Transforming Retail Without Limits: Key Takeaways from NRF Asia Pacific 2025

The second annual Nation Retail Federation Asia Pacific (NRF APAC) conference in Singapore proved to be an extraordinary gathering of retail innovation and insights. Bringing together over 10,000 attendees from 50 countries and almost 2,000 brands, this year’s event showcased the unlimited potential of retail in a region known for its diverse consumer needs, digital innovation, and dynamic retail landscape. Under the theme ‘Retail Unlimited’, which Ryf Quail, Managing Director of APAC Comexposium, called both a rallying cry and a golden opportunity for retailers to be “unlimited” in their approach, industry leaders explored how technology can transform retail and elevate shopping experiences at every touchpoint.

As we reflect on three days of thought-provoking discussions and demonstrations, several key themes emerged that highlight how the retail sector has reached a pivotal inflection point. While facing pressure from technological disruption, geopolitical uncertainty, and a fragmented consumer landscape, Asia is leading the way in relentless adaptation and innovation, delivering frictionless commerce.

Key themes

Listed below, we saw four key themes that are defining tomorrow’s retail landscape.

1. Agentic AI: Riding the next wave of transformation

• The future of AI is agentic—moving beyond personalization and prediction. Vince Koh, Worldwide Head of Digital Commerce at AWS, outlined how retailers are preparing for AI systems that can understand, decide, and act independently. This was reinforced by Coresight Research, “The Agentic AI Playbook: How to Redefine Retail with Intelligent Autonomy” industry report, forecasting that 51 percent of enterprise software applications will be “agentified” by 2029. We’re already starting to see this with Amazon’s Buy For Me feature, enabling AI-powered personal shopping companions to anticipate and serve customer needs.

2. Creating authentic customer connections

• Industry leaders emphasized that authenticity is crucial for connecting with consumers, particularly Gen Z shoppers. Nandita Sinha, CEO of Myntra, highlighted how Gen Z prioritizes trends over brand loyalty, while 7-Eleven’s Managing Director Anushree Khosla demonstrated how they’re attracting younger audiences through social channels. Dennis Seah from FairPrice Group reminded us that in the age of AI, human connection matters more than ever. He emphasized that technology should enable greater intimacy between brands and customers, not replace it.

3. Think global, act local: expanding into new markets

• In the diverse APAC region, expansion requires understanding different languages, cultures, and regulatory frameworks. Ian Bailey, Chairman of Anko Global, shared insights on leveraging local expertise for overseas growth, while Amanda Green from Treasury Wine Estates emphasized that true localization goes beyond translation to create culturally-relevant customer experiences. David Mann, Chief Economist at Mastercard, supported this focus with a promising economic outlook for APAC retail, citing increased discretionary spending power.

4. Experiential retail in action

• Singapore’s innovative retailers demonstrated how to blend digital capabilities with physical spaces. From FairPrice Finest’s premium supermarket experience to Swee Lee’s interactive music retail environment, and from Fort Canine’s pet wonderland to Casetify’s minimalist yet engaging store design, each showcased unique ways to create immersive, omnichannel experiences. This vision of future retail was further reinforced in Justin Swagler’s session on agentic AI, where he explored how intelligent systems can autonomously manage core operations like inventory and pricing, enabling store teams to focus on creating meaningful human connections. These retailers prove that physical stores aren’t simply physical anymore – they’re digitally enabled spaces that create memorable customer experiences.

AWS Booth at NRF APAC 2025

At NRF APAC 2025, AWS demonstrated its retail innovation through an integrated booth experience organized around four strategic pillars: customer-obsessed engagement, connected shopping experiences, cutting-edge retail operations, and generative AI applications. Booth visitors engaged with demonstrations of AWS generative AI tools redefining customer experiences, including the following:

• Amazon Rufus
• Amazon Beyond’s 3D immersive shopping experience and Virtual Try On (VTO)
• FoodLens app using agentic capabilities to help consumers with nutritional assessments and recipe suggestions
• AI-driven marketing and email campaigns through Amazon Personalize
• A planogram generation and compliance tool used for optimizing the visual layout of items on in-store displays and product shelving while ensuring display matches plan

The AWS booth also featured several AWS Industry partners, showcasing innovative solutions like Proto Hologram’s interactive human avatars, UST Smart Recommendation’s in-store personalized product recommendations, and Bodd’s state-of-the-art full body 3D scanners and precision body scanning technology revolutionizing retail operations with personalized sizing recommendations.

Shipsy showcased its AI-powered platform empowering global businesses to automate, optimize, track, and simplify end-to-end logistics and supply chain operations and Threedium’s stunning immersive consumer experiences technology that revolutionizes digital engagement by managing the entire lifecycle of 3D digital twins, facilitating augmented reality, virtual try-on, 3D ads, and product configurators across omnichannel and various devices. Also, Proglint featured their transformative vision analytics solution that captures customer behavior, tracks foot traffic, analyzes demographics, and enhances loss prevention.

Beyond displays and demonstrations, the AWS presence highlighted our evolution from technology vendor to strategic retail collaborator. By integrating native AWS solutions with specialized partner offerings, we demonstrated our singular focus: solving real retail challenges with practical technology that measurably improves operational efficiency while enabling retailers to create the seamless, personalized experiences today’s consumers demand

Beyond the expo

While technology drove innovation at NRF APAC 2025, the human connections forged proved equally transformative. AWS created intimate learning spaces through two specialized half-day events at our Singapore headquarters – bringing together over 100 retail leaders to explore practical applications of generative AI with PwC and re-imagine retail’s future with AWS ASEAN industry experts. These professional exchanges continued into the evening as AWS, alongside partners Forter, hosted unforgettable networking receptions against the stunning backdrops of Marina Bay Hotel’s rooftop and the 70th-floor SKAI lounge. The combination of structured learning and relaxed networking strengthened the relationships that will drive retail innovation forward across APAC.

Looking ahead

NRF APAC 2025 highlighted how the retail industry is advancing from futuristic experiments to evolved and scalable solutions, however it is rapidly evolving, with AI and channel agnostic, session aware experiences at the forefront of meaningful customer innovation. The conference highlighted the importance of balancing technological advancements with human relationships, as retailers strive to create meaningful connections with increasingly digitally-savvy consumers.

For retailers navigating this fast-changing landscape, AWS continues to be a crucial partner, delivering practical and innovative solutions that tackle real-world challenges while keeping customer obsession at the forefront of business transformation.

Partner with AWS today to help transform your retail experience.