Soaring property values, increased urban dwelling, housing shortages and stagnating salaries are just some of the factors that are keeping younger generations out of the housing market. Many millennials now say they do not think they’ll ever be able to afford a home, and things are even bleaker for Generations Z and Alpha. And for […]
How A Decline in Home Ownership Will Impact Brands Read More »
In this episode, SLD’s Jean-Pierre Lacroix has a conversation with Simon Stenning, a consultant who works exclusively in the foodservice and hospitality sector, providing brands with actionable market intelligence. Simon’s background includes working with huge names like Hilton and Compass. Transcript Melinda: Hi, I’m Melinda from SLD, and you’re listening to Think Retail. Today, SLD’s
Luxurious vs. Value Experiences in Foodservice Read More »
The new year ushers in a need to confirm and reassess an organization’s business plan to determine how to reach their overall goals. While these key success factors in business are commonplace, business leaders often take for granted some of the basic things found within them, such as the difference between strategies and their supporting tactics. We
The Differences Between Strategies and Tactics Read More »
If you’ve ever managed a brand transformation, you know that it can often be a juggling act. With potentially hundreds of balls In the air at once, it’s hard to shake the nagging feeling that you’ve forgotten something. We’ve put together this handy checklist to help calm your concerns. Fill out the form below to
Check Off Every Step of Your Brand Transformation Read More »
Is your delivery process enhancing feelings of excitement or is it making customers feel worried, frustrated and/or upset? How and when products are received has a strong impact on the overall experience a customer has with your brand. An order that arrives late or damaged, is incorrect, goes missing or stolen, or is handled by
The Future of Shipping and Delivery Read More »
We are nearing the end of 2019 with the milestone year 2020 arriving in just couple of days. The ushering in of a new year brings an abundance of predictions of what to expect and solutions to consider. These predictions will most likely include the continued growth of Fintech, the ongoing omni-channel shift, the further
Using Strategic Foresight to Look Ahead to 2030 Read More »
Agency Spotter has released its latest Top 50 Branding Agencies Report, and SLD is proud to have ranked #9 on a list in which almost 2,000 branding agencies were evaluated. Based on credentials, expertise, client feedback and project work, Agency Spotter’s quarterly report highlights the top branding agencies from around the globe. SLD is just
SLD Makes “Top 50 Branding Agencies” List Read More »
Consumers have made a significant shift to shopping and banking online and through their mobile devices. Despite this, the promised benefits of utilizing mobile to make the bricks-and-mortar experience more convenient and engaging have not yet come to fruition. Mobile devices have evolved significantly, but the bandwidth that serves as their backbone has not, leaving
5 Insights for a 5G World Read More »
Where will disruption in the banking industry come from next? Just when banks have caught up to digital banking platforms innovated by Fintechs and are embarking on building meaningful, trusting relationships with customers, something else will come along and throw a wrench in the works. Knowing what’s coming is half the battle. Read this white
The Three Big Changes That Are Coming to Banking (And How to Handle Them) Read More »
The majority of companies today are going through varying degrees of transformation to remain competitive. The changes range from improving efficiencies through new technologies and processes to rethinking supply chain in order to gain greater value. Irrespective of the degree or area of change, the biggest challenge in ensuring organizational change is executed quickly is
5 Ways To Ensure Your Employees Embrace Change Read More »
Retail banks have spent years catching up with the wave of technological advances that shook the industry with the impact of startup fintech companies. Now that the dust is settling and most large banks are well on their way to providing seamless digital banking solutions, what will differentiate one bank from another? How will retail
Why the Bank Branch is Still Relevant Read More »
As the applications for Artificial Intelligence (AI) become broader, we are told to expect a brave new world. In spite of the hype around smart machines, the truth is that we don’t know how an onslaught of robot workers will change the planet, and for retailers, how that will directly affect their business. What we
How Retail Brands Can Leverage AI Read More »
Part of SLD’s team recently had the opportunity to attend a Capital Markets workshop hosted by CIBC. The event focused on the current global economic cycle and discussed whether a new financial crisis could be on the horizon. CIBC’s top analysts also provided great insights and trends on the Merge & Acquisitions market. Here are our
Highlights from CIBC’s Capital Markets Workshop Read More »
As retailers look to provide a credible response to the online-only threat of companies such as Amazon and eBay, the option for buying online and picking-up in store (BOPIS) is gaining traction. The initiative is part of a larger focus on providing customers with greater convenience, from speeding up delivery and reducing inefficiencies, to better leveraging
How to Deliver the Best BOPIS Experience Read More »
There was a time when everybody made their own clothes or had them made by a tailor or seamstress. You had only a few things in your wardrobe, but they fit you perfectly and were made to last. Fast forward to today, we’ve got ubiquitous, cheap, fast clothing in abundance but there’s a wave rising
The Keys to a Bespoke Apparel Experience Read More »
The companies that truly succeed are those that get off the “follow the leader tread mill” and focus on what truly is relevant to their customers. It’s not about omni-channel or what you think you know. It’s about the insights your customers are not telling you. Those deep emotional needs that current companies are not
Does Your Brand Have A Lasting Legacy? Read More »
There are various types of research and it can be difficult to determine when best to use them as you look to gain insights throughout the transformation process for both internal and external stakeholder validation. To assist in planning and implementing a consumer study here is a worksheet with eight easy-to-follow and understand steps. WHAT
Worksheet: Finding the Insights that Drive Foresight Read More »
Physical stores have the potential to become the most powerful media channel available to brands, but it requires that everything about the physical store, how it’s planned, located, designed, staffed, and measured must be re-engineered. Today we speak with futurist, author, businesses advisor, and the founder and president of Retail Prophet, Doug Stephens. Transcript Melinda: Hi,
The Store as a Media Channel Read More »
For brands, the key to growing marketshare and consumer loyalty often lies in fulfilling consumer’s deep subconscious emotional needs that other brands have failed to meet. Delivered through innovative and at times disruptive products and solutions, many companies have accomplished this feat by moving a consumer from needing something to desiring it. Getting to the heart of what drives
Using Neuroscience to Better Understand Consumer Behavior Read More »
In the last decade, an ever-increasing share of the consumer market has been moving online. Although e-commerce sales have yet to eclipse brick-and-mortar retail transactions, the integration of young millennials and Gen X consumers into the market has pushed the trend further into the digital world. While many core marketing principles still remain the same in the
Marketing in an E-Commerce Era Read More »
