Melissa Gonzalez describes herself as “an intellectually curious, innovator, strategist and storyteller at heart.” Prior to becoming a principal at MG2 and founding The Lionesque Group, which was acquired by MG2, she worked in Institutional Equities where she ferociously studied company business models and stories to advise on investment ideas
Joe Schafran, Senior Project Manager and Studio Lead at architecture and design firm MG2, was honored with the Retail TouchPoints 40 Under 40 Award at a reception during the 2023 Retail Innovation Conference that took place in Chicago in May.
Today’s customers want everything, everywhere, and all the time. And, while they still desire a balanced mix of traditional, remote, and self-service channels, they are becoming channel agnostic and increasingly tech savvy. In this report, we examine how brands and retailers can benefit from understanding their consumers’ technology needs and preferences, giving them the opportunity to serve their audience through phygital experiences that deliver value.
Our full deck is available for download at the bottom of this preview. Take me there now!
Over the years we have investigated consumers’ awareness and appetite for in-store technology and have witnessed adoption trends rise with both operational and experiential technologies. As consumer engagement across various technologies in store has become more habitual, consumer perception has evolved. An augmented reality experience in store may appear incredibly fun and immersive, but is it easy to use and navigate? A self check out offering may appear to save time, but was it seamless as promised? Consumers are looking to brands and retailers to apply technology in store that is rooted in intentionality and purpose, delivering something new while meeting baseline needs and expectations.
In our comprehensive investigation, we take a deeper dive into understanding what technology can solve for and we examine consumer perception as it relates to the value technology delivers, as well as the opportunities these findings illuminate for creating experiences in store that both attract new consumers and maintain the loyalty of existing ones.
In order for retailers and brands to engage in a successful in store digital experience, they must first understand what matters most to their audience. Consumer expectations are at an all time high and they do not understand, nor do they care about a technology’s limitations. If something is implemented that promises to enhance the experience and it under performs, retailers run the risk of losing consumer trust and loyalty. Prior to implementation, brands need to strategically assess where to lean in and how best to make good on delivering value.
By making strategic and purposeful technology integration decisions, retailers can deliver a transformative experience. But without purpose behind it, these integrations will fall flat.
SOREL, a renowned brand, opened a pop-up shop in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood in 2023 as part of its strategy to expand its brand presence. To achieve this, the company partnered with MG2 to create a pop-up shop that will help drive awareness, customer engagement, sales, and marketing integration data for future strategies. This pop-up shop also marks the brand’s 50th anniversary of the iconic Caribou silhouette.
The bold storefront features full saturation of the brand’s signature color – “Optimized Orange” – a life-size polar bear featuring local art, and illuminated custom signage that provides a peek into the pop-up experience. The team leveraged augmented reality tech to enhance the in-store experience, including a full-body mirror-sized screen that customers can stand in front of to interact with various weather effects. This innovative approach to retail design showcases SOREL’s commitment to providing customers with an immersive and memorable shopping experience.
Video provided by SOREL.
Nike, Forever 21, Lululemon, Urban Outfitters, and Sephora are some retailers that Gen Zers prefer visiting in person to shop at, owing to their use of social media in interesting ways, a study by MG2 and Berns Communications Group found.
Gen Z’s spending power is growing. That’s why brands are focused on uncovering their behaviors and preferences across all channels. During this Retail Remix episode, Alicia Esposito chats with Melissa Gonzalez, Principal at MG2, to dig into some of the key findings and takeaways that design executives can apply.
The vibrant color scheme carries throughout the space, which was designed by MG2/The Lionesque Group to engage and inspire both long-time Sorel fans as well as new passers-by. The design also highlights Sorel’s Caribou silhouette. A 5’x10’ foot polar bear is painted on the store’s orange-painted exterior.
It had “a very New York bodega feel,” Melissa Gonzalez said of the store, whose showroom is just 950 square feet. “And we could take over the whole exterior, which was super important, so we really had a brand moment starting from the outside in.”
Footwear brand Sorel has collaborated with MG2 and The Lionesque Group on a Brooklyn-based pop-up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its. The anniversary celebration coincides with the release of a celebrity design collaboration with musician and actress Chloe Bailey.
We’re honored to see Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Gardens named in Retail Design Institute’s Class of 2022, representing the best of the best in retail stores and experiences.
New research from MG2 confirms that Gen Z is looking for curated visual merchandising experiences and for brand values to shine through in these physical environments, along with a focus on wellbeing and community connections.
The Lionesque Group was tapped to pilot redesigns at the Oceana base store in Virginia Beach, and then roll out changes across the system.
This is about pictures — a visual tour in and around the finished product, which 3,700-plus employees moved into over the summer.
Kizik, a hands-free footwear brand, based in Lindon, Utah, opened its first retail doors in Fashion Place Mall near Salt Lake City.
