Market Sector： 专营零售

消费者体验

Wayfair

MG2 partnered with Wayfair to develop its newest store in Atlanta, GA, supporting the brand’s strategic expansion into brick-and-mortar retail. The new 150,000 square foot retail destination is located within The District at Howell Mill in Atlanta’s Upper Westside neighborhood. This one-story interior and exterior renovation transforms an existing space with refreshed façades, including two prominent entries. Inside, the design showcases the breadth of Wayfair’s offerings, from furniture and appliances to fixtures, finishes, and home décor, creating an immersive retail environment.

Situated beneath an upper level of parking and retail, the design incorporates additional elements to highlight the store entrances. A full-wall, backlit signage feature reminiscent of a Lite-Brite illuminates the main entry, reinforcing Wayfair’s brand identity and inviting customers inside. A large exterior mural, inspired by the local area, draws shoppers toward the secondary entrance.

Throughout the store, intuitive wayfinding strategies guide customers as they explore the various departments. Landmarks like the central canopy of the Market Square and the oak slat walls of the Dream Center help orient guests and guide them throughout the store. Vignettes featuring Wayfair’s different design styles serve as smaller landmarks, while hanging trellises in the lighting department provide another visual cue for orientation. The Porch, a food and beverage concept, offers grab-and-go options, comfortable seating, and natural light, providing a welcoming place for customers to recharge.

Wayfair Atlanta marks MG2’s third design project with Wayfair, further strengthening the ongoing partnership. This collaboration focuses on refining the store’s physical identity to better reflect the diverse needs of customers shopping for all things home. The team worked closely with Wayfair to develop the project as a prototype for future stores.

NEXCOM, the Navy’s Retail Business, Plans For the Next Generation of Shoppers

In a recent report by Gabrielle Fonrouge of CNBC, MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez discusses her and the team’s work helping Navy Exchange Service Command (Nexcom) reimagine its retail strategy as part of a broader turnaround effort.

Watch the full video on CNBC

VMSD Announces its 2026 Designer Dozen

VMSD recently announced its 2026 Designer Dozen Awards. Maria Barrios, MG2 Architectural & Interior Designer, made the list!

Maria shared “From a very young age, I was immersed in the fine and performing arts (painting, dance and drawing) which later evolved into formal studies in graphic design, interior design and architecture. Retail design felt like the perfect intersection of all those disciplines. It combines storytelling, branding, spatial awareness and human psychology. I was especially drawn to how global retail brands can connect with people across cultures through physical space. Retail allows me to design environments that are not only functional, but emotional and experiential.”

Read more in VMSD

比尔·斯利斯在SPECS发表讲话

MG2 Principal Bill Sleeth is speaking at SPECS on March 9 alongside VASA Fitness Chief Growth Officer Christopher Tarrant on What is Old is New (And Valuable): Adaptive Reuse Strategies.

Read more about the event here.

Gen Alpha Loves Brick-and-Mortar Retail. Here’s What They Want When They Shop.

In a recent Retail Brew article by Erin Cabrey, MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez shares her insights on Gen Alpha’s retail preferences and influence, here’s a snipped from the article.

“And while Gen Z, too, prefers an in-store experience, Gen Alpha differs in their desire for interactivity in stores, as over half will leave a store if there isn’t anything for them to try out (that ability to test has helped Sephora thrive with the generation). Gonzalez chalked this preference up to their experiences meeting up in virtual worlds since they were young.”

Read the full article in Retail Brew

Experience per Square Foot: Rethinking the Role of the Store

MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez recently joined Natalie Berg on her podcast, Retail Disrupted, to explore the future of experiential retail, why digitally native brands are investing in physical stores, and how purpose-led leadership is reshaping the industry.

Listen to the full episode on Retail Disrupted

消费者体验

Monica Vinader

Luxury jewelry brand Monica Vinader is known for its modern design and commitment to ethical materials, creating everyday pieces that celebrate individuality. MG2 partnered with the brand to bring its refined aesthetic to Nordstrom NYC.

