The retail landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace. Artificial intelligence (AI) advancements, shifting consumer behaviors, and an ever-growing demand for personalized experiences reshape how brands connect with customers. In 2025 and beyond, staying ahead is no longer optional — it’s essential. Retailers must adopt cutting-edge technologies that enable them to predict and exceed consumer expectations while ensuring security, trust, and operational agility.
At NRF 2025, Justin Honaman of AWS, Brent Locks of Builder.io, Kimberly Berry of ESW, and Luke Ball of Salesforce joined our Limor Sinay to discuss how AI, personalization, and trust are transforming the customer experience. Here are the top takeaways from the discussion and actionable insights you can apply to future-proof your business.
Watch the full panel »
AI: The Must-Have for Retailers
Generative AI and advanced language models are redefining customer engagement. From hyper-personalized recommendations to real-time customer service, AI transforms how retailers interact with consumers. Yet, many businesses are still underutilizing its potential.
Tools like Salesforce’s Agentforce empower businesses to implement intelligent agents that benefit both retailers and customers. These agents automate repetitive tasks and provide real-time, personalized engagement. AI streamlines and enhances customer interactions by refining product suggestions based on browsing behavior or facilitating instant customer support.
Key Insight: If you’re not integrating AI into your operations, you risk falling behind. Tools like Agentforce help create seamless, personalized experiences that enhance customer loyalty, boost sales, and support internal teams in delivering superior service.
Personalization: Beyond Recommendations
Consumers demand personalized shopping experiences. From product recommendations to tailored content and checkout flows, personalization has become a baseline expectation. But it’s not just about suggesting the right product; personalization must extend to every part of the shopping journey.
According to ESW, brands offering personalized, localized checkouts see up to 40% higher conversion rates than those that don’t. Personalized experiences are particularly critical for international customers, as local preferences, language, currency, and cultural nuances must be accounted for.
Key Insight: The key to conversion is personalized product recommendations and a seamless, localized checkout process. Invest in technology that personalizes every step of the journey, from discovery to purchase, to ensure a frictionless, secure experience for your customers.
Agility: The Key to Staying Competitive
Agility is essential in digital commerce as consumer behaviors constantly shift and new technologies emerge. Retailers that fail to adapt quickly risk being left behind. The ability to pivot, whether adjusting inventory strategies, launching new engagement tactics, or exploring new sales channels, will define success in 2025.
The technologies you choose must be flexible and scalable, allowing your business to quickly respond to shifts in demand or emerging trends.
Key Insight: Invest in scalable platforms like AWS, Salesforce, ESW, Builder.io, and Forter to ensure your systems can adapt as market dynamics change. Agility will determine whether your business thrives in 2025 and beyond.
The Rising Threat: Returns Abuse & Transaction Splitting
As retail evolves, so do the tactics used to exploit its vulnerabilities. Returns abuse has become increasingly prevalent, with some customers manipulating return policies to their advantage. One common method involves customers receiving instant refunds only to return empty boxes or substitute the original product with a counterfeit item.
Another emerging trend is transaction splitting, where savvy buyers or resellers break large purchases into smaller transactions to maximize promotional offers, such as gifts with purchases. In some cases, up to 25% of inventory allocated for gifts is being diverted to resellers. This increases operational costs, undermines customer retention strategies, and depresses average order value (AOV).
Key Insight: Returns abuse and transaction splitting are no longer rare; they’re becoming the norm. Intelligent fraud management systems are essential to safeguard your bottom line and protect customer trust.
The Future of Retail: AI, Personalization, and Trust
AI and personalization are powerful tools, but they fall flat without trust. As retailers adopt these technologies, they must prioritize security to ensure that personalized experiences are meaningful and secure. Trust is the cornerstone of customer loyalty and revenue growth.
Forter leads the way in this shift, providing advanced fraud protection and identity intelligence that ensures customers are who they claim to be. As Justin Honaman, Head of Worldwide Retail at AWS, highlights, “When you think about identity intelligence and fraud protection, there is no other partner. Forter is the leader in this space, and for us, it’s a no-brainer.”
Key Insight: Personalization and AI are only as strong as the trust that supports them. Invest in robust fraud prevention and identity intelligence with platforms like Forter to ensure personalized and secure customer experiences.
Charting a Future-Ready Retail Roadmap
The future of retail is here, and staying ahead requires more than just adopting new technologies—it’s about integrating them in ways that truly benefit your customers. By leveraging AI, personalization, and trust, you can create experiences that drive loyalty, enhance security, and maximize revenue.
With the support of industry leaders like AWS, Builderio, ESW, Salesforce, and Forter, you can start future-proofing your business today and ensure you’re not just meeting but exceeding customer expectations in 2025 and beyond.