Reflections from NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific

We’re incredibly grateful for an inspiring three days at NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific, held from 3–5 June at Marina Bay Sands.

Together with our trusted partner NaviPartner, the Aristou team was proud to be part of this landmark event that brought together over 10,000 delegates, 1,900+ brands, and 300 exhibitors from across the globe.

The experience offered meaningful insights and growth—not just for us individually, but also as a team committed to advancing retail innovation.

Here’s a look back at the highlights, lessons learned, and the journey that brought us there.

Partnering with Purpose: Welcoming NaviPartner to Singapore

“Knowledge grows exponentially when shared,” as our friends at NaviPartner wisely put it. We were honoured to host their founder, Mark, in Singapore for a full day of hands-on training—where he showcased the latest product developments and upcoming features.

In-person time with our long-term partner is always a highlight. It deepens collaboration, strengthens trust, and allows us to bring innovative solutions to life through direct demos and meaningful exchange.

Every opportunity to spend time in person with our partners is a huge win and treasured time for us. Being physically present allowed us to strengthen our relationships, exchange ideas face to face, and deliver hands-on training that showcases the true value of our latest innovative solutions. 

We remain committed to strengthening our global partnerships by staying as close and supportive as we can to both our customers and partners, both virtually and physically.

The day before the event, our full team went down to Marina Bay Sands to set up and experience the atmosphere of the exhibition hall. It was still in the process of being completed, with some brands still adding the finishing touches to their booths. 

The event, held from 3–5 June 2025, drew over 10,000 delegates, 1,900+ brands, and 300 exhibitors from across the globe.

Throughout the show, we had the opportunity to connect with many small and medium-sized retailers, guiding them through live demos of NP Retail (cloud POS), NP Pay (payment solution), and our Mobile Delivery POS app. It was a privilege to share how these tools can support agile, scalable retail operations.

Key takeaways from NRF

Being the largest retail event in Asia, the scale and energy were eye-opening. It gave us the opportunity to connect with so many people and learn about emerging retail technologies that are shaping the future.

It was also a great learning journey for our team. Since we were all there, we took turns exploring different booths and soaking up insights from various tech solutions—it sparked a lot of new ideas and conversations internally.

At our booth, we had some really fruitful interactions with local retailers looking for POS systems and Aristou’s Mobile POS delivery app solutions. It was rewarding to share and demo NaviPartner’s offerings, and to show how Aristou’s expert consultancy complements them. 

Our main focus was Aristou’s integrated retail solution, where we developed an integrated retail solution, placing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central at the core. 

This hub-and-spoke model ensures that every facet of your retail operations—from point-of-sale systems and inventory management to customer relationship management and financial reporting—is seamlessly connected. 

By centralizing data and processes, retailers gain real-time insights, enabling informed decision-making and enhanced customer experiences.

Besides our integrated retail solution, our core focus was on our in-house solution we birthed out of a need for an existing customer- Mobile POS Delivery (MPD) apps.

Mobile POS and Delivery (MPD) app is a revolutionary solution designed to seamlessly merge operational efficiency with exceptional customer satisfaction. 

A true game-changer for Android devices, Aristou’s Mobile POS Delivery app is fully integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. This empowers businesses to streamline sales, inventory, and delivery operations within a single, intuitive platform.

Designed specifically for SMEs with a need for strong robust delivery tracking and efficiency, MPD provides powerful tools that transform daily operations, reduce manual errors, gather data analytics and enhance customer service in 1 app.

We spoke to many retailers who had existing brick and motor stores and were looking to level up their delivery services and efficiency. It was eye-opening and enlightening speaking to business owners, learning more about their business pain points and what they needed from a delivery apps POV.

We’ve made several strong contacts, and our team has been actively following up—and we are currently in the process of engaging and following up with the relationships built over NRF 2025.

If we only had to share 2 lessons…

1) Data-Driven Retail: The Core Message from NRF 2025

A central theme echoed throughout NRF 2025 was clear: to stay competitive in today’s rapidly shifting landscape, retailers must prioritise understanding their customers—and that begins with data.

Whether it’s entering a new market, launching a short-term campaign, or refining product offerings, data empowers retailers to replace guesswork with insight—leading to more strategic, predictable, and profitable decisions.

The event spotlighted the convergence of physical retail, digital channels, and emerging technologies. From AI to hyper-personalisation, it was evident that data-driven strategies are reshaping the customer experience and unlocking new value across the retail ecosystem.

Retailers who adopt a data-first mindset are better positioned to act with confidence, adapt quickly, and unlock long-term growth.

Photo credit: NRF 2025 Event Photos

2) AI in Retail: From Insight to Innovation

Artificial intelligence is rapidly redefining the retail landscape. KPMG’s Intelligent Retail report offers a compelling blueprint for how retailers can strategically harness AI to unlock long-term value.

One powerful application lies in AI agents—capable of autonomously handling customer queries and making personalised recommendations. These solutions not only improve service efficiency but also help retailers manage labour shortages more effectively.

Innovation was also on full display at the NRF 2025 show floor. Amazon Web Services (AWS) showcased a cutting-edge body scanning technology, allowing customers to capture full-body measurements in the cloud—paving the way for more accurate sizing in apparel, footwear, and accessories.

AI is no longer a future concept—it’s actively shaping how retailers serve, engage, and innovate today.

At NRF, Mastercard demonstrated how they leveraged AI to power smarter, more rewarding retail experiences—transforming billions of data points into insights that personalise marketing, streamline payments like Click to Pay, and prevent fraud across the customer journey.

While AI presents exciting opportunities, retailers must also navigate real barriers: legacy systems, regulatory complexity, and talent gaps remain key challenges to adoption. Realising AI’s full potential requires both innovation and thoughtful execution.

In a research published by NRF 2025, the majority of retailers at 82% believe those that embrace AI will gain a competitive edge over those that do not, and 47% say AI has become core to their business. 

A high 67% of retail leaders have observed efficiency improvements, and over half report a moderate to very high return on investment from their AI efforts so far.

One thing is for sure- there is nothing as electric as being in the same room as thousands of retailers and partners. 

The buzz on the floor was tangible as retailers, solution providers, and thought leaders forged partnerships that will ripple across the industry for years to come. 

This event proved there is so much more that lies ahead- opportunities to innovate as the world moves technology forward.  How do we remain relevant to today’s consumers? How do we build sustainable, scalable operations?

We are so grateful and sincerely thank each and every one of our customers and visitors who took time over the 3 days to visit our booth and hear more about Aristou’s offerings. 

If you’re still interested to learn more about how Aristou can help, you may fill up google form here or email us at support@aristou.com.sg and our team will get back to you asap.

Photo credit: NRF 2025 Event Photos