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What NRF APAC 2025 Revealed About the Future of Retail

Earlier this month, I attended NRF APAC 2025 in Singapore, and it was nothing short of extraordinary. With over 9,500 attendees from 72 countries gathered at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, the event was a true melting pot of ideas, cultures, and bold innovations that are shaping the future of retail in the Asia-Pacific region. But what made it truly special wasn’t just the scale, it was the regional depth. The stories, the challenges, the nuance of operating across geographies like Indonesia, India, and Korea, these were conversations the global industry needs to hear.

That’s why I’m proud to introduce a new six-part APAC series on OFFBounds, created in partnership with NRF. In Episode 75, I kick things off by sharing the most powerful moments, insights, and encounters from the event, from a surprise bus ride with the CEO of Alfamart (a retailer with 22,000 stores!) to in-depth discussions on AI-driven supply chains, emotional intelligence in leadership, and the booming quick commerce ecosystems across Southeast Asia and India.

You’ll hear how companies like Lotte are merging online and offline into seamless ecosystems, why conversational commerce via WhatsApp is exploding in Indonesia, and how India’s fashion market has a lot of potential fro growth, meaning the next wave of retail transformation is just beginning. I also recap a live panel I had the pleasure of moderating on stage, featuring leaders from Central Retail and 2degrees, where we explored how happier employees create better customer experiences, a theme that kept echoing across the entire event.

This episode is just the beginning. In the coming weeks, you’ll hear from leaders shaping APAC’s retail future, from Korean superbrands and Australian beauty disruptors to India’s e-commerce trailblazers. If you’re curious about what’s next in retail, this series will take you where it’s already happening. Because in many ways, the East isn’t just catching up, it’s leading.

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Interview

Transforming Canada’s Largest Grocer into a Digital Powerhouse

Recognizing the need for change, Loblaw took a bold approach, creating a separate digital division with its own P&L, operating outside the traditional corporate structure.

Recognizing the need for change, Loblaw took a bold approach, creating a separate digital division with its own P&L, operating outside the traditional corporate structure.

Interview

Recognizing the need for change, Loblaw took a bold approach, creating a separate digital division with its own P&L, operating outside the traditional corporate structure.

Transforming Canada’s Largest Grocer into a Digital Powerhouse

Recognizing the need for change, Loblaw took a bold approach, creating a separate digital division with its own P&L, operating outside the traditional corporate structure.

Interview

Inside Ulta Beauty’s Digital Transformation: From Personalization to Marketplace

Josh Friedman, Senior Vice President of Digital & E-commerce at Ulta Beauty, shared how the company is redefining beauty retail through a blend of personalization, innovation, and omnichannel strategy.

Josh Friedman, Senior Vice President of Digital & E-commerce at Ulta Beauty, shared how the company is redefining beauty retail through a blend of personalization, innovation, and omnichannel strategy.

Interview

Josh Friedman, Senior Vice President of Digital & E-commerce at Ulta Beauty, shared how the company is redefining beauty retail through a blend of personalization, innovation, and omnichannel strategy.

Inside Ulta Beauty’s Digital Transformation: From Personalization to Marketplace

Josh Friedman, Senior Vice President of Digital & E-commerce at Ulta Beauty, shared how the company is redefining beauty retail through a blend of personalization, innovation, and omnichannel strategy.

Interview

Why Retail Leaders at Central Retail and 2degrees Put Employees First — and Saw Results

In retail, there’s a growing realization that the customer experience can only be as strong as the employee experience behind it.

In retail, there’s a growing realization that the customer experience can only be as strong as the employee experience behind it.

Interview

In retail, there’s a growing realization that the customer experience can only be as strong as the employee experience behind it.

Why Retail Leaders at Central Retail and 2degrees Put Employees First — and Saw Results

In retail, there’s a growing realization that the customer experience can only be as strong as the employee experience behind it.

Interview

Scaling Connection: Inside Mecca’s Emotion-Driven Retail Model

In an era where AI is reshaping the way we work and shop, Mecca Brands is proving that emotional intelligence may be the most powerful differentiator in modern retail

In an era where AI is reshaping the way we work and shop, Mecca Brands is proving that emotional intelligence may be the most powerful differentiator in modern retail

Interview

In an era where AI is reshaping the way we work and shop, Mecca Brands is proving that emotional intelligence may be the most powerful differentiator in modern retail

Scaling Connection: Inside Mecca’s Emotion-Driven Retail Model

In an era where AI is reshaping the way we work and shop, Mecca Brands is proving that emotional intelligence may be the most powerful differentiator in modern retail

Interview

How DingDong Fresh Is Reinventing Grocery Retail with AI at the Core

With over 1,000 AI-powered “dark stores” operating as micro-fulfillment centers, the company delivers fresh produce, meat, seafood, and ready-to-eat meals to consumers’ doors in under 30 minutes, at scale.

With over 1,000 AI-powered “dark stores” operating as micro-fulfillment centers, the company delivers fresh produce, meat, seafood, and ready-to-eat meals to consumers’ doors in under 30 minutes, at scale.

Interview

With over 1,000 AI-powered “dark stores” operating as micro-fulfillment centers, the company delivers fresh produce, meat, seafood, and ready-to-eat meals to consumers’ doors in under 30 minutes, at scale.

How DingDong Fresh Is Reinventing Grocery Retail with AI at the Core

With over 1,000 AI-powered “dark stores” operating as micro-fulfillment centers, the company delivers fresh produce, meat, seafood, and ready-to-eat meals to consumers’ doors in under 30 minutes, at scale.

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