer navigation.
Syndigo’s AI-native PXM, with features like detection and extraction, image comparison, and multilingual translations, plays a critical role in enabling retailers to manage the complex product data that feeds into these AI systems. Accurate data is foundational to AI’s effectiveness, ensuring that decisions made by these systems are both reliable and impactful.
Unified Commerce: The New Normal
Unified commerce is no longer an ambition but an expectation. Retailers are integrating physical stores, e-commerce platforms, and social channels to create seamless customer experiences. A growing focus on Retail Media Networks (RMNs) exemplifies this shift, with brands and retailers leveraging customer data to create targeted, personalized campaigns.
What was notable this year was how unified commerce wasn’t just about integrating channels—it was about creating agility. Retailers with systems capable of syncing inventory, pricing, and promotions across locations are better positioned to adapt to rapid changes in consumer demand.
This is where location-based assortment management becomes critical. Retailers need to optimize inventory not only for national trends but for hyper-local demand, ensuring that the right products are available where and when they’re needed.

Sustainability: The Strategic Imperative
One of the most impactful conversations at NRF revolved around sustainability. Discussions about Digital Product Passports (DPPs) highlighted how transparency is becoming essential for consumer trust. While DPPs are still in the early stages, they represent a vision where every product comes with detailed information about its lifecycle, from material sourcing to recyclability.
For retailers already pursuing sustainability goals, centralized platforms are critical. ESG reporting isn’t just about compliance; it’s about efficiency and clarity. Tools that integrate sustainability data with broader operational data allow retailers to monitor their progress, identify gaps, and make adjustments in real time.
Customers using Syndigo’s Product Experience Cloud for Retail leverage its capabilities to track ethical sourcing, manage supplier data, and provide transparent reporting to stakeholders. With the ability to centralize this information alongside other operational metrics, they’re well-positioned to meet evolving regulatory and consumer expectations.
Emerging Technologies: From Immersive to Intelligent
Beyond AI, immersive technologies like AR and VR continue to evolve. Virtual showrooms are now moving beyond novelty to real utility. Customers can visualize products in their homes or on avatars, creating deeper connections with brands.

At the same time, advancements in digital twins are reshaping how retailers design and manage physical spaces. NVIDIA showcased how physics-based AI and digital twins are being used to simulate store layouts and optimize inventory placement. These tools allow retailers to test changes in a virtual environment before implementing them in the real world, saving time and reducing costs.
Key Takeaways for Retailers
- AI is Maturing: Retailers are deploying AI at scale, from warehouse optimization to personalized shopping experiences. This is no longer about pilots; it’s about impact.
- Unified Commerce Drives Agility: Integrating channels and optimizing assortments for local markets are critical for staying competitive.
- Sustainability is Non-Negotiable: Transparency and accountability are table stakes for consumers. Retailers must embed sustainability into their operations.
- Data is Everything: From powering AI to enabling sustainability reporting, centralized, accurate data is the foundation of modern retail.
The Road Ahead
NRF 2025 showed us that retail is no longer just reacting to technological shifts—it’s driving them. From AI-driven efficiencies to immersive consumer experiences and sustainable practices, the industry is embracing a future where innovation isn’t just nice to have; it’s essential.
For those of us in retail technology, this is an exciting time. These trends validate the work we’ve been doing and highlight the potential for even greater transformation in the years to come. As we look ahead, it’s clear that success will depend on staying agile, customer-focused, and willing to embrace the opportunities technology provides.