The National Retail Federation's Big Show — NRF 2024 — is just around the corner. As a proud sponsor, MangoApps is thrilled to be a part of this year's lineup of enlightening sessions. NRF 2024 is the perfect opportunity to gain insights from retail leaders on the latest trends and best practices in employee engagement, frontline operations, and retail technology.
In preparation for the event, we've handpicked the top-five sessions you can't afford to miss at NRF 2024.
1. MangoApps' Featured Session – Transforming Frontline Operations: How AutoZone and PetSmart are Redefining Employee Experience
Monday, January 15, 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm North Javits, Level 4, Room 404, CommerceHub Stage
Join us for a deep dive into the transformative operations of AutoZone and PetSmart — companies that have successfully revamped the frontline experience for over 150,000 employees. During this session you'll learn from visionary executives from both enterprises as they outline the pressing challenges that prompted change and the remarkable journeys they took to find groundbreaking solutions. From pinpointing urgent issues to strategizing and executing sustainable solutions, learn firsthand the strategies employed to breathe new life into their operations.
This session is particularly relevant given that 80% of the global workforce is deskless, per Emergence Capital — exactly the profile of AutoZone and PetSmart store associates who need mobile-native, no-email access to company information and training. Retailers that consolidate fragmented tools into a single employee experience platform reduce the number of disconnected systems employees navigate daily from 6–8 apps to one. By the session's end, you'll have the insights and strategies needed to spearhead a frontline revolution of your own.
2. Keynote Session – Doubling Down on Retail with Levi Strauss & Co.
Sunday, January 14, 9:00 am – 9:30 am
Joining Levi Strauss & Co. in early 2023, president Michelle Gass came from Kohl's as the company's former CEO. Under a meticulously designed succession plan from retiring CEO Chip Bergh, Michelle brings her leadership skillset from successful senior roles at Proctor and Gamble, Starbucks, and most recently Kohl's. Speaking for the first time since joining the 170-year-old iconic brand, Michelle will share how she plans to accelerate growth by sharpening the focus of the current strategies to lean into the power of its brand, become the destination for denim lifestyle across all channels, and fuel diversification through international markets. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from a leader who is propelling Levi Strauss & Co. into a new era of success.
3. Keynote Session – Cultivating a Thriving Workplace and Purpose-led Company Culture
Tuesday, January 16, 9:30 am – 10:00 am
In the fast-paced world of business, it is valuable to learn from those who have achieved great success. Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of Thrive Global and founder of The Huffington Post will be joined on stage by Signet Jewelers CEO Gina Drosos and The Honest Company CEO Carla Vernón to discuss building a foundation of well-being as a leader of an organization and creating a culture for anyone to thrive in the workplace. For teams thinking about employee engagement training and how to embed well-being into daily operations, this session offers a rare look at how purpose-led culture translates into measurable business outcomes. The 2026 HR Trends eBook explores similar themes for HR leaders planning their people strategy.
4. Featured Session – Leading Through Transformation, From Local Relevance to Global Purpose: The Kmart Australia Story
Sunday, January 14, 10:30 am – 11:00 am
Learn how Kmart Australia doubled down on clarity of purpose and innovation to develop a strategic blueprint and operational architecture to transform its business model, moving it from a traditional discount chain to an innovative, modern, hybrid retailer. Join Ian Bailey, Managing Director of Kmart Group Australia as this session offers takeaways on how to overcome barriers, challenge the status quo, guidance on leadership and adopting technology solutions to empower the organization. Teams looking to improve sop operations and standardize processes across distributed store networks will find this session especially actionable.
5. Featured Session – Reinventing Retail for the AI Generation
Sunday, January 14, 11:20 am – 11:50 am
Retailers are entering a new phase of technological innovation — with artificial intelligence and machine learning at its core. AI has emerged as the most effective way for retailers to turn data into value. Join Anshu Bhardwaj, Senior Vice President and COO of Walmart, in this session to learn how Walmart is using AI to drive growth and competitive advantage across the business. For context on how AI connects to frontline employee engagement software and daily workflows, the 2026 Workforce Operations Trends eBook is worth reviewing before you attend.
Visit MangoApps @ NRF 2024
These sessions represent just a taste of what NRF 2024 has to offer. We invite you to visit MangoApps at booth #4053 on Level 3 of the Expo Hall and don't forget to join us for our featured session Monday afternoon.
For more information about NRF and to plan your schedule, visit our retail industry solutions page to see how MangoApps supports frontline employee engagement and operations before you arrive.
See you at NRF 2024 in New York City!
How Do I Prepare to Get the Most Out of NRF 2024?
Before you arrive, it helps to map your session priorities against your organization's current challenges. If frontline employee engagement and training on employee engagement are top of mind, anchor your schedule around Session 1 (MangoApps/AutoZone/PetSmart, Monday 1:00 pm) and Session 3 (Arianna Huffington/Thrive Global, Tuesday 9:30 am). If retail transformation and AI are your focus, Sessions 4 and 5 on Sunday morning run back-to-back and cover both strategic and operational angles. Note that Sessions 2, 4, and 5 all fall on Sunday — plan accordingly to avoid conflicts. Consider that employees spend 2.5 hours per day searching for information, per IDC, which means the operational and technology sessions are directly relevant to reducing that drag for your store teams.
What Should Retail Leaders Do After NRF 2024?
The sessions above surface recurring themes: frontline access, employee engagement surveys and feedback loops, AI-driven operations, and purpose-led culture. After the show, the practical next step is auditing how many disconnected tools your frontline teams currently navigate — research shows only 13% of employees use an intranet daily, and nearly a third never log in at all, per Social Edge Consulting. If your organization is among the 91% operating an intranet (Social Edge Consulting) but seeing low adoption, the insights from the AutoZone and PetSmart session will be directly applicable. For a deeper look at how retail and hospitality operators are solving these problems, The Store Manager's Playbook for Smarter Retail Scheduling is a practical starting point. Teams evaluating employee engagement courses and structured development programs post-NRF may also find value in reviewing Why Your Learning and Development Strategy Fails (and How to Fix It).
The MangoApps Team
We write about digital workplace strategy, employee engagement, internal communications, and HR technology — helping organizations build workplaces where every employee can thrive.
