Market Sector： 专营零售

Store Design: Elements That Have Stood the Test of Time

Chain Store Age featured MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez in their cover story “Store Design: Elements That Have Stood the Test of Time” by Connie Robbins Gentry.

Here’s a portion of the article with Gonzalez discussing window displays and flooring:

“‘Retailers are being a lot more creative with the storytelling they’re doing in the window display,’ she said adding that some windows are now designed for an Instagram moment or a TikTok share. Flooring is another way that retailers ‘guide the journey’ for their customers, according to Gonzalez. There are the obvious functional considerations to flooring, but equally important is the aesthetic aspect — choosing the right woods, the right colors, the right patterns.”

Read more on page 12 in Chain Store Age

Research & Insights – March 2025

The Experience Equation: How QSR & Fast Casual Can Redefine Dining

Blending Speed, Design, and Innovation to Build Loyalty

Consumer expectations for QSR and Fast Casual Dining have expanded beyond just speed and affordability. Today, diners seek immersive brand experiences that combine personalization, efficiency, and community. To stay competitive, QSR and Fast Casual brands must rethink their spaces as hubs for meaningful interactions that foster loyalty and enhance brand identity. While advancements like digital ordering and streamlined operations have boosted convenience, the deeper opportunity lies in designing environments that seamlessly integrate speed, authenticity, and modern appeal. Our investigation aimed to uncover innovative strategies that redefine QSR and Fast Casual Dining, creating memorable brand experiences that captivate consumers for years to come.

The full report is available for download at the bottom of this page. Take me there now!

What We Learned

Per our study, our respondents shared the following key insights as it relates to their experience with and expectations of QSR and Fast Casual dining environments, and which service offerings and elevated features would deliver the most value and greater consumer satisfaction:

Sensorial Details

Nearly 60% of all respondents stated warm and inviting lighting or overall atmosphere ambiance fuels a sense of comfort and memorability

Premium Features

1 out of 2 respondents desire open kitchens with visible food preparation areas, adding an element of theatre and confidence when it comes to cleanliness and freshness of the food

Supportive Technology

Nearly 55% of all respondents find mobile apps for digital loyalty programs and order/pay ahead capabilities to be tied for the technology that delivers on value

Innovative Formats

Roughly 80% of all respondents are interested in experiencing mobile kitchens or food trucks, as well as experiential kitchens that feature immersive brand environments and themed decor

Personalized Offerings

More than 50% of all respondents find personalized promotions that reflect an individual’s preferences, including previous orders, to be a leading driver of loyalty and establishes a greater sense of brand affinity

Going Beyond the Meal: Elevating Quick Service and Fast Casual Dining Through Design, Innovation, and Community

The future of QSR and Fast Casual dining goes beyond just quality, speed, and convenience; it’s about crafting environments that engage, inspire, and connect with consumers on a deeper level. While efficiency remains paramount, today’s consumers seek more than just a quick bite; they crave experiences that blend quality food with thoughtful design, innovative technology, and meaningful brand interactions. Aesthetic appeal plays a crucial role in shaping perceptions, with warm lighting, open kitchens, and hybrid dining spaces enhancing ambiance and fostering a sense of community. Meanwhile, strategic promotions and partnerships, whether through collaborations with local farmers, artists, or influencers, further elevate brand identity, creating a sense of belonging and excitement. Limited-time menus, pop-ups, and gamified ordering add an element of surprise and delight, keeping customers engaged and eager to return. By balancing functionality with creativity, QSR and Fast Casual brands can transform routine dining into something memorable, ensuring they meet, and even exceed, evolving consumer expectations.

Interested in More? Download the Full Report!

MG2 creates unforgettable culinary experiences that engage the senses.

Explore our Food & Beverage expertise

The Trends Reshaping Retail Expansion In 2025

Forbes Contributor Brin Snelling interviewed Principal and Founder of MG2 Advisory Melissa Gonzalez on the trends reshaping retail.

“There’s a shift to smaller in general – smaller formats, shorter leases, more agile environments,” shared Gonzalez, adding, “What is the point of the store? It’s not about inventory now, especially as consumers are getting more and more comfortable shopping online.”

Read more in Frobes

MG2 Ranks #4 in BD+C Top 140 Retail Architecture Firms for 2024

MG2 ranks #4 in Building Design + Construction’s Top 140 Retail Architecture Firms for 2024 list.

