Our NRF 2026 Recap - predictions - Future Commerce

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Episode notes

Fresh from the Javits Center, Phillip, Brian, and Alicia unpack NRF 2026's dominant themes, from AI's omnipresence to its curiously low adoption among the very professionals championing it. The conversation moves beyond technology theater to explore what truly drives commerce: cultural connection, intentional brand heritage, and multiplayer engagement that treats customers as collaborators rather than data points. 2026 Brought Us An AI Wake-Up Call Key Takeaways: AI saturation at NRF contrasts sharply with minimal executive adoption Successful AI integration preserves brand heritage rather than replacing it Multiplayer brand engagement becomes reality through tools like Taco Bell's Fan Styleplatform Analog intimacy resurfaces as consumers fight against digital fatigue "Who here has used AI to search for a product that you would like to buy? Not a single hand went up. Three out of 300 people had used ChatGPT to search for anything." - Phillip "The point isn't the technology.