Inside the massive Jacob J. Javits Center in midtown Manhattan, tens of thousands of retail professionals gathered for the NRF 2025, the Big Show, earlier this week to network with colleagues, shop vendors, and drink staggering quantities of free coffee.

Many of these visitors attended sessions and keynote speeches featuring some of the biggest names in retail, including top executives from national chains and brands that offered their view on the current state of the industry.

And while it can sometimes be difficult to separate the signal from the noise in the buzzy, promotional environment of a professional conference—just look at this piece from Andrew Adam Newman, who reported that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives were hardly mentioned at all this year after being a big focus back in 2022—the Big Show can provide a high-level view of what kind of messaging might come from retailers in the year ahead.

Here is Retail Brew’s roundup of notable insights and quotes.

Keep reading here.—AV

“There’s a new tariff in town,” Joyce Chang, chair of global research at JPMorgan, said at the NRF Big Show in Manhattan on Sunday. With President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration this week, the economist broke down what his administration’s proposed tariffs could mean for retailers. In short, “higher tariffs means higher cost,” she said.

• This tracks with NRF’s own forecast about the potential impact of tariffs, which it said will reduce consumer spending power by $46–$78 billion.

However, reversing the tide of global trade could be an uphill battle. Chang noted that the US is currently importing more goods from China than it did before Trump took office in 2016. The difference now is the scope of the proposed tariffs. “One of the big differences between Trump 1.0 and 2.0 is that this is not just about China,” she said. “The first set of tariffs that he announced was actually on Mexico and Canada.”

As a result, supply chain diversity could be more of a priority going forward, she added.

Keep reading here.—AV

There was a time not so long ago that the winner of a celebrity look-alike contest might have rode the virality wave to its crest with something like an appearance on Ellen.

Today, these winners get brand deals with companies like Away luggage and Torchy’s Tacos—and then they get invited to the Golden Globes.

In recent months, celebrity look-alike contests have captured the public’s attention and adoration, starting with a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest held in New York in October. The event drew in about 2,000 participants and attendees—and even inspired an appearance from Timmy T himself.

Contests searching for doppelgängers of Glen Powell, Paul Mescal, Jeremy Allen White, and other famous faves have followed, and it was perhaps only a matter of time before brands got involved. With that said, marketers told us it took some figuring out exactly how and when to step in.

Keep reading here on Marketing Brew.—JN