Read more in Building Design + Construction

Leica in the Meatpacking District, NY: Your 2-Minute Retail Tour

A newcomer to the area is camera retailer Leica. Housed in a Greek revival rowhouse built in the 19th century, the building’s historic aesthetic, including the interior brick and wooden rafters, was incorporated into the retail space’s final design. Showcasing cameras with brightly lit finishes, casework and FF&E, the space also includes a photography gallery.

Ultimately, the flagship celebrates “the Meatpacking District’s historic setting while introducing contemporary elements that represented the brand and provided a high-end space for Leica to connect with its audience through a multifunctional retail environment,” says Marta Abas, Senior Project Designer, MG2.

Read more in VMSD

Research & Insights – November 2024

Women’s Beauty: Do You Fit in Her Beauty Journey? Your Consumer is Evolving, Ensure You Evolve With Them.

Today’s beauty landscape is a diverse one, especially as it relates to varying generational preferences. The oldest Gen Alpha consumer may only be 14 years old however in 2023 they drove nearly $4.7 billion on beauty purchases, outspending every other demographic.* And while it is important for brands and retailers to identify strategic ways to engage and connect with this young consumer in-store, it is of equal importance that Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomer consumers do not feel alienated, undervalued or underserved, especially considering their collective spending power. In our investigation, we took a deeper dive into understanding these cross-generational beauty consumer behaviors and preferences to reveal future-forward store design and programming opportunities that encompass a holistic lens around the diversity of today’s consumer, the affinities and differences around new routes to discovery, as well as drivers to in-store engagement and customer loyalty.

*AYTM 2024

The full report is available for download at the bottom of this preview. Take me there now!

What We Learned

Per our investigation, our respondents shared the following key insights as it relates to their experience with and their perception of women’s beauty environments, and which offerings and touchpoints in-store would deliver the most value:

Motivating Factors

MORE THAN HALF of all respondents indicated it is of equal importance to be both educated and inspired when shopping in-store, rather than one over the other

Product Engagement

NEARLY 70% of all respondents desire the ability to freely touch products and styling tools in-store, with 51% desiring a test/try experimentation bar for this very purpose

Merchandising Preferences

#1 for all respondents is a desire for regimen-based merchandising year-over-year (e.g. face, skin, hair)

Sustainable Initiatives

MORE THAN 60% of all respondents are interested in beauty product and packaging recycling receptacles being featured in-store

Technology Integration

3 OUT OF 5 respondents find skin scan or makeup mirrors for personalized product recommendations and education to be a value driver to the shopping experience

Multigenerational Relevance is Key to a Beauty Brand’s Longevity

The beauty landscape is an increasingly competitive one, and from Gen Alpha to Boomers, consumers are doing their best to keep up with the latest social media trends while identifying which brands and products will best support their individual needs along their beauty journey. In-store, product education, and inspiration are table stakes. Consumers are eager to learn and discover in an environment that prioritizes a sense of empowerment and play, giving them the freedom to test products at their leisure. They also value informative displays and visuals, both digital and physical, as a means to learn and discover. When it comes to merchandising, consumers value a convenient and efficient shopping experience, desiring regimen-based planning at the shelf to help them find an effective solution quickly. Consumers of all ages are intrigued by emerging trends, such as clean beauty and inclusive beauty, and they value product and peer recommendations in-store to help inform their purchase-making decisions. In exchange for their loyalty and repeat spending, beauty consumers want rewards programs that are points-driven and result in perks such as free shipping, gifts, and exclusive events. Most importantly, as beauty consumers face new life changes, they want the brands they have come to trust to continue to be there for them while giving them the opportunity to explore something new. No matter their age or where they are on their beauty journey, consumers are ever-changing, and they expect brands to evolve and adapt with them.

Interested in More? Download the Full Report!

MG2 creates specialty retail experiences that are informative and empowering.

Explore our Specialty Retail expertise

METROPOLIS Celebrates the Arch30 LA Cohort

MG2’s Leana Yaacob represented the firm at the METROPOLIST Arch30 event in Los Angeles. This program celebrates the future of architecture by spotlighting top talents under 30 and engaging them in dynamic workshops led by METROPOLIS editors.

