Every January, something happens in New York City that you won't see anywhere else in retail.
More than 40,000 people descend on the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. CEOs of billion-dollar brands walk the same floors as startup founders who launched six months ago. Legacy department stores set up booths next to AI companies that didn't exist last year. Supply chain veterans compare notes with DTC disruptors who've never touched a distribution center.
It's chaotic. It's energizing. And it's absolutely essential if you want to understand where retail is actually heading.
That's NRF Retail's Big Show.
If you've been before, you know. If you haven't, let me explain why this event has stayed relevant for decades while other conferences fade into obscurity. This isn't just another trade show promising networking opportunities and keynote speakers. NRF is where the entire retail ecosystem shows up to figure out what's next.
And I do mean the entire ecosystem. This isn't purely an eCommerce event or a technology showcase. It's brick-and-mortar retailers figuring out digital. It's online brands expanding into physical spaces. It's foodservice operators rethinking their supply chains. It's omnichannel strategies that actually work, not just the ones that look good in slide decks.
So whether you're planning your first trip or your fifteenth, here's everything you need to know to make NRF 2026 worth your time and travel budget.
Let's start with the logistics, because showing up prepared is half the battle.
NRF Retail's Big Show 2026
- Date: January 11-13, 2026
- Venue: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City
- Expected Attendance: 40,000+ retail professionals
- More details: NRF Retail's Big Show
Three days. One massive venue. Thousands of exhibitors and hundreds of sessions. You'll want comfortable shoes.
But here's something new that makes 2026 particularly interesting. For the first time, NRF is launching a co-located event that tackles one of retail's most expensive and frustrating challenges.
NRF Rev 2026
- Date: January 11-12, 2026
- Venue: Sheraton Times Square, New York City
- Focus: Returns, reverse logistics, and circular retail
- More details: NRF Rev 2026
If you've got an NRF 2026 pass, you also get access to NRF Rev. And honestly? This might be the sleeper hit of the week.
Think about returns for a second. Not the happy path of selling products, but the messy reality of getting them back. For most retailers, returns are a black hole where margins go to die. Customers want free returns. They want them instantly processed. They want their money back before the package even arrives at your warehouse.
But what if returns weren't just a cost center? What if they were actually an opportunity to build loyalty, gather data, and even generate revenue through resale and circular commerce models?
That's what NRF Rev is exploring. If you're tired of watching your bottom line erode every time a package comes back, this event deserves your attention.
What to Expect at NRF 2026
Every year, NRF somehow manages to capture exactly what the retail industry is wrestling with. The conversations that happen on the show floor in January become the strategies that brands implement by December.
So what's on everyone's mind heading into 2026?
AI and automation, obviously. But not in the breathless "AI will change everything" way that dominated 2023 and 2024. We're past the hype cycle now. The question isn't whether to use AI anymore. It's how to use it well. How do you forecast demand when algorithms are learning from data that includes pandemic-era anomalies? What does personalization actually look like when it's powered by machine learning but still needs to feel human? How do you train your team to work alongside AI tools instead of feeling replaced by them?
Sustainability continues moving from aspirational goal to operational requirement. Consumers are asking harder questions. Regulations are tightening across markets. Investors want to see real progress, not just commitments. And brands are discovering that building truly circular models is incredibly complex when you're dealing with global supply chains, multiple materials, and economics that don't always make sense on a spreadsheet.
Supply chain resilience is still top of mind too, even years after the worst disruptions. Smart retailers learned that efficiency isn't worth much if your entire operation grinds to a halt when one link breaks. So they're redesigning networks for flexibility. They're diversifying suppliers. They're bringing some operations closer to home even when it costs more. They're building systems that can absorb shocks instead of shattering.
And then there's the blurring of channels. We don't even call it omnichannel anymore because that implies channels are still separate things you connect. They're not. A customer researches on mobile, tries on in-store, buys online, picks up curbside, and returns through a third-party service. That's not omnichannel. That's just retail now.
As for who shows up, that mix is what makes NRF special. You'll see executives from Target and Walmart sharing the venue with founders who are still working out of their apartments. Enterprise software vendors demonstrating platforms that cost millions to implement, right next to scrappy startups showing you can solve the same problem with a clever API integration. Consultants who've seen hundreds of implementations. Analysts who track every market shift. Journalists looking for the next big story. Investors hunting for opportunities.
Top Sessions and Speakers
The main stage typically features retail's biggest leaders and the innovators spotting trends before they're obvious. Expect keynotes from major retail CEOs, technology pioneers, and cultural figures who understand where consumer behavior is heading. But the breakout sessions are where things get tactical: supply chain redesign, AI implementation strategies, customer data platforms that actually work, and case studies from brands solving real problems at scale.
Why the NRF Big Show Matters for Retail and eCommerce Brands
Let me tell you why this event has staying power while other conferences come and go with the hype cycles.
Scale gives you perspective. When you're at a niche event focused on one channel or one technology, you get deep knowledge but narrow context. NRF is the opposite. It's deliberately broad. Brick-and-mortar and eCommerce and omnichannel and supply chain and foodservice all in one place.
That breadth matters more than you might think. When you see what traditional retailers are prioritizing, what online brands are testing, and how omnichannel operators are connecting the dots, patterns emerge. You start distinguishing between trends that will reshape retail and hype that will fade by Q2.
The networking is genuinely unmatched. Not the forced "let's exchange business cards at a happy hour" networking. The organic kind that happens when you're standing in line for coffee and start chatting with someone solving the exact problem you're stuck on. When you sit next to a potential partner in a session and realize you should talk after. When you run into someone you've only known through LinkedIn and suddenly that relationship becomes real.
These conversations form partnerships. They spark collaborations. They help you realize you're not alone in struggling with challenges that feel unique until you discover half the industry is wrestling with the same thing.
NRF also sets the agenda for retail conversations throughout the entire year. The themes that emerge here become the framework for industry dialogue. The technologies that generate buzz become the ones everyone's evaluating by spring. The strategies that successful retailers share openly become the benchmarks everyone else measures against.
For eCommerce brands specifically, NRF offers something you can't get at purely digital conferences: context. Understanding how physical retail is evolving matters even if you'll never open a store. Knowing what traditional players are learning about customer behavior informs your digital strategy. Seeing where supply chain bottlenecks are forming helps you plan around them.
The best eCommerce operators understand their success is connected to the broader retail ecosystem, not separate from it. When brick-and-mortar figures something out about customer experience, that lesson applies online too. When supply chain innovations make fulfillment faster, that benefits everyone.
See You in New York
NRF 2026 is where retail's biggest decisions get made and where the year's strategy takes shape. Mark January 11-13 on your calendar, book your trip early, and show up with a clear plan for what you need to learn. That's how you turn three days in New York into a competitive edge for the next twelve months.
Ready to plan your year? Browse our events directory or check out the top 22 eCommerce events in 2026 for more options. Got an event we should cover? Submit it here.
