The last session at NRF 2018 was devoted to an interview of designer Tommy Hilfiger, occasioned by a recently announced joint project among Hilfiger, IBM and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Infor Design and Tech Lab intended to show how AI can give retailers an edge in terms of speed, as well as equip the next generation of retailers with new skills.

CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion was founded last year with 175 CEOs; since then, more than 350 heads of companies have signed a pledge to make their employees understand unconscious bias and how they can work to combat it. Four of those signatories took the stage at NRF 2018 to talk with PwC's Shannon Schuyler about the business case behind diversity and inclusion.

Today's retail "dream team" isn't just about particular employees or roles. Strategic partnerships can also provide fresh insights and ideas. Martin Barthel, global head of retail and ecommerce strategy for Facebook, joined Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway, at NRF 2018 to speak about how data in the right hands can help alter the picture for everyone involved.

A word that echoed through NRF 2018 was "disruption' — a major change in the way things are done now, forced by the activities of someone doing it differently and, at least in some ways, better. At NRF 2018, Capsule founder and CEO Eric Kinariwala, Zola.com founder and CEO Shan-lyn Ma and Brandless co-founder and CEO Tina Sharkey spoke about the ways their companies embody that spirit of disruption. 

Efficiency might be the newest buzzword in fashion. As social consciences rise, young companies and tech upstarts are helping the industry embrace new methods of designing, manufacturing and selling products. From zero waste faux fur to on-demand product, consumers — and companies — are interested in getting what they want as cleanly and ethically as possible.

Walking around NRF 2018 provided thousands of examples of retailers "improving the customer experience." It's a nice line, but what does that really mean for consumers? The Innovation Lab at NRF 2018 displayed some of the coolest emerging tech that will shape the near-future of retail.

Retail losses from fraud are continuing to increase despite the introduction of EMV chip cards that were supposed to dramatically reduce credit card fraud, according to a new study from LexisNexis. Each retail company surveyed saw an average of 238 successful fraud incidents a month in 2017, with an average transaction value of $181.

Tractor Supply Company Senior Vice President and CIO Rob Mills says 70 percent of his company's customers shop on a mobile device for gardening equipment, animal supplies, hardware and apparel. In this episode of NRF's Retail Gets Real podcast, Mills discusses how Tractor Supply creates an award-winning online customer experience.

Consumers' choices in terms of where, how and why they buy are redefining retail and creating a new playbook for the industry. NRF's Consumer View, a quarterly look at what shapes retail, found that 18 percent of online Gen Z shoppers surveyed expect free same-day shipping; 40 percent of surveyed online Millennial shoppers expect the same.

Saje Natural Wellness CEO Kate Ross LeBlanc's mission is to care for a devoted community through her family-owned line of 100 percent natural products. On NRF's Retail Gets Real podcast, LeBlanc discusses the value of identifying what a company stands for and how her company focuses on service. 

Monetate, the worldwide leader in personalization software for consumer-facing brands, announced a strategic partnership with AgilOne, the premier customer data platform for B2C enterprises. Through this partnership, Monetate will provide clients with smarter personalization — including rich, comprehensive customer profiles, orchestrated omnichannel engagement, and unparalleled intelligence on who customers are and what they need right now — so brands can match the right content with the right individual to drive engagement, conversions and revenue lift.

Barbour, a premium outdoor and lifestyle brand that is the essence of British style, has selected Centric Software to provide its product lifecycle management solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Proxibid, the world's most trusted way to connect buyers and sellers of highly valued items, will provide online bidding for a star-studded lineup of vehicles at the Race Retro Classic Car Sale, hosted by Silverstone Auctions, a world-class auction house for the sale of classic cars. More than 100 classic and modern sports cars, historic motorcycles, and several luxury watches will go under the hammer, headlined by several rare vehicles with celebrity provenance. Live bidding will take place Friday, February 23, and Saturday, February 24.

Payless ShoeSource Inc. has made it easy for Spanish-speaking customers in the United States and Puerto Rico to shop online in their preferred language. The iconic retailer recently debuted a new Spanish-language website, enabled by MotionPoint.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar, a nationally recognized burger and beer joint based in Austin, Texas, announced a partnership with Austin-based innovation agency T3 to revamp and revolutionize the eatery's web and mobile experience. Hopdoddy is hallmarked by hospitality, and T3 has been brought in to ensure the online ordering practice reflects the company's exceptional customer experience and fosters the fun, fresh vibe of the restaurant.

Epson America Inc., a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale solutions, and CoinOut, a financial software platform provider, announced their joint POS solution. The integration of CoinOut's universal wallet with Epson's OmniLink POS receipt printer provides retailers with new options to entice repeat customers and increase sales.

Paytronix Systems Inc., an innovator in mobile loyalty and online ordering applications, mobile payment and digital communication tools, announced the Apple Pay with Loyalty ID for restaurants is live in the first two fast-casual restaurant locations. The deep integration of Apple Pay with the Paytronix Platform enables marketers to create a convenient guest experience with easy, secure and private mobile payments that also pass along loyalty identification with an NFC tap.