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NRF Europe 2025, held for the first time in Paris, marked a decisive moment for the retail industry. More than 20,000 decision-makers, 480 exhibitors, and over 200 speakers gathered to share insights, showcase innovations, and debate the future of commerce.
This first European edition confirmed that retail is entering a new era, driven by artificial intelligence deployed at scale, omnichannel strategies as a standard, retail media growth, and sustainability as both a compliance requirement and a strategic lever.
This report captures the highlights, key insights, and business implications for retailers in Europe and beyond.
Artificial intelligence has moved from pilot projects to full-scale deployment, becoming a growth engine for the retail sector. Retailers are leveraging AI to forecast demand, reduce overstocks, optimize dynamic pricing, and detect fraud in real time.
Generative AI, in particular, is unlocking new possibilities, from virtual shopping assistants to automated marketing content. McKinsey estimates that generative AI could create up to $660 billion in annual value for global retail by 2030. The first adopters are already seeing results, with 20% higher conversions and 15% fewer overstocks, proving that AI has moved from experimentation to measurable business performance.
Omnichannel has become the foundation of modern retail. Customers expect seamless experiences across every touchpoint, whether online, mobile, or in-store. Salesforce research shows that 73% of consumers demand consistency between digital and physical channels.
Retailers showcased how omnichannel strategies can reinforce loyalty and engagement. Sephora and Carrefour demonstrated the integration of digital and physical journeys, while Starbucks now generates more than 50% of its sales via mobile channels, proving that connected commerce has become mainstream.
Stores are no longer just points of sales, they are evolving into experience hubs, logistics nodes, and community spaces.
Data is now a core asset for retailers, enabling them to act faster, predict demand, and personalize customer interactions. Data-driven retailers grow 2.5 times faster than competitors who lack unified intelligence.
At NRF Europe 2025, Databricks presented its Lakehouse architecture, which merges data lakes and data warehouses. This model boosts analytical efficiency by 34% and allows retailers to centralize customer data, transactions, and supply chain flows in real time.
Salesforce Data Cloud complements this by unifying fragmented systems and enabling personalized engagement across every channel. Together, Databricks and Salesforce create the foundation for a data-driven, AI-enabled retail industry.
Retail media is emerging as a key revenue driver for retailers. By monetizing first-party data and turning apps and physical shelves into measurable advertising platforms, retailers are unlocking new high-margin business models.
The retail media market is projected to reach $160 billion by 2027, redefining the profit and loss structure of retailers. At NRF Europe 2025, case studies showed how retail media is moving from a marketing experiment to a strategic lever, opening new revenue opportunities while strengthening customer relationships.
Sustainability is no longer an optional strategy, it is becoming a prerequisite for competitiveness. With the upcoming CSRD directive, more than 50,000 European companies will be required to disclose ESG indicators.
Retailers are already measuring financial impact: energy-efficient stores can reduce consumption by 30%, while more sustainable supply chains cut logistics costs by 10–15%. Circular economy models such as resale and repair not only reinforce profitability but also improve brand reputation.
At NRF Europe 2025, the consensus was clear: sustainability is not just a marketing narrative but a driver of operational efficiency, compliance, and long-term growth.
Salesforce plays a pivotal role in helping retailers navigate this transformation.
BayBridgeDigital amplifies Salesforce’s impact with its Bayretail accelerators, enabling faster deployments, measurable ROI, and scalable omnichannel innovation.
Databricks provides the technological foundation for retail data strategies with its Lakehouse model. By combining the flexibility of data lakes and the structure of warehouses, the Lakehouse allows retailers to centralize data management while enabling real-time analytics and AI applications.
In collaboration with Celebal Tech, Databricks extends its capabilities with industry-specific accelerators that operationalize AI and analytics across global retail operations. This partnership illustrates how advanced data architectures are no longer optional but essential for competitiveness.
Physical retail is being reinvented as a platform for omnichannel engagement, community building, and ESG demonstration.
Retail store tours in Paris highlighted innovative formats like Lacoste Arena and Rituals Mind Oasis, where stores become immersive environments, blending digital experiences with sustainability practices. Retailers adopting this model are seeing a 50% increase in visit frequency, proving that physical retail remains central to strategy, but in a transformed role.
NRF Europe 2025 confirmed three fundamental imperatives for the retail industry:
The future of retail will be defined by those who can unify their data, embrace AI, and embed ESG into their operating models. The challenge ahead is not identifying trends, but executing them with speed and precision.
This report was authored by Roxanne Simporé, Marketing & Communication Manager at BayBridgeDigital, with contributions from BayBridgeDigital’s Retail, Data, and AI practices.
BayBridgeDigital is a Salesforce Summit Partner and Agentic AI powerhouse, specializing in digital transformation for retail, life sciences, financial services, and consumer goods industries.
Sources: NRF Europe 2025 sessions, McKinsey, IDC, Salesforce Research, GlobalData.
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