Building loyalty, not just sales: key takeaways from Shoptalk 2025

As Shoptalk Spring 2025 came to a close last week, one thing was clear: the future of retail is not just about transactions, but relationships. While artificial intelligence and retail media continued to dominate the conversation, this year’s conference revealed a deeper shift — an increased focus on loyalty, emotional connections, and truly understanding the customer. In a landscape where competition is fierce and consumer attention is fleeting, retailers are waking up to the reality that customer engagement isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a lifeline.