Read more in METROPOLIS

‘They’re spending their money elsewhere’: Brands are more cautious about holiday pop-ups this year

With more customers focused on value and scarcer real estate, brands and retailers are rethinking their holiday pop-up strategies.

Melissa Gonzalez, principal of Seattle-based architecture and design firm MG2, said she has also noticed fewer brands pursuing pop-ups. For the ones that do, the companies are focused on really getting the best bang for their buck.

“For brands that are targeting holiday pop-ups, it’s just really important — probably even more so than other times of the year — that they’re really understanding the unique value proposition because it is such a competitive time,” Gonzalez said. “The consumer’s mindset is so much more around holiday deals, and there’s already brands that they know and have relationships with, so what are you going to do to entice with something special, something unique?”

Read more at Modern Retail

Leica Bellevue Is Project of the Week in Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

Leica’s luxury storefront in Bellevue was the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce’s Project of the Week.

“The 2,415-square-foot store is Leica’s first location in the U.S. to receive the company’s new Leica Global Concept design that modernizes space using natural surfaces made of sustainable wood in warm tones to convey a calm atmosphere for guests.”

Read more in Seattle DJC

消费者体验

Kizik Specialty Stores

In collaboration with Kizik, MG2 has been charged with introducing the “hands-free, step-in” footwear brand into physical stores. After its New York City pop-up, Kizik opened stores across the U.S. including Mall of America (Minneapolis), King of Prussia (Philadelphia), and Newbury Street (Boston). These new locations are not only a physical manifestation of the brand but also bring to life a high-sensory fit experience and showcase the brand’s new “motion is magic” design. 

Kizik blue is prominent, both on the exterior and interior of the store. A blue portal entry encompasses both a blue archway and pathway that leads to the store’s primary display to create a threshold moment. The key design principle of the Kizik brick-and-mortar experience is fitting the customer in a pair of shoes as early in the journey as possible. It’s an AHA moment that captures and celebrates the magic of the brand.

Floor-to-ceiling vitrines flank the portal to create Kizik’s signature “fishbowl” storefront, which allows passers-by to see into the space and take part in the store experience. Motion is an important part of the Kizik brand, and digital screens are placed prominently throughout. The “motion is magic” tagline is abstractly reinforced through circular pendants, half-circle benches and fixtures, gradient wall treatments, and mirrored graphics that reflect consumers as they move about the space. 

These stores were designed to be modular and flexible. Elevated, versatile displays capture a sense of motion to create an environment that empowers visitors to discover and explore. Modular systems allow Kizik to morph and change as it continues to grow and expand. Shelving can be moved up, down or removed entirely. Central displays can be reconfigured to form a variety of patterns. Standout design elements include the store’s materiality—a juxtaposition of surfaces including perforated metals, concrete, and textured paints with LED neon and vibrant blue. 

The result is inviting and visually engaging spaces that captivate and draw in the eye, enhancing the overall aesthetic and reinforcing the brand identity.

Press Coverage

The Health & Wellness Wave

“As the idea of holistic health has taken root in society, marketers are exploring new ways of communicating with customers to promote wellness. ‘There’s a variety of promises that brands can make from a lifestyle point of view,’ says Melissa Gonzalez, principal at MG2. ‘It can be everything from new product offerings to sections of beauty departments that explain benefits in a wellness context to awareness of environmental issues.’

“A January 2024 report on holistic health from the MG2 公告 group explores how marketers can capitalize on what it sees as the next wellness frontier: the retail store. ‘By evaluating traditional store design elements through the lens of wellness,’ the report states, ‘brands have the opportunity to create environments that are more holistic, rather than simply physical, and inclusive of cognitive, emotional and spiritual health attributes.'”

Read more in Path to Purchase Institute

Unlocking the Value of Fit Tech: Personalization and Recommendations

“MG2 Advisory research found that in-store fit tech is […] a big draw for footwear shoppers. Up to 68% of consumers reaffirmed the importance of a ‘customized fit,’ and 40% said fit scan technology would benefit their in-store experiences.”

“I think the industry is benefiting from not just the acceptance of this technology but the overall fluidity that consumers are experiencing with technology,” said Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at MG2, to Retail Touchpoint’s Alicia Esposito.

Read more at Retail TouchPoint

消费者体验

Leica

Leica Camera is an international, premium manufacturer of cameras and sports optics. The legendary reputation of the Leica brand is based on a long tradition of excellent quality, German craftsmanship and German industrial design, combined with innovative technologies. 

