What WSL Strategic Retail does

WSL Strategic Retail (legally WSL Marketing Inc.) is a privately held B2B retail consulting and shopper research firm founded in 1986 by Wendy Liebmann and headquartered in New York City. The company serves enterprise retailers, consumer packaged goods manufacturers, and consumer health brands, with named clients including Unilever, CVS Health, Johnson & Johnson, Disney, Kroger Health, and Matrixx-Zicam. WSL's core product is the How America Shops® longitudinal research program — running continuously since 1990 — which tracks U.S. shopper sentiments, attitudes, and behaviors across physical and digital retail channels through national surveys and customizable analysis.

The firm augments its flagship research with several proprietary offerings: Global Retail Safari® (immersive retail observation tours worldwide), Retail Safari® Tools and Innovation Newsletters, the Future Shop Podcast (distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music), in-depth executive interviews with retail leaders, and a portfolio of thematic research reports (e.g., 'The Wellness Breakdown' and 'Women's Wellness: Today, Tomorrow, and What Comes Next'). Adjacent services include keynote speeches, workshops, and advisory consulting engagements focused on identifying white-space growth opportunities and activating shopper-centric strategies for client organizations.

WSL operates a hybrid revenue model combining recurring annual subscriptions to its research library (via a client access portal at sil.wslstrategicretail.com), project-based consulting engagements, and event-driven revenue from hosted symposia such as the June 2026 'Women's Wellness: The Next Revolution' event co-hosted with retailmediaIQ. The company maintains no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no acquisitions, operating as an independent founder-led consultancy under Wendy Liebmann's continued leadership as CEO and 'Chief Shopper'.

Name

WSL Strategic Retail

Legal name

WSL Marketing Inc.

Website

https://wslstrategicretail.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WSL Strategic Retail is a New York-based B2B retail consulting and shopper research firm, founded in 1986, that delivers longitudinal shopper insights, global retail observation tours, and advisory services to enterprise retailers, CPG manufacturers, and consumer health brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Strategy Consulting

akta.pro primary industry

Shopper & Retail Insights (In-Store/Path-to-Purchase, Category Insights) (MPAAALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Market, Shopper & Category Insights / Research Services (CRAOAOAI), Shopper Insights & Path-to-Purchase Research (MPAAAJAL), Category Management & Retail Analytics (MPAAAJAI)

Keywords

• Retail consulting
• Shopper insights
• Consumer research
• Retail strategy
• Market research

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Subscription: Annual subscriptions to How America Shops® research reports and access to the shopper insights library, providing ongoing predictive insights into shopper behavior.
2. Consulting Services: Advisory consulting services helping clients identify innovative growth opportunities and white spaces for categories and retail. Includes activation resources for shopper-centric strategies.
3. One-Off Projects: Individual project-based engagements for specific research or consulting needs outside of annual subscriptions.
4. Events and Sponsorships: Industry symposium hosting and event participation, including the Women's Wellness: The Next Revolution symposium co-hosted with retailmediaIQ.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WSL Strategic Retail is a B2B retail consulting and shopper insights firm that sells annual subscriptions to its flagship How America Shops® national consumer research program, project-based advisory consulting services, global Retail Safari® immersion tours, keynote speeches and workshops, and executive interview research. Offerings are targeted at major retailers, consumer packaged goods brands, and health and wellness companies seeking predictive insights into shopper behavior and category growth opportunities.