Situated in Nordstrom’s new jewelry hall, the shop-in-shop offers a uniquely elevated experience for shoppers. Working closely with Nordstrom, Monica Vinader, and premium vendors, MG2 ensured that every design element was executed seamlessly. The intimate, sophisticated space combines dark painted walls, warm wood accents, metallic screen dividers, wrapped columns, and large street-facing windows. Custom fixtures display jewelry with elegance, while bespoke stools create inviting moments for customers to explore personalization services. Every detail is thoughtfully curated to make visitors feel both welcomed and inspired.

Research & Insights – January 2026

年轻有为，影响力巨大：阿尔法世代正在改写品牌规则

Gen Alpha is ready to be taken seriously.

With the oldest among them just 14, they are already shaping how brands and stores show up, even without their own credit cards. They have more choice than any generation before them, and with fluency across smartphones, tablets, computers, digital worlds, virtual reality, and AI tools, they are quickly surpassing Gen Z and Millennials in their adaptability and expectations for ease and efficiency. They move naturally between digital and physical spaces, and their cultural and commercial influence is accelerating, making it essential to understand not only what they respond to today, but what they will expect from brands and retailers in the years ahead. This research explores how Gen Alpha first discovers brands, how they want to engage beyond a transaction, and why their ability to inspire and influence cross generational purchase decisions cannot be overlooked.

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

What We Learned

Based on our findings, Gen Alpha consumers shared the following key insights on what matters most to them through in-store design and programming. Overall, they want to engage with brands meaningfully, take an active role in the shopping journey, and make their influence on household purchase decisions clear.

Co-Creation Collaboration

97% of Gen Alpha want to help brands make design decisions, from testing new products and informing product development to shaping the look and feel of store environments, showing a strong desire to be active members of the brand community.

Tactile Experiences

73% of Gen Alpha prefer shopping in-store to fully immerse themselves in a brand’s environment. They value hands-on test-and-try experiences that let them explore products, validate purchases, and connect with the brand on a deeper level.

Snack & Shop Offerings

3 in 4 Gen Alpha say in-store food and beverage offerings drive them to spend more time in the store. These experiences make shopping more enjoyable, encourage exploration, and provide social moments that strengthen their connection to the brand.

Exploration & Navigation

66% of Gen Alpha rely on clear in-store signage to guide their shopping journey, balancing predictability and discovery and reflecting the simplicity they have come to expect from their online engagement.

Cross-Generational Influence

70% of Gen Alpha report that adults in their lives often purchase items they suggest, supporting that they not only influence household buying decisions but are also shaping trends and brand loyalty across generations.

Three Personas Defined

39%, The Confidence Chooser

Defined as individuals who want to make their own decisions and prefer stores that help them stay focused. They shop with a clear sense of purpose and confidence.

39%, The Transition Tween

Defined as individuals who notice style and pay attention to whether a store treats them like real shoppers. They want to feel seen, valued, and not just viewed as an extension of their parents.

23%, The Expressive Explorer

Defined as individuals who want brands to recognize their interests and who they are becoming. They look for stores that reflect their personality and avoid labels that limit them.

Shaping the Future: How Gen Alpha’s Curiosity, Creativity, and Influence Redefine Brand Engagement

Gen Alpha may be the youngest consumers today, but their influence is already reshaping how brands and retailers think about engagement. This generation values autonomy, curiosity, and play, moving seamlessly between digital and physical worlds while expecting experiences that are clear, interactive, and meaningful. They seek hands-on exploration, personalization, and opportunities to contribute, driving deeper connections and shaping household purchase decisions across generations. Trust is earned through authenticity and visible action, not promises, and technology must enhance rather than distract from the brand experience. Stores that empower Gen Alpha to explore, test, and participate will win their attention and loyalty. By designing experiences that balance predictability with discovery, brands can cultivate lasting relevance with a generation whose impact is already being felt.