As consumers become more aware of the importance of sustainability and are more actively engaging in sustainable practices at home as well as investing in sustainable businesses, we examine how this increase in consumer awareness brings opportunities for brands and retailers to better understand consumer motivations and where they crave demystification, paving the way for a more thoughtful retail store experience that is in the service of facilitating change.
Our full deck is available for download at the bottom of this preview. Take me there now!
Consumers are becoming increasingly informed about the benefits of sustainability and are experimenting with sustainable products and practices more than ever before. From using LED light bulbs, to reusable shopping bags and bottles, to eating locally grown foods, consumers everywhere are engaging in sustainable practices even when they don’t realize they are. Even the smallest change has the ability to drive long term benefits, and the same can be said of the actions brands and retailers can take in stores.
In this survey, we investigate consumer awareness when it comes to the wide spectrum of sustainable initiatives available to them and how that awareness informs their motivations and prioritization when shopping in-store, facilitating opportunities for retailers to design store environments that are not only a place for procuring goods, but rather a place that drives education, enacts thoughtful and purposeful change and keeps sustainability and a sense of community at the core of all they do.
As consumers continue to embrace sustainable practices at home, they are looking to the brands they follow and admire to do the same in-store. Consumers view their relationships with brands like a partnership, wherein retailers are not only a provider of goods, but a provider of education and inspiration, serving as a real time resource into the products worth investing in, and the practices worth pursuing.
As they evolve and their awareness expands, consumers are also becoming more clear about their motivations and level of prioritization when it comes to sustainability in retail. We see this evidenced through their desire for signage in-store that conveys a brand’s commitment to positive change in the environment and surrounding communities, through their interest in modular fixtures as a waste reduction effort, through their interest in recycling receptacles in-store for repurposing products and materials, as well as wanting messaging that communicates tips and guidance for product care throughout the product’s lifespan.
Consumers want to feel good about the brands they invest in and more so than ever, they are wanting to know that their investment is in service of the greater good. Consumers are thinking beyond today, and when they look at the impact of their decisions upon the generation of tomorrow, they expect brands, retailers and developers to be right there with them, building a brighter future together.
The program recognizes female brand marketers, retailers, agency executives and solution providers for their achievements in influencing shoppers along the path to purchase.
We’re excited to be listed as number 47 in BD+C’s Top 130 Hospitality Facility Architecture Firms for 2023.
“But it’s hard to nail that correct ambiance,” says Joy Dayaw, associate, MG2 Design, Seattle. “The last thing you need is a silent restaurant, but you also need some soft surfaces so the noise isn’t so active.”
We’re excited to be listed on ENR’s Top 100 Green Design Firms.
“For wellness, it was interesting to see thoughtful fitting room experiences identified as a top priority, as opposed to more typical experiences you would associate with wellness such as biophilia, light and sound,” said Melissa Gonzalez, principal at MG2, in a statement to Tiara White of Ad Age.
We’re excited to be listed as number 8 in BD+C’s Top 140 Retail Sector Architecture and Architecture Engineering (AE) Firms for 2023.
As Gen Z has grown up and become independent consumers, we examine how this shift in mindset informs their preferences, expectations, and spending habits, highlighting where brands and retailers should focus their attention and investments to best resonate with this digitally fluent, omnipresent generation.
Our full deck is available for download at the bottom of this preview. Take me there now!
Gen Z is digital first however they seamlessly blend worlds, expecting brands to fluidly meet them online and offline because that is all they have known. By bridging online engagement with physical retail experiences that apply both purposeful and playful technologies in-store, brands and retailers can elevate the shopping experience while maintaining the convenience and efficiency Gen Z has come to expect. In this survey, we seek to better understand this generation and investigate their preferences and motivations for shopping in-store, enabling us to bring forward opportunities for future retail store design that incorporate experiences that not only resonate with the consumer’s values, but celebrate their individuality and desire to be a part of the brand story digitally and physically.
Gen Z consumers know what they want and they know what matters to them. They may be ever changing however their motivations are central to who they are. This generation values authenticity and transparency and knowing a brand’s story is only one part of what drives their sense of connectivity. They expect brands to meet them online and in-store with fluidity, and desire continuity as it relates to brand messaging and customer experience, regardless of the platform or environment. They value and seek out alternative brand experiences not only to feature on social media, but as a way to further educate themselves and immerse themselves in a brand’s world. Gen Z wants to be a part of the narrative and they want to engage with brands in unexpected ways.
We’re excited to be included among the top 25 in Building Design + Construction’s 2023 Top 175 Architecture Firms.
“There’s a mix of so much education that’s needed that cannot really be fulfilled online in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming and intimidating,” Melissa Gonzalez, principal of MG2 and founder of The Lionesque Group, a retail experiential design firm, told CNBC.
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