Every January, the retail world converges in New York City for NRF—the place where ideas, innovation and urgency collide. Amid the noise of new product demos and AI-powered promises, one truth cuts through: retailers aren’t just chasing trends. They’re looking for tech that actually works. 

Adam Jatich, TRG’s Director of Retail & Hospitality Solutions, said the real conversations at NRF often happen between sessions and on the show floor.  

“A lot of people use NRF as an opportunity to kill multiple birds with one stone,” he said. They’re seeing their vendors, meeting partners—but they’re also talking are about how to make all this technology work in the real world. At the end of the day, everyone’s trying to figure out what’s actually going to move the needle.” 

Jatich said most retailers come to the event with a relatively simple list of priorities. “They’re asking, ‘How can I compete in the next three to five years and what infrastructure and technology changes do I need to make to do it?’” he explained. “The topics might change somewhat year to year, but the themes remain consistent; speed, visibility and customer experience.” 

Innovation & Application

Steve Bochniarz, TRG’s Director of POS & Payment Solutions, said that for many retailers, NRF is part discovery and part validation.  

“It’s like a car show,” he said. “What’s coming conceptually? But also what’s real right now? What’s actually being adopted? You walk the floor to see what’s next—but there’s also real value in talking with people who are already making it work.” 

For payments, Bochniarz added that security remains one of the most consistent topics of interest. “Payments are still the most sensitive part of the customer experience,” he said. “It’s the one moment where everything has to work—fast, safe and invisible. Retailers are always looking for ways to make that process more seamless without adding risk.” 

“The best systems don’t force one path,” Jatich said. “They give flexibility to shoppers while keeping things as simple as possible for associates.” 

Thankfully, the technology is rapidly catching up with the vision. Cloud-based POS platforms, lightning fast WiFi and ever-improvement mobile devices now give retailers the freedom to take the “front” of the store anywhere they want. 

“Just a few years, you really couldn’t run a full POS anywhere you wanted,” said JW Franz, TRG’s Director of Innovation. “Now you can totally untether it. Move from a fixed terminal to mobile checkout or a pop-up kiosk and still pull all the same data in real time.”

Innovation & Integration

While flashy new technology often gets the attention, Jatich believes the real challenge is integration. “Of course everyone loves to talk about what’s new,” he said. “But we know the hard part is always tying it into everything else—your legacy systems, your payments your data. That’s where projects really succeed or fail.” 

Bochniarz agreed that execution beats hype every time. “You can have the coolest new POS terminal or an AI checkout system,” he said, “but people with experience know if it doesn’t connect seamlessly to the rest of your environment, you’re probably creating more problems than you’re solving.” 

Looking Ahead  

At NRF 2026, expect less noise and more substance. Retailers will be looking past buzzwords to focus on what truly matters—visibility, resilience, security and seamless integration across every part of the store. 

TRG will be on the floor, not just talking about technology but demonstrating how it all connects—POS, payments, devices, data and the people who make it work. Visit our NRF 2026 page to see what we’re bringing to New York and how to connect with the TRG team shaping the conversations that define retail’s next chapter.