Interested in More? Download the Full Report!

Learn more about how MG2 Advisory can help you drive innovation and create deeper connections with consumers

Explore MG2 Advisory Services & Insights

消费者体验

MAC Cosmetics

MG2 partnered with Estee Lauder to bring their global beauty brand, MAC Cosmetics, to Nordstrom’s New York City flagship. Prominently located in the heart of the store, the shop-in-shop offers an immersive experience that invites shoppers to explore the brand’s full product range and enjoy personalized makeup consultations.

Designed to capture MAC’s bold, modern identity, the space features distinctive consultation tables with integrated product displays, custom wood fixtures, and LED screens that enhance both visibility and engagement. Playful, oversized elements—such as sculptural makeup brushes forming a brand sign and a giant lipstick anchoring a featured display—add a dynamic, unique touch.

In collaboration with Estée Lauder’s US Retail Design team and key vendors, MG2 developed highly detailed millwork solutions to bring the design vision to life. The team engineered a concealed operable swing door within the primary display wall to provide access to back-of-house storage and crafted a custom fixture precisely aligned with the dimensions of the existing wall frame. Through careful coordination and thoughtful consideration of strict leasing parameters, MG2 developed an efficient, elevated layout that maximizes both functionality and brand expression within a compact space.

  • 项目细节

  • 地点 纽约，纽约
  • 客户 The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.
  • 市场分类
  • 设计服务

构建与扩展：在多渠道世界中制胜

MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez will be speaking alongside Christiane Pendarvis of Pattern Beauty at NRF ’26 in NYC on Sunday, January 11th. Learn how to win in a multichannel world with insights into how retailers can effectively strategize by aligning teams, unifying data and inventory, and delivering consistent customer experiences.

Read the full article in NRF

2026 Retail Predictions: More AI, Yes, but That’s Not All, Folks

In a recent Retail TouchPoints article by Editor Adam Blair, MG2 Principal and Founder of MG2 Advisory Melissa Gonzalez explores 2026 Retail Predictions.

“The next era of retail will be shaped by a collective and growing longing for restoration. After years marked by fatigue, chronic stress and emotional overload, consumers are moving toward brands that actively safeguard their wellbeing. They are seeking products, services and environments that preserve energy rather than depleting it, in spaces that help them regulate, reset and return to themselves. Retail that prioritizes emotional clarity and nervous system health will become a decisive differentiator.”

Read the full article in Retail TouchPoints

The Retail Sector: Designers’ Perspective: Experience is Currency for Brick-and-Mortar Retailers

MG2 Senior Project Designer Eladio Victoria and Principal Melissa Gonzalez spoke with Jessica Chevalier at Floor Focus Magazine, sharing their perspectives on the retail sector as designers.

“We build connection by creating emotional touchpoints through flooring,” says Eladio Victoria, senior project designer with MG2. “We are combining the floor and ceiling to create some hot spots or experiential locations within the retail space and also with a connection to the community, trying to evoke a presence with flooring using local materials so the consumers understand the space they are in.”

Read the full article in Floor Daily

Two Minute Tour: Brooklyn, New York

Our Nordstrom Local project in Brooklyn, NY, was featured in an issue of VMSD edited by Editor-in-Chief Carly Hagedon.

“‘The design of this Nordstrom Local store has an intentional balance of warmth and modernity, reflecting the ease that the concept brings to the customer’s life – all while delivering an elevated experience,’ says Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at Seattle-based architecture and design firm, MG2.”

Read the full article in VMSD

Why Fashion Companies are Launching Mobile Apps, Despite the ‘High Barrier of Entry’

Danny Parisi sat down with MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez to discuss the benefits of launching a mobile app for fashion brands for Glossy.

