NRF 2027: Connect Retail Technology Leads to a Defined Pilot

NRF Retail Big Show at a glance

Who exhibits and who attends NRF Retail Big Show?

Start with the store or commerce process the retailer wants to improve. Record the existing point-of-sale, commerce or inventory environment, the locations in scope and the systems that must exchange data. A pilot needs an owner, success criteria and a practical rollout question. Keep retailer buying discussions distinct from vendor partnerships so a product introduction does not become an assumed procurement project.

The published agenda places the expo on Javits Levels 1 and 3, with other sessions and features in separate areas. Save the stand or exact meeting point and check the pass needed for the activity. Use permitted networking and agreed meetings: NRF restricts unauthorised solicitation outside contracted exhibit space.

How to prepare for NRF Retail Big Show with Habsy

Most of the work happens before you reach New York. Set up Habsy once and every conversation at the show ends with a saved contact, the context you need and a next step.

How to set up Habsy before NRF Retail Big Show

Five steps, in the order the app walks you through them. Visitors need steps 1 to 3. Exhibitors should do all five.

1. Create your digital business cards

Every Habsy account includes two free digital cards under MyQR: a Professional digital card for you and a Business digital card for your company, with your services and brochures. Habsy's AI builds them from your LinkedIn profile and website, or from a photo of your own business card. Share them by QR code, NFC or link. The person you share with opens your card in their browser, with no app needed, and saves your contact in one tap. Add an enquiry form so visitors who scan your card leave their details and are saved as a new contact.

1. 

   1Your Professional digital card

2. 

   2Your Business digital card

3. 

   3Share by QR code, NFC or link

2. Add intent signals

Intent signals are tap-to-answer questions you fill in for every contact, so every rep records the same details in seconds. In Settings, open Manage Intent Signals, then tap Create with AI to get suggestions from your website, or Create Manually to add the set below.

1. 

   1Open Manage Intent Signals

2. 

   2Review the signals Habsy suggests

3. 

   3Tap the answers after each scan

3. Create a NRF Retail Big Show category

Create a category called NRF Retail Big Show and set it as your default for the days of the event, so every contact you scan at the show is filed under it automatically. After the show, use it as a filter to export only your NRF Retail Big Show contacts to Excel, CSV or VCF in one step. Exhibitors on Habsy Platform can also use the NRF Retail Big Show category to track how the event performed: contacts captured, companies reached, intent signals and each rep's results.

1. 

   1Create the category

2. 

   2Pick it when you save a contact

3. 

   3Find it on every contact

4. Set up your email and WhatsApp templates

Connect your email account or WhatsApp Business account in Settings before the show. Then, with Send email or WhatsApp template turned on in your Card Preferences, your follow-up goes out from your own account the moment you save a scanned contact. The visitor often has your message, and your digital card, before they leave your booth. It shows you are organized and quick to respond, and it puts you ahead of every exhibitor who follows up next week. To write the template, open Email Templates or WhatsApp Templates in Settings, describe the message, and Habsy's AI writes it. Add variables such as the contact's name and company so every message is personal. Here is a template you can copy for NRF Retail Big Show:

1. 

   1Let AI write the template

2. 

   2Save your WhatsApp templates

3. 

   3Save your email templates

5. Set your Card Preferences

Choose what Habsy does each time you save a contact, once in Settings or per save. It runs in the background while you move on to the next conversation.

How to capture every contact at NRF Retail Big Show

Use one app for every contact you make, wherever you make it: at the booth, in a session, at a reception or over dinner. Every rep and every visitor captures contacts on their own phone, free and with no scan limit, and every contact lands in one list with your category, intent signals and notes.

1. 

   1Scan a business card

2. 

   2Scan a badge QR code

3. 

   3Type it in with manual entry

• Badges: point the Habsy scanner at a badge and Habsy reads the attendee's details from its QR code. If a badge holds only a registration number, scan the person's business card or type them in.
• Business cards: scan each card in seconds, or switch to Batch and scan up to 150 cards in about 5 minutes without leaving the camera. Habsy reads cards in 200+ languages.
• QR codes: scan digital business cards from any provider, LinkedIn QR codes and contact QR codes.
• NFC: turn on NFC on the scan screen, then hold an NFC business card or an NFC event badge to the back of your phone. Habsy reads the contact and saves it, with no camera needed.
• Manual entry: no card and no QR code? Choose Manual and type the details in.
• Offline: capture continues when the hall Wi-Fi is busy, and contacts process once you reconnect.

