2026 brings a new set of pressures and expectations as global tensions, economic strain, and rapid technological shifts reshape how consumers interact with brands. In...

The Brand Promise Think Blink Gap: A Comprehensive Analysis of Restaurant Chain Performance in the Fast Casual and QSR Landscape This joint study by SLD...

Community banks have long been trusted for their personalized service and deep community roots. However, as technology reshapes consumer expectations and larger institutions dominate the...

The definition of community is shifting, and with it, the role of financial institutions in fostering trust, engagement, and long-term loyalty. Traditionally, community banks thrived...

Community banks, once the backbone of the U.S. financial sector, are facing an existential crisis. More than 3,800 institutions have disappeared since 2004 due to...

Loneliness is increasingly being recognized as a global challenge. In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General went so far as to call loneliness a public...

The casual dining and fast casual restaurant industries have faced significant challenges, with many well-known brands struggling or closing locations. Reports highlight an industry in...

The road to 2025 is marked by shifting priorities and expectations. As consumers redefine their values in response to economic pressures and cultural changes, brands...

THINK Digital signage in bank branches has become essential in transforming customer experiences and communication methods. However, there remains a debate in many institutions on...

A massive investment swing from digital transformation to retail networks is happening among financial institutions. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and PNC Bank recently made...

The world appears to have drastically changed in 2023. With conflicts erupting all over the world, inflation taking hold, and the unprecedented growth of commercially...

In an age of information overload, the CPG industry is constantly looking for innovative strategies to capture consumer attention. One viable approach is the integration...

Why should we invest more in providing trustworthy financial advice? We projected that financial institutions, empowered by digital transformation initiatives, would need to catch up...

Why study inclusion now? It’s been a hot topic for the past ten years, with chief diversity officers and DEI training becoming more commonplace. However,...

Inclusion has grown in importance and is being recognized in a variety of areas, including retail store design. In retail store design, inclusiveness entails making...

Building on our 2017 North American Retail Banking Stealth Attrition study and the follow-up, Measuring what Matters, in this paper we explore the state of...