NRF 2025 Supply Chain Top Takeaways

This IDC Perspective analyzes the proceedings at the NRF 2025 Supply Chain conference and highlights the pervasive role of AI, particularly GenAI and agentic AI, in optimizing retail supply chains, improving decision-making, and better serving the end consumer. Key takeaways include the integration of AI for enhanced efficiency, sustainability, and compliance; the importance of interconnected supply chain ecosystems; and the growing need for agile order management solutions to manage the complexities of omni-channel retail. The focus on AI-driven solutions for inventory management, sustainability, and returns optimization underscores the industry's shift toward more automated, resilient, and sustainable supply chain networks."Now and into the future, retailers will not compete head to head with their counterparts; they will compete one supply chain ecosystem to another," said Jordan K. Speer, research director, Worldwide Retail Product Sourcing, Fulfillment and Sustainability Strategies at IDC. "This is enabled in part by AI, which is revolutionizing retail supply chains, making them faster, more efficient and interoperable, and more sustainable."