Product overview

WSL Strategic Retail is a retail consulting and shopper research firm offering a comprehensive suite of research and advisory services. The core offering centers on the How America Shops® and How the World Shops research programs, which provide predictive shopper insights through national surveys and customizable analysis. Supporting these flagship research reports are Global Retail Safari® (immersive retail observation), the Future Shop Podcast (thought leadership content), Consulting Services (including Speeches & Workshops), and Executive Interviews. Together, these services help global brands and retailers anticipate shopper behavior changes and develop growth strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• How America Shops®: The company's signature national research study tracking shopper sentiments, lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors across all types of retail.
• How the World Shops
• Retail Safari®
• Future Shop

Products and services

• How America Shops® WSL's flagship national consumer research study tracking shopper sentiments, lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors across all retail channels (physical and digital); provides predictive, actionable insights and customizable analysis on why shoppers do what they do. Sold primarily as an annual research subscription to enterprise retailers and CPG brands.
• How the World Shops Global counterpart to How America Shops®, examining international shopper behaviors and retail trends across markets outside the U.S.
• Retail Safari®
• Consulting Services
• Speeches & Workshops
• Executive Interviews
• Women's Wellness: Today, Tomorrow, and What Comes Next
• The Wellness Breakdown

Quantifiable outcome

• WSL research identified that 1/4 women were buying a client's category in specialty stores - a channel the client didn't track
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• retailmediaIQcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 June 2026WSL Strategic Retail and retailmediaIQ co-host the 'Women's Wellness: The Next Revolution' industry symposium in New York City on June 25. The event brings together executives and thought leaders from retail, healthcare, beauty, and consumer health sectors. Following the symposium, retailmediaIQ hosts its annual Women of Influence event to honor women leaders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NielsenIQ: NielsenIQ is a global consumer intelligence giant providing retail measurement, shopper insights, and consumer panels across 100+ markets. Overlaps with WSL on shopper behavior research but operates at much broader scale with proprietary retail measurement data that WSL does not have.
• Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market research firm with established shopper and retail research practices serving CPG and retail clients. Comparable to WSL in service offering (custom research, syndicated insights, consulting) but operating across many research categories at much larger scale.
• Euromonitor International: Euromonitor provides global market research on industries, economies, and consumer trends, including dedicated retail research. Comparable to WSL's 'How the World Shops' global insights offering but with a much broader industry coverage footprint.
• Kantar: Kantar is a major global market research and shopper insights firm offering Worldpanel consumer panels and BrandZ analytics. Comparable to WSL's shopper insights subscription offering but as part of a wider portfolio that includes advertising and media effectiveness research.

Direct peers

• Edge by Ascential: Edge by Ascential (now part of Ascential/Omnicom) provides e-commerce and retail data, insights, and advisory to brands and retailers globally. A direct peer to WSL in retail-focused insights and consulting, but with stronger emphasis on digital commerce data feeds.
• BWG Strategy: BWG Strategy (formerly Bob Phibbs / Wizard of Ads community) is a specialized retail strategy consulting firm advising retailers and brands on shopper-facing strategies. Closely comparable to WSL as a boutique, founder-led retail strategy consultancy serving similar enterprise customers.
• Circana: Circana (formed from the merger of IRI and The NPD Group) is the largest dedicated shopper and retail insights firm, offering syndicated point-of-sale tracking, consumer panels, and predictive analytics. Directly comparable to WSL's How America Shops® subscription model, but at vastly greater scale and with deeper technology infrastructure.
• Customer Growth Partners: Customer Growth Partners is a retail consultancy providing strategic analysis and growth advisory to retailers and CPG companies. A direct peer to WSL's advisory consulting practice, with similar enterprise client base and shopper/market-focused methodology.

Emerging players

• Flywheel (formerly L2): Flywheel (which acquired L2, the digital intelligence firm) provides digital retail strategy and insights, particularly around brand performance on retailer media networks. Partial overlap with WSL's retail innovation research and shopper insights, especially in digital commerce themes.
• GlobalData Retail: GlobalData Retail offers data-driven retail intelligence, including market sizing, competitor tracking, and consumer insights, often via subscription platforms. Comparable to WSL's research subscription model, though more focused on data/analytics deliverables than pure qualitative shopper insights.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdZQbr2lXaV3nbTL1CqCllQ
• Xx.com/wslstrategic
• Facebookfacebook.com/wsl-strategic-retail-153976664635037

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WSL Strategic Retail