“These apps are appealing because they allow brands to own the mobile experience, drive discovery and loyalty — not just conversion, link digital and physical touchpoints, and create community,” said Melissa Gonzalez, a retail strategist and principal at the retail architecture firm MG2. “Apps may include user profiles, saved looks, friend sharing, live chats, Q&As, drop countdowns and loyalty tiers, all tailored for the Gen-Z consumer who values peer influence and identity.”

Read the full article in Glossy

暂停的力量：为什么放慢脚步能激发更强的领导力 | 梅丽莎·冈萨雷斯

MG2 Principal and The Purpose Pivot author Melissa Gonzalez joined Bill Sherman on an episode of Thought Leadership Leverage to discuss how moments of pause can redefine leadership, and why vulnerability, intuition, and well-being are essential to building clarity, resilience, and purpose-driven careers.

Listen to the full episode in Thought Leadership Leverage

颠覆行业的创意人士

Retail Design Institute honored MG2 Chief Creative Officer MJ Munsell with induction into the Retail Design Legion of Honor.

MJ is recognized for more than three decades of leadership in retail design, guiding award-winning project teams for brands including Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Victoria’s Secret, and Tommy Bahama.

Read more in Interior Design

消费者体验

NEXCOM/The Navy Exchange

MG2’s partnership with The Navy Exchange (NEXCOM)—the organization overseeing more than 300 retail stores across 92 naval bases worldwide—began in May 2020 and has grown into a trusted, collaborative relationship centered on the sailors and families NEXCOM serves. Our Advisory, Design, and Architecture teams have worked together to reimagine everything from departments to full-store environments. Beyond traditional site visits, our on-base tours and stays at Navy Lodges immerse us in sailors’ daily lives, how they move through spaces, shop, and connect with their environment, so we can design solutions that reflect their needs and values. This approach has given us meaningful insight into how retail can support sailors at every stage of life, from new recruits to retirees. Our goal is to create environments that are convenient, intuitive, and welcoming, while offering both efficiency and moments of delight.

The MG2 Advisory team, in partnership with our Design team, took a multi-pronged approach to assessing how each department could best support consumer needs. 

This included:

  • An audit of brand insights (both qualitative and quantitative), as well as competitive benchmarking analysis
  • Evaluating consumer trends
  • Surveying the NEXCOM consumer audience as it relates to opportunities to elevate in-store experiences and identify key drivers to make the Navy Exchange their shopping destination
  • In-person field interviews – immersing ourselves on base with new recruits and sailors, and talking with store management to learn first-hand where they are seeing gaps both experientially and operationally in the store
  • Environmental evolution of color pallets featured in-store, fixture and signage packages, lighting and flooring optimization, and department-specific design needs to support a more elevated and customer-centric approach

This evaluation identified opportunities beyond price to deliver value across the fleet of locations. Through a deep dive analysis into trends, customer pain points and desires, including areas that provided demystification, we could identify drivers and preferences to inform the in-store experience evolution, allowing the Navy mission to be more deeply reflected in the spaces visited by sailors and families.

Based on the insights and research the MG2 Advisory Team brought forward, MG2 designed stores that provided greater space for storytelling, fostering excitement and a sense of community. As a result of these findings, the NEXCOM team revamped each department, reimagining the customer journey, merchandising, wayfinding, and operational change.

Provisions
Pearl Harbor Flagship
Navy Pride Department
Jacksonville Home Gallery Store
Jacksonville Home Gallery Store

Store Departments Redesigned to Date (Advisory/Design)

  • Beauty
  • Consumer Technology
  • Essentials
  • Food Hall/Provisions
  • Everyday Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Home Gallery
  • Jewelry
  • Kids
  • Men’s Apparel
  • Women’s Apparel
  • Surf Shop
  • Navy Pride
  • Package Store

Frameworks Articulated to Date (Advisory/Design):

  • Madix Playbook (fixture programming)
  • Dropzone Playbook (modular kit of parts)
  • Signage in the Lobby/Directory
  • Signage Framework Package
  • Shoppable Showroom
  • Mobile Retail Facility (MRF)

Flagship Environments Redesigned to Date (Advisory/Design/Architecture Review)

  • Jacksonville, FL
  • Pearl Harbor, HI

Discover additional impact MG2 Advisory had on NEXCOM Beauty here.

