🎙️Episode 103: Revolutionizing the Customer Journey & Experience — A Conversation with Melissa Gonzalez
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Episode Summary:
How do physical spaces evolve when the customer journey is constantly being rewritten? In this episode of Retail Relates, we sit down with Melissa Gonzalez, retail visionary and Principal at MG2, to explore how immersive environments, pop-up experiences, and consumer expectations are redefining brick-and-mortar.
Melissa shares her journey from Wall Street to retail architecture, how she founded The Lionesque Group, and why modern retail success depends on blending data, design, and emotional connection. From shaping digitally native brand experiences to crafting purposeful physical spaces, Melissa’s insights challenge retailers to think beyond the transaction — and into the transformative.
We talk about:
Why storytelling is still the most powerful tool in retail
The evolution of experiential design in a post-pandemic world
The measurable value of modular retail
What “purpose-built” design really means in 2025 and beyond
About Melissa Gonzalez:
Melissa Gonzalez is a Principal at MG2 and Founder of MG2 Advisory, host of Retail Refined Podcast, and author of The Purpose Pivot. A former Wall Street executive turned retail innovator, Melissa has become a key advisor to some of the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer companies and well-established brands. Her expertise lies in blending innovative strategies with actionable insights from concept through implementation, continually pushing the boundaries of experiential retail environments. Melissa and her team have pioneered the integration of physical and digital retail spaces, creating cutting-edge concepts that enhance consumer engagement for major brands like Nordstrom, Victoria’s Secret, and Kizik.
Her significant contributions to the field have garnered prestigious recognitions, including being named one of the Top 10 Executives in New York City to Watch by the New York Business Journal, one of WWD’s “25 Most Influential Women Leaders of 2022”, and consistently recognized as one of the leading ‘Women In Design’ and ‘Top Retail Design Influencers of the Year’. Additionally, Melissa is a prolific speaker and has been featured in publications like The New York Times and Forbes.
Favorite Quote from Melissa Gonzalez:
"It’s not about making a store ‘Instagrammable’ — it’s about making it meaningful. Great retail design tells a story that invites the customer in, gives them a reason to stay, and leaves them with something to remember."
Follow Melissa Gonzalez on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissagonzalezlionesque/