From Silicon Valley startup to powering in-store experiences around the globe, discover OnQ’s inspiring journey
Since its inception, OnQ has been driven by its passion for retail and innovation. Over the years, this full-service retail display agency has come up with a myriad of ways to improve the retail experience for customers, retailers, and brands alike. The history of OnQ as well as its impact on the retail sector are subjects close to Paul Chapuis’ heart, who is the Founder and CEO of the company.
Technological advancements since the early 2000s have been transformative, leading OnQ to secure many more contracts with leading companies in the sector.
“One of our biggest accounts is Apple, for whom we manage all retail experiences in Walmart, & Target in the US, and in Costco across 14 countries. I find it exciting to know that whether you are in a store in Iceland, Korea, Spain, or Japan, the experience for all Apple products comes from our facility in Akron, Ohio. We also do a lot of work for Walmart, overseeing the electronics section in their stores. This involves managing around 42 different brands on behalf of the retailer as a category manager.”
Paul continues: “Recent global expansion for OnQ includes working with Starlink on retail displays across approximately 30 countries. This client requires comprehensive worldwide reach, including markets in unconventional retail territories and opens new partnerships with non-traditional retailers like West Marine for boating customers seeking connectivity.
“Our role enables us to maintain direct relationships with brands, and in most cases, we also handle their specific branded work. By working within a particular category for a retailer, we stay in constant communication with partners, making it easier to offer to help them with logistics such as pallet placements in different locations or standalone displays. We have a remarkable list of clients featuring the top 30 technology brands around the world, including Samsung, LG, Apple, Google, Meta, and Tesla,” Paul continues. “We acquire clients slowly, but we never lose them.”
This loyalty stems from an unexpected discovery: when Paul surveyed OnQ’s top customers, he expected them to cite the company’s technical capabilities or impressive facilities. Instead, clients repeatedly emphasized OnQ’s heartfelt commitment to problem-solving – the fact that someone could call at 4pm on a Friday with an emergency and hear ‘It’s okay, let me get people on the phone, we’ll solve this.’ With only six salespeople for a company of its size, OnQ grows almost entirely through referrals, building deep, long-term relationships rather than competing on bids.
Another example of its determination to better support clients, OnQ has developed Converge, a proprietary in-store retail content management system (CMS) that powers tens of thousands of connected screens worldwide. The concept behind Converge is to seamlessly integrate in-store and online experiences. From interactive touchscreens to real-time analytics, it means that OnQ gives brands the tools to manage, update, and measure retail performance at scale.
Converge’s inception essentially came out of necessity. As one of the first companies to start implementing significant numbers of interactive displays, OnQ found there were limited tools available to seamlessly manage thousands of screens across a variety of locations and environments. Furthermore, while creating interactive displays is relatively straightforward for retailers with just ten locations or those highly engaged in keeping their displays up and running, they found some retailers to be less hands-on. This made deploying complicated displays at scale a tall order.
“Essentially, we were among the first to tackle this challenge and we discovered a lack of effective tools for managing the complexity,” says Paul. “It was difficult to offer features like a comprehensive map of the US locations showing operational status and determining what content was displayed on each screen. For discerning partners like Apple, we needed precise timing on product rollouts across different parts of the world, but the tools required to achieve this were unavailable. So, we set about building our own solutions, resulting in the creation of Converge, a remarkable platform that allows us to manage this vast array of content across many global locations,” Paul explains.
Retail reinvention
OnQ’s innovation does not stop at its services and invention of Converge. In fact, the company has combined both its dedication to creativity and sustainability to repurpose abandoned local retail spaces into production sites. “We love the idea of finding innovative ways to support retail as it continues to evolve, adapting to whatever is next. Retail is what we do for a living, so we are passionate about nurturing this sector, which we feel very close to. With this in mind, the first significant building we moved into was an old Toys “R” Us facility that we brought back to life and put a lot of work into. That building has since been handed off to another manufacturing company as we moved into an old JCPenney site located in Chapel Hill, a former shopping mall in Akron, OH. In the Akron area, there aren’t many buildings over 200,000 square feet, so this one presented a unique opportunity. Upon seeing it, we felt a responsibility to revitalize it as a retail facility, and it has been a wonderful experience. We take great pride in having our headquarters in an old JCPenney. During the grand opening, the mayor visited and was impressed to see the parking lot nearly as full as it was when the mall was operational!
“In city council meetings, this previously abandoned site was often discussed as an eyesore that generated no tax revenue, but now, the mayor has walked into our beautifully renovated headquarters and loves the transformation. This is exactly what our city needs. The front half of the building houses engineers, planners, logistics experts, and designers, while the back half is dedicated to production. Part of our acquisition of this facility was driven by its strategic location, but another significant aspect is the opportunity to be part of the broader narrative of retail reinventing itself while producing goods that promote retail,” Paul comments.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Paul sees significant opportunities emerging from AI’s evolution. “Last year at CES, AI was all software-level discussion. This year, it’s percolating down to personal devices such as glasses, personal assistants, and individual objects,” he reveals. This next wave of AI-powered consumer devices reminds him of previous technology revolutions like the PC era, health and fitness wearables, and home automation. “It’s going to be well-funded and competitive because these companies don’t just want market share, they want people on their platform. I think it’s going to be great for retail and our industry,” he says. Paul also observes that the online versus in-store battle has largely settled, with major retailers successfully using their stores as distribution systems. “All the doomsday stuff about retail has shaken out. We can stop watching our backs and get back to doing fun, innovative work,” he concludes enthusiastically.
OnQ’s fascinating journey reflects its long-standing commitment to innovation and adaptability, as well as its passion for retail. Seamlessly integrating technology and repurposing retail spaces is no easy feat, yet the company achieved this while also addressing current market demands and reshaping the landscape of the retail industry.