Leica has identified North America as a key growth region for the brand and, as a result, is embarking on growing its store presence over the next few years. By partnering with MG2, the brand is launching this initiative with the opening of new stores in Bellevue, WA and a New York City flagship. MG2 is engaged as the full service architect, helping the client translate the design intent to adapt to the unique attributes of each site location while sourcing regionally. The project delivery scope includes design development, FF&E sourcing and procurement, construction documents, permitting, and construction project management.

Leica NYC
Leica NYC
Leica NYC
Leica Bellevue
Leica Bellevue
Leica Bellevue

Press Coverage

Uniquely New York: Snapshot of Leica NYC

Leica’s flagship location in New York City was featured in CBS News Uniquely New York with Rachel Holt.

“An immersive space where New Yorkers can experience the brand responsible for some of the most famous photographs in the world,” said Holt. Her interview with the President of Leica Camera North America, Mike Giannattasio, walks through all the spaces the Meatpacking District location offers.

Watch the full feature on CBS News

MG2 Listed in Building Design+Construction’s Top 200 Architecture Firms for 2024

MG2 ranked among the top 20 in Building Design+Construction Media’s recently released Top 200 Architecture Firms for 2024.

Read more in Building Design + Construction

Leica Bellevue named ENR Northwest 2024 Best Projects Winners

MG2’s Leica project in Bellevue, WA has been named an ENR 2024 Regional Best Project.

The luxury retail store features a gallery space for professional photography exhibits, a retail space featuring Leica’s renowned products, a Leica Akademie area to conduct workshops and events, and VIP spaces.

Read more in ENR Northwest

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Nordstrom Bellevue

Nordstrom partnered with MG2 to design and remodel an existing store in Bellevue, spanning multiple buildings with the intent to develop a new fleet-wide strategy. This new dynamic for the Nordstrom customer will set the stage for future retail success.

The goal is to establish a seamless, discovery-driven customer experience showcasing the most sought-after brands in the world. All areas of the store will be updated to create a designer-level experience—clear, light, warm, and flexible. The design and implementation of the new Fleet-Wide Strategy will focus on the following: customer experience, brand attraction, innovation, flexibility, budget, and operational efficiency.

Press Coverage

Australian fashion brands are opening more U.S. stores & distribution centers

Modern Retail’s Julia Waldow spoke with Melissa Gonzalez about Australian brands such as Bared Footwear, Princess Polly, Camilla and Outcast Clothing expanding into the U.S. Women’s brand Outcast Clothing, for example, does not yet have a physical store in the U.S., but sells its merchandise online and has been experimenting with pop-up stores. “Pop-ups like Outcast Clothing’s can be a great way for brands to dip their toes into new markets like the U.S.”

Read more at Modern Retail

消费者体验

Glam Seamless

Glam Seamless opens its first store in Los Angeles.

Goal

Glam Seamless is a prominent hair extension brand with a strong online presence and a New York salon and flagship store. Looking to expand their reach, the brand came to MG2 with plans to open a second location in West Hollywood. Our goal was to build a salon and retail space that remains true to the Glam Seamless aesthetic, allows them to offer in-person services to their LA clientele, and supports content creation for their social media channels and e-commerce platforms.

MG2

Glam Seamless hired MG2 to collaborate on concept development, store design & project management of build out for its second salon location. Deliverables included creative ideation and design direction as well as all production sourcing and build-out management including but not limited to: signage, custom fabrication, and sourced FF&E and decor. MG2 worked closely with the Glam Seamless team to understand the merchandising and operational needs to be considered in all custom designs.

Outcome

The MG2 team’s design delivered a luxurious and intimate 2,000-square-foot West Hollywood salon-cum-retail location with key zones, including a retail and reception room, a four-station salon and beauty bar, and a private salon. These spaces have been designed to facilitate a wide spectrum of interactions, including self-guided shopping, hair extension consultations and treatments – all with an Instagrammable backdrop for live streams. Glam Seamless’ founder, Alexandra Cristin, aims for the space to provide guests with a full beauty care solution all in one location by offering a culmination of beauty services, products, and partnering with other women-owned beauty brands.