以影响力和目标引领

Melissa Gonzalez, MG2 Principal and founder of MG2 Advisory, joined Shelley E. Kohan on a recent episode of Retail Unwrapped, a weekly podcast from The Robin Report, to discuss her new book The Purpose Pivot.

Melissa shares how intuition can serve as unfiltered market intelligence, helping leaders identify misalignment between their role and their competitive advantage.

Listen to the full episode in The Robin Report

时尚、身份认同与数字生活碰撞：品牌为何必须倾听、合作并与新一代年轻人共同创造

In this episode of Retail Refined, MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez sits down with Brieane Olson, CEO of Pacsun, to explore how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are redefining creativity, consumption, and connection—and what it means for brands hoping to stay relevant in a culture that’s evolving faster than ever.

Listen to the full episode in Market Scale

从南戴尔购物中心到Z世代：购物中心的核心吸引力为何经久不衰

MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez discussed how Gen Z shapes the future of malls in an ICSC article.

“’Gen Z values community,’ she said, ‘so it’s key to understand what they want out of the communal experience and how malls can tap into culture, curate bespoke programming and design an environment that resonates as a social destination.'”

Read the full article in ICSC

消费者体验

H&M

MG2 partnered with global fashion retailer H&M to bring their newest store to life at The Original Farmers Market, a historic shopping and dining destination in Los Angeles. The flagship’s elevated design blends refined textures, shapes, and warm finishes, creating an inviting environment that reflects H&M’s evolving brand identity.

Key elements include translucent display walls that filter light while showcasing product, fluted stucco surfaces that bring texture, and modular fixtures that enable the brand to present multiple fashion narratives at once. These layered details required thoughtful coordination across departments and finishes, ensuring a seamless expression of H&M’s latest brand standards while maintaining design integrity.

Among the store’s signature features is the Champagne Pocket, a secluded space finished in stucco and soft neutral tones, designed to showcase H&M’s higher-end collections in a sophisticated setting. Additional highlights include a dramatic LED screen adjacent to the first-floor cashwrap, dynamic wavy panel displays that add movement, and continuous wood paneling across the second floor that ties together the men’s department, fitting rooms, and cashwrap. The integration of wood laminate—particularly across walls, ceilings, and fitting room openings—required meticulous planning to align grains, panel seams, and transitions for a consistent, elevated finish.

The team also discovered a partially demolished abandoned stairway within the existing space, requiring layout changes during construction. Throughout the project, MG2 worked closely to ensure all elements passed Los Angeles’ strict permitting codes and created the final elevated space for customers to enjoy.

In addition to this Los Angeles Flagship location, MG2 has worked closely with H&M on multiple projects across the United States, including FlatIron Crossing in Broomfield, CO, and Northridge Fashion Center in Northridge, CA.

  • 项目细节

  • 地点 加利福尼亚洛杉矶
  • 客户 H&M Fashion USA, Inc.
  • 市场分类
  • 规模 14,500 SF
  • 设计服务

“如果你不成长、不改变……”：像Regency Centers这样的领导者对当今零售业成功的理解

MG2’s Chief Creative Officer MJ Munsell spoke with Bisnow’s John Krukowski about the ever evolving retail industry.

“’To create a retail center where people want to return, it’s important to develop a dynamic sense of place with dining experiences, entertainment, surprise and discovery, camaraderie and, of course, shopping,’ said Munsell.”

Read the full article in Bisnow

体验方程式：零售商需要做对什么

In a recent episode of Retail Remix, MG2 Principal Melissa Gonzalez spoke with Nicole Silberstein to share why in-store experiences remain a powerful driver of connection and conversion, and how MG2’s latest research reveals Gen Z is coming to physical retail with clear purpose.

Listen to the full episode in Retail TouchPoints