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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Restaurant Mashup: 2’s Better than 1
Issue 53: From fighting to stay open in the early days, to embracing new delivery and dine-in models, to reengaging and rethinking their entire operations, to labor shortages and supply chain struggles... the restaurant world has been topsy turvy, to say the least.Wayfind -
Restaurants Rise Again: Time to Embrace a Portfolio Strategy
Every industry has been tested in ways they’ve never seen before and the restaurant industry has felt the brunt of it.Point of View -
WD Partners, Joanne Heyob: I’ll Take a Cheeseburger with a Side of Innovation, Please.
As the daughter of a restaurant operator, Joanne Heyob started off her extensive career in restaurants at the early age of 16. Her lifelong experience in restaurants and retail have been an integral part of the operations team here at WD.WDCast -
HealthWellnessGrowing Up Fast: Telehealth and the New Health Ecosystem
Healthcare has been facing some stark competition over the last decade on account of the increasing popularity of provider alternativesPoint of View -
Digital First – Why It’s Essential
Given the recent past, understand this; "Digital First" is not a buzz term. It's an edict. It's not a website, a department or even eCom. Digital First is how the customer thinks, and subsequently, it must also be how we think. Now. Today.Point of View -
Malls are on Life Support: Not So Fast
The pandemic has been an accelerator, not a disruptor, especially for physical retail and mall stores. Consumers are now less inclined than ever to shop in person, so what comes next?Point 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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Dine-O-Mite
Time to Blow UP What You Know About Restaurants -
HealthWellnessPets Are People Too
In the consumer-driven pet care market, the more customer friendly and accessible your practice is, the more you will have people come running to it. -
HealthWellnessPrime Disruptor: Amazon In Healthcare
With the recent acquisition of One Medical and Iora Health, Amazon seems intent to make their mark on the healthcare industry -
Think Outside the Box
How To Use Your Entire Store as Selling Space -
Hey Metaverse Seekers… Been There, Done That
Design and Architecture Has Been Living With Oculus for Years -
HealthWellness5 Ways Healthcare is Changing Forever
Change is here, and healthcare will never be the same.
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Wayfind Articles
Remember the pile of National Geographic magazines your parents had? This is like that, but better. Browse through dozens of past articles from our best Wayfind issues.
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How to Treat Your BOH Like the Heartbeat of Your Store
Issue 56: The speed at which stores were forced to change how they operate has been unprecedented. And it doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon -
Go Beyond the Path to (re)Purchase
Issue 56: Too often, brands and retailers focus solely on what happens leading up to the purchase—affectionately known by most of us in the biz as the "path to purchase" -
Follow the Yellow Brick Road to an Immersive Experience
Issue 56: Immersion. Wonder. Possibility. Just like when Dorothy and Toto first venture out into that candy-coated land of Oz -
Can Resale Save The Store?
Issue 56: The bottom line: In the [15+] years WD Partners has conducted surveys on consumer sentiment, interest, and taste, we've never seen results like this. -
HealthWellnessWhy the Amazon Ecosystem is Primed to Disrupt Healthcare
Issue 56: With the recent acquisition of One Medical and Iora Health, Amazon seems intent to make their mark on the healthcare industry. -
The Truth Behind Greenwashing
Issue 55: What Consumers Told Us and How Brands Should Respond
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? -
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 2020
11,000 consumers. The top 100 brands. -
Healthcare: Who Survives?
Primary care, urgent care and retail clinics are on notice.
WDCast
Would you rather listen to thought leadership instead of reading it? We have that too! Our podcast features WD experts chatting with industry experts about a variety of relevant business topics.
Disruption is the name of the game these days and it appears that no business or industry is safe. From consumers shifting demands, new competitors popping up on the daily, and those tiny computers in our pocket giving us 24/7 access to all our hearts' desires… times they are a-changing.
Join Lee Peterson, retail veteran and consumer expert, as he discusses super relevant business topics with equally relevant and interesting guests.
Subscribe and listen to WDCast through any of the following providers:
We’ve been talking with the best of the best, so many we lost count!
Check out all of our episodes below.
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Julie DiNatale, Commercial and Strategic Partnerships Leader for Truterra (sustainability division of Land O’Lakes): Farmer-Driven, Sustainably-FocusedNovember 17, 2022Julie is the Commercial and Strategic Partnerships Leader for Truterra, the sustainability business of Land O’Lakes, Inc., one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives.
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Anna Carlsson: Is Resale the New Retail? Ask Gen ZSeptember 7, 2022Gen Z'ers have picked up on a shopping "trend" that is paving a new way of shopping for generations to come: shopping used/vintage/resale goods
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Brian Standage, CEO of Banner Health Urgent Care Services: Setting Sights on the Triple AimAugust 16, 2022Brian has a unique career background, building his foundation in the retail sector before diving deep into the world of healthcare at Banner Health.
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Brian Bucher, Kari Engen & Mike Magee: WD Partners Sustainability ExpertsJuly 12, 2022Driving Real Change Through Sustainable Design
With sustainability so top of mind these days, we wanted to turn to some real experts on the topic. -
Kenny Endermuhle, Manager of Shopper Innovation and Experience (SI&E) at Nestlé PurinaJune 28, 2022QR codes and NFC tags, DTC products in CPG, VR and AR... there are plentiful acronyms to navigate when it comes to talk of modern technology in the consumer experience.
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Jodi Krangle, Voice Actor: Helping Brands Find Their VoiceMay 10, 2022This week’s podcast sounds a little different (literally!) as we invited on voiceover talent, Jodi Krangle, to discuss her journey into finding her voice and using it to help build an identity for the brands she works with.
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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. -
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.