The Los Angeles salon (as featured in Beauty Independent) was designed with unique qualities to the space while keeping a level of cohesion aligning with the New York space. A locally-inspired color palette of soft pinks and warm peaches provides a light and luxurious consistency throughout the space, while an arch motif was carried over from the original salon and serves as a brand identifier. These light and mellow elements felt true to Los Angeles while maintaining an authentic brand aesthetic.

  • Project Details

  • 地点 West Hollywood, CA
  • 客户 Glam Seamless
  • 市场分类
  • 规模 2,000 SF
  • 设计服务
消费者体验

Ever/Body

Refreshing and Expanding Ever/Body’s Retail Offering

With the mission of demystifying cosmetic dermatology, Ever/Body is a beauty services provider that offers customized, high-performance treatments to its clientele. Keeping up with the growing demand for the company’s value proposition, Ever/Body sought to expand its service area throughout New York’s Tri-State region.

To make that goal a reality, they partnered with MG2/The Lionesque Group to redesign a refreshed concept that would align with the brand’s repositioning and bring its vision of growth to the next level.

Designers created spaces that were not just stores, but destinations and experiences worth visiting.

Tasked with creating a destination that grows lifetime value, builds awareness, and attracts new clients, MG2/The Lionesque Group strategized, designed, and developed Ever/Body’s new retail concept to align effectively with the brand’s repositioning.

Full-Service Retail Space Design & Development

To bring the new retail spaces to life, the team executed a holistic set of services for Ever/Body, including strategic planning and program development, real estate consultation, concept design, 2D test fits and 3D design, design development and construction documentation, and construction administration. Careful and meticulous design details were matched with methodical value engineering to ensure cost-effectiveness while still delivering a chic, cozy, and modern environment.

Solidifying the Legacy of a Branded Retail Experience

The partnership resulted in the opening of three new locations that align with the ethos and value proposition of the brand. The elevated, spa-like experiences incorporate natural elements infused with warm earthy colors and modern, sophisticated decor.

With a welcoming ambiance that embodies the brand’s goal of demystifying cosmetic dermatology, Ever/Body’s refreshed retail concept has proven to effectively grow lifetime value, build brand awareness, and attract new clients.

消费者体验

Hush Puppies

Scalable on-brand retail solutions for a global icon

Footwear towers to flagship stores: Unifying a brand across 3,000 retail spaces

Iconic since its inception, Hush Puppies has spent decades redefining the meaning of comfort, inspiring the embrace of color, and establishing itself as one of the world’s most recognizable footwear brands.

Having adopted an optimistic new visual identity and innovative approach toward technology, Hush Puppies partnered with MG2 to translate its new ideals into a modular retail format and global design guidelines.

With a standardized toolkit of modular design options, Hush Puppies retail partners have the flexibility to curate and scale store spaces while always remaining on-brand.

Artfully blending facilitation and collaboration with rapid productivity

Retail experts at MG2 facilitated collaborative explorations with stakeholders on both sides to examine challenges and find solutions to strike a balance between the needs of individual stores and the needs of the business. From there, they worked together to quickly and simultaneously design a flexible merchandising kit-of-parts as well as develop documented brand benchmarks to ensure that every Hush Puppies experience, from standalone footwear towers to global destination experiences, have the same identity and personality.

Countless scalable combinations, one iconic brand

With a toolkit of on-brand modular design options and standards, Hush Puppies retail partners around the world have the flexibility to choose from a carefully curated, scalable combination of fixtures, flooring, shelving, furniture, lighting, ceiling baffles, environmental graphic designs (EGD), monitor display graphics, and more, all adaptable to specific locations and budgets.

In addition to concurrently designing three unique full-scale store formats, five shop-in-shop formats, and developing tiered standards for fixtures and furnishings, MG2 leveraged talents from its branding team to bring to life unique EGD, wayfinding, and signage, including a hand-illustrated wall covering featuring Jason: Hush Puppies’ iconic basset hound mascot.

These playful, vibrant elements can be found throughout Hush Puppies’ latest concept store in Jakarta, Indonesia: the brand’s first implementation of its new global retail design guidelines. The experience also includes a variety of technology-driven retail touch points, ranging from augmented reality games to Instagram Live shopping events, that help the company connect with a new generation of customers.

观点

Immersive Experiences, Enduring Strategies: Retail Design Lessons From Milan Design Week

6 月 2022 / By MJ Munsell, Jessica Thaemert

What makes a retail experience truly exceptional?