Many shows also sell official lead retrieval through the organizer. Habsy works on its own or next to it. For more, read lead capture vs lead retrieval.

How to add context while you talk

A contact without context is hard to follow up. Before the next conversation starts, add what you discussed and what you promised.

• Intent signals: tap the answers on the review screen after each scan.
• Voice notes: tap Add Voice Note and say what they need. Habsy turns it into a searchable transcript.
• Text notes: type a quick note, such as "Store-operations pilot for 3 locations".
• Reminders: in 1 hour, in 4 hours, tomorrow at 9 AM or any date and time, with a repeat and an alarm. All of them appear in My reminders.

Here is what a contact from NRF Retail Big Show looks like with context added:

What to do in Habsy after NRF Retail Big Show

The show ends on Tuesday, January 12. What you do in the next 48 hours decides how many of those conversations turn into meetings, partners or deals.

If you visited: pick up the conversations you started

• See who looked at your card: open QR analytics to see how many people viewed and saved your digital card, how they engaged and where.
• Save and call back: save vendors to your phone contacts, and set a reminder to call back the ones you want to hear more from.
• Drop a message: Habsy writes a short email or WhatsApp message for any contact, mentioning where you met.
• Export and share: export your NRF Retail Big Show category to Excel, CSV or VCF, by date range, with a copy sent to your email, and share the shortlist with your team.

1. 

   1Export to Excel, CSV or VCF

2. 

   2Set a reminder to call back

3. 

   3Send a quick message

If you exhibited: follow up within 48 hours

• Tuesday evening: batch scan any cards left in your pockets and check that every contact has a note.
• Wednesday: filter by intent signals, such as "Book a demo" and "Within 3 months", and send your NRF Retail Big Show template to the hottest contacts first.
• Send at scale: select several contacts on the home screen, choose email or WhatsApp and a template, and send to all of them.
• Next week: work through the rest by reminder, sync qualified contacts to your CRM, and export the list to Excel, CSV or VCF.

1. 

   1Write the follow-up with AI

2. 

   2Pick a template for each contact

3. 

   3Select several contacts and send

For more message ideas, see our follow-up email templates.

Exhibiting with a team? Run NRF Retail Big Show on Habsy Platform

When several reps work the booth, the hard part is not capturing leads. It is knowing, during the show and after it, who met whom, who is hot and who follows up. Habsy Platform is the web dashboard for that, at app.habsy.ai. Reps keep scanning in the app, and the manager sees everything in one place.

app.habsy.ai

• One campaign for NRF Retail Big Show: every rep's contacts land in one live list, by rep and by day.
• Clear ownership: assign contacts, set reminders, and get alerts when two reps meet the same person.
• Follow-up from one place: sync to your CRM and run email sequences, WhatsApp and LinkedIn outreach for the whole team.

The NRF Retail Big Show post-event report

When the show ends, Habsy turns your NRF Retail Big Show contacts into a post-event report: what your team captured, who you met, what they told you through your intent signals, and a dossier on every company with how well it fits your business. Use it to decide who to call first and whether the next edition is worth the booth. Here is what it could look like for NRF Retail Big Show, with example data:

Post-event report · NRF Retail Big Show

OverviewAnalyticsIntent signals

Overview: what your team captured at NRF Retail Big Show, how complete it is, and what stands out.

Habsy Platform has one team price, with no per-event or per-lead fees. See Habsy for teams or explore the platform.

Bottom line

Capture store footprint, existing systems, integration scope, pilot owner and decision timing before arranging a retail technology follow-up. Visitors: create your digital card and scan every card and badge you collect. Exhibitors: set up intent signals and templates before you fly, capture every contact in one app, and follow up within 48 hours. See event lead capture with Habsy.

Bringing a team to NRF Retail Big Show and other events this year? See how Habsy works for sales teams, or book a demo of Habsy Platform.

Habsy is not affiliated with National Retail Federation. Event details come from the official NRF Retail Big Show website and can change.