We pride ourselves on producing thought leadership that answers the big questions keeping our clients up at night. Our subject matter experts not only create think pieces that push boundaries, elevate the customer experience, and drive innovation, but they have the experience to back it up and put these ideas into action. From industry specific POVs to white papers backed by consumer research to thought provoking podcast episodes, we have something to fit everyone's needs.
Best In Show
Explore a few of our favorite think pieces.
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The Shift to Sober: Curious Behaviors Turn Mainstream Movement
How to Make Sure Your Beverage Brand Doesn’t Run DryPoint of View -
HealthWellnessTop Health + Wellness Trends for 2025
Our Health + Wellness Practice Leaders share their thoughts on the top trends that will make an impact in healthcare and consumer wellness behaviorsWayfind -
Rethinking Store Formats
Tailoring Experiences for Every LocationWayfind -
Scaling Brand Consistency
How We Deliver Seamless Guest Experiences and Operational Efficiency Across Every Store FormatPoint of View -
Harnessing AI for Operational Excellence in Restaurants
In today's competitive restaurant landscape, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into operations is not just a trend but a necessityWayfind -
HealthWellnessFood is Medicine
Let's face it, we spend a lot on treating illness in healthcare, but perhaps prevention is where more effort and investment should be goingPoint of View
Point of View
There are thinkers and then there are thinkers that create POVs so relevant and forward-thinking that they must work at WD.
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The Grocery of 2040
The Future of Grocery is Here—Are You Ready? -
HealthWellnessA New Prescription for Pharmacies
Reimagining the Pharmacy as a Hub for Holistic Health -
The Shift to Sober: Curious Behaviors Turn Mainstream Movement
How to Make Sure Your Beverage Brand Doesn’t Run Dry -
Human-Centered Connected Commerce – From Store to Site
Innovative collaboration and human-centered design are essential for driving retail success -
Scaling Brand Consistency
How We Deliver Seamless Guest Experiences and Operational Efficiency Across Every Store Format -
HealthWellnessLongevity and Health Optimization
The New Trend in Proactive Healthcare
Transforming the way you think, innovating the way you act,
and illuminating your way to extraordinary experiences.
Latest Article
Explore More Articles
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The Future of Stores: Smaller, Better, Closer (Or Nowhere at All)
Retail 3.0 Continued -
HealthWellnessHow Consumers Are Changing the Health Landscape
At Healthspaces 2025, Proactive Care Took Center Stage — From Real Estate to Remote Diagnostics -
The Future of Design Has Arrived—and It’s Surprisingly Playful
Our team scouted the showrooms and design labs of Chicago to catch what's emerging, and what's next -
Brazil, the Other “Land Down Under”
Brazil: A Unique Retail Paradise -
The Sweet State of Snacking
Highlights from the Sweets & Snacks Expo -
Staffing Smarter: Operations Solutions to Offset the Labor Crunch
The labor crunch is real—and it's not going away anytime soon
White Papers
Humble brag time. Did you know we've talked to nearly 25,000 consumers and published over 15 white papers in the last 10 years? Okay, maybe a not so humble brag.
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Can Resale Save the Store?
How can a retail trend be so huge but still fly under the opportunity radar? -
Retail Supernova
The pandemic accelerated everything already in acceleration. -
The Store of the Future is Not a Store
People don’t have to go to stores anymore, they have to want to go to stores. -
Amazon Won, Now What?
The battle is over: what can we learn from the victor? -
Healthcare: Who Survives?
Primary care, urgent care and retail clinics are on notice. -
Defining the 21st Century Store
The old prototype store model is obsolete. Are you still using this dated approach of one-size fits all? Don’t be stranded with anomaly stores that aren’t scalable.
Speakers
Last but definitely not least, our highly esteemed speakers. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen one of these experts on a stage.
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Dan Stanek
Executive Vice President
As a noted authority in consumer trends and consumer behavior, Dan's areas of expertise include experience strategy, brand strategy, market positioning strategy, consumer insights, and new concept development. Dan has over 30 years of experience in consumer marketing and customer experience innovation for Fortune 500 companies. -
Jay Highland
EVP, Creative
Jay's work has been recognized by numerous industry publications, including Fast Company, Design:Retail, Interior Design, and VMSD, and he has led teams to two "Store of the Year" awards. -
Joanne Heyob
SVP, Operations Strategy & Design
While throughputs, labor assessments and peak capacity are operations-focused terms, as a speaker, Joanne makes operations easy to understand and delivers insights attendees are excited to bring back to their offices. As SVP, Operations Strategy & Design at WD Partners, Joanne brings 20 years of experience rooted in retail and store operations. -
Jody Wasbro
SVP, Strategy & Experience Design
Jody leads WD's Strategy & Insights team, driving seamless integration with design and operations, and providing brand research, strategies, and positioning -
Lee Peterson
EVP, Thought Leadership
Lee has more than 30 years of collective experience as a retailer, a strategist, a public speaker and as a leading voice in the future of retail. He brings an innovative approach to modern retail by understanding cultural trends, consumer demographics, and buying behavior across multiple industries.