Is it the total, almost tactile immersion in the world according to that brand? The way being in that space makes you feel? The possibilities it allows you to envision? The senses it stimulates? All of the above? Or something else entirely? This year, we attended Salone de Mobile and Fuorisalone In Milan to uncover fresh answers to these questions.

Inspired by all that we encountered, our team rounded up our top experiences, chronicling what made them stand out, and what we can learn and apply to designing some of the world’s best retail experiences.

Alcova

An otherworldly excursion into an abandoned military hospital, Alcova showcased over eighty exhibitors who brought common objects into an uncommon environment, creating focus, enabling storytelling, and developing memories that we now associate with that object and brand.

The journey inside was as impactful as the event itself: the approach, the uncertainty, the unveiling of a vignette — it all added to the allure of the brands, and the influence of the experience.

Alessi

The personalized showcase from Alessi told a brand story through the lens of their history in a multi-scaled environment. It presented small, curated vignettes that featured iconic moments from the brand’s past, narratives from the family who spoke about the factory and company’s timeline in the first person, and offered a sincere, insightful immersion into its legacy through a branded exhibit.

This multi-faceted design firm brought to life an experiential gallery of objects, music, place, and setting. The installation showcased their talent in creating emotional spaces, the curation of beautiful objects, and effortlessly bringing like-minded people together into an unforgettable experience.

Hermes

A showstopper from one of the world’s biggest luxury design houses featured their latest collection of furniture, accessories, and lighting. Inspired by brutalist water towers, large glowing wooden structures covered in translucent paper, enveloped various objects in an ethereal, yet focused setting.

A cavernous, dimly lit space housed these four glowing structures, each devoted to a different product type. The immersive, almost theatrical experience captured the imagination and inspired a deep, emotional connection with an otherwise often inaccessible brand.

Lee Broom

The latest collection from lighting designer Lee Broom was shown in an exhibit titled Divine Inspiration.  The setting placed the collection in a context that richened both its design and the story. Showcasing a stunning series of new, ethereal lighting inspired by historic places of worship. It was truly a multi-sensory experience combining journey, sound, scent, lighting, and place to reinforce the origins of this new collection.

Golden Goose

Golden Goose was successful in evolving their brand experience to be energetic, young, eventful, and even artistic through the in-store experience.  

The journey began at the storefront were visitors were driven by curiosity to peek into the action of the store from the outside. Once inside, a combination of both hands-on artistry with life-sized digital screens, created a complimentary experience.  Watching a delighted customer unpack their customized sneakers, unveiling artwork that was created specifically for them, and the energy that surrounded it was a brand defining moment.

An unexpected detail was the acknowledgment on the history of the space: Golden Goose honored the previous tenant—Alexander McQueen—through iconic elements and a narration of the legacy and significance they played.

Rossana Orlandi

Described as a “meandering wonderland of craft, collectible design, and mind-bending furniture that enticed visitors to explore down hallways, up stairwells, and around corners”, Rossana Orlandi’s gallery had us finding inspiration in every nook and cranny.

RO offered three curated experiences, which included immersive settings, collectible furniture, and spaces for eating and drinking. Some highlights were the “Sexy Seventies” collection by Se, the indoor/outdoor rustic spaces that showcased both practical and artistic sustainability concepts, and The Danish House exhibition that effortlessly showcased its curated Scandinavian designs.

What made all of these showcases so great?

  • Fully immersive experiences
  • Intuitive storytelling
  • Entirely integrated messaging
  • Bold, yet simple
  • A clear point of view
  • Disciplined design
  • Instantly iconic
  • A story told using all senses

This year at Milan Design Week, we were reminded of the importance of three pivotal, yet enduring design strategies:  “do not stray”, “keep it simple”, and “leave something to the imagination”.

With every experience we encountered, it was the fusion of sound, scent, lighting, design elements, visual merchandising, and people that made them memorable. And it’s this blending of science and art that creates exceptional retail experiences.

观点

The Future of Digital & Physical Retail: Top Five Trends for 2022

1 月 2022 / By Melissa Gonzalez

This post was originally written for & published by The Lionesque Group.

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In late January, our team had the pleasure of attending NRF’s annual Big Show conference in New York, where I had the honor of leading a captivating panel discussion about the future of the industry. With so much changing in retail over the past two years it was a welcome opportunity to connect with brands and experts in person and hear about their innovative approaches toward keeping up with consumer expectations and demands. 

