Retail transformation rarely fails because of technology; it fails because of organizational barriers. Misaligned incentives, cultural resistance, legacy processes, and leadership blind spots can quietly undermine even the most promising digital and AI initiatives. For senior retail leaders, these hidden obstacles often prevent AI pilots from scaling, stall transformation efforts, and limit the return on innovation investments. This session introduces a practical framework for identifying and addressing the internal challenges that hold transformation efforts back. Attendees will hear strategies for aligning teams, modernizing decision-making, and building organizations capable of turning AI and digital initiatives into sustained, measurable business impact – moving beyond experimentation toward enterprise-wide change.

Disruption is no longer a moment – it’s the operating environment. Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how consumers discover, evaluate, and buy, forcing retail leaders to rethink marketing, pricing, loyalty, and inventory in real time. As AI enables “one-to-X” engagement – deeply personalized experiences delivered at scale – the rules of retail are changing. Static pricing gives way to dynamic models. At the same time, consumer trust is under pressure as pricing, personalization, and value become increasingly opaque. In this always forward-looking session, Mitch Joel will introduce his P.A.C.E. framework to help retail leaders navigate this disruption. Attendees will gain a strategic roadmap to compete in an AI-mediated economy where adaptability, trust, and intelligent systems define competitive advantage.

Efficiency in content creation has dominated much of the conversation around AI, but the real opportunity lies in fundamentally rethinking how organizations operate. In this session, an industry thought leader shares lessons from guiding organizations through bold reinvention, treating AI not as a threat to existing models, but as a catalyst for deliberate self-disruption. The discussion explores what the emerging new landscape could look like as AI-powered agents reshape how work is created, managed, and delivered – dramatically compressing the content supply chain from months to days. Attendees will gain insight into how leaders can redesign workflows, rethink talent strategies, and evolve decision-making structures to thrive in an AI-driven environment, while building organizations capable of disrupting themselves before the market does.

Based on her upcoming book Chief Impact Officer, Julie Averill, former CIO of lululemon, shares why most AI transformations fail. For NRF Nexus leaders navigating enterprise-wide AI adoption, this session cuts through the hype to reveal what actually drives impact: psychological safety, authentic leadership and influence without authority. Drawing on lessons from her leadership roles at lululemon, Nordstrom and REI, Julie offers a practical blueprint for building global tech teams, leading through disruption, and making culture your competitive infrastructure. The takeaway: sustainable AI transformation requires human intelligence first – and courageous, vulnerable leadership to make it stick.

Twice a year, Benedict Evans publishes his definitive macro trends presentation to answer a simple question: what’s actually changing, and what does it mean? His latest analysis argues that AI is becoming a foundational computing layer, reshaping discovery, advertising, commerce architecture, and enterprise operations across every industry. For retailers, this shift extends far beyond chatbots. AI agents will transform how consumers discover products, how media and advertising drive demand, and how commerce platforms must evolve to become machine-readable and composable. In this data-driven session, Benedict will separate signal from noise, helping retail leaders understand which AI trends will matter most – and how to position their organizations for the next wave of platform and commerce transformation.