Here are our top five takeaways from what’s important for retailers, brands, and designers to keep at the forefront as they bring future generations of digital and physical consumer experiences to life:

1. Agility in evolving the cross-platform experience is critical. 

As consumers continue to evolve how they shop, blurring the point-of-sale lines across digital and physical spaces, brands need the ability to continually and fluidly advance their offering. Any instance of friction during the payment process can kill the purchase. Unearthing and implementing streamlined methods of putting payment in the hands of consumers and/or in-store associates is essential. 


When it comes to in-store layouts, art meets science. We have more access to data and insights today than ever before, highlighting customer patterns, capturing interactions with store associates, and illuminating friction points. This data is vital to informing agile design strategies, which need to morph alongside the customer. Industry partnerships, like the one announced between The Lionesque Group and Pathr.AI, will be key to defining and strengthening the future of consumer/brand relationships.

2. Efficiency is the most desirable currency that technology offers.

To truly be successful, store associates require information to be at their fingertips, both for back-of-house and consumer-facing interactions. Instant visibility as to what’s on the floor, what’s in the back, and what’s available at another store’s location isn’t just an expectation of today’s customer, it’s necessary to embolden the prospects of a sale and fortify brand loyalty.


Consistent with The Lionesque Group’s recent industry survey findings, every moment a store associate has real-time visibility into the full scope of their inventory adds up to millions of dollars saved by the retailer. Using technology to empower associates with this knowledge bolsters store efficiency, optimizes productivity, and streamlines delivery performance.

Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at MG2, NRF Big Show 2022

3. Omnichannel means being omnipresent for the consumer. 

Whether they’re standing in a store, browsing online, interacting with social media, or playing in the metaverse, consumers want and expect a congruent, simplified “click-to-buy” experience that’s seamless across every presence of a brand.

They’re seeking an “all-of-the-above” optionality that is as fluid as they need it to be in the moment, and this agility is critical as we think about designing the store of tomorrow. Digital integration will need to empower both store associates and the consumer to be able to move interchangeably when visiting different brick and mortar locations so they have the options, access, and efficiency they desire.

4. True sustainability starts with the supply chain. 

Consumers speak with their wallets, and more and more their love language is shifting toward an expectation in transparency, sincerity, and sustainable practices from the brands they support. This further includes retailers being net-positive to the environment, as well as striving for social and community equities.

The real onus, however, is on the full ecosystem coming together to truly make a difference consumers can see and resonate with. Brands and retailers need to own and optimize their supply chain, making it more accessible from a cost and candor standpoint for consumers.

One of the lessons shared by Saskia van Gendt of Rothy’s was a profound sense of understanding of the brand’s own role in the process. “If you own the supply chain,” he notes, “you can truly impact things. For example, you can set up for on-demand manufacturing so as not to leave waste.”

5. We’re amidst an era of phygital convergence.

The metaverse—the industry’s newest buzzword—holds the promise of and capacity to meld physical retail with mixed reality experiences. However, we’re already years into this convergence of digital and brick-and-mortar, with offerings like virtual endless aisles that consumers can browse for hours, just as they might window shop in-store. 

Innovative technology has, and continues to fuel the future of retail data collection and analysis, powering responsive IoT connectivity via RFID, sensors, digital displays, and products that ignite an overlay of immersive media. The digital/physical overlap will only continue to grow.

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Reach out to our team to learn more about how we’re helping define the future of brick-and-mortar retail for brands.

研究与洞察

Designing Store Experiences for Today’s Consumer

1 月 2022 / By Melissa Gonzalez, Nick Caputo

In our constant curiosity and investigation of consumer behaviors and expectations, we utilize data insights to help uncover and validate where we can deliver true points of gratification within the customer journey. Here is a snapshot of key takeaways from our latest consumer survey. Our full deck with all our insights is available for download at the bottom of this preview.

How can we adapt “The role of the store” to reflect today’s consumer?

As consumers adjust to their hybrid worlds and the merging of digital and physical deepens, we take a look how consumer behaviors, needs, and expectations impact “the role of the store.” In this survey, we investigate the utility technology plays, the inherit value it brings us and how that can inform opportunities for physical retail environments.

Download – Advisory – 20220111 Store Experiences Report