{"id":3680510,"date":"2026-04-24T14:21:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/?page_id=3680510"},"modified":"2026-04-24T14:22:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:22:03","slug":"pymnts-intelligence-research-framework","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/pymnts-intelligence-research-framework\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Framework"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- What PYMNTS Intelligence Is --><\/p>\n<div class=\"section\">\n<h2 id=\"what-pi\">What PYMNTS Intelligence Is<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/pymnts-intelligence\/\">PYMNTS Intelligence<\/a> is an independent research arm of PYMNTS.com, conducting original, quantitative analysis of artificial intelligence, commerce, payments, financial services and consumer behavior. Our work is designed to identify structural trends, behavioral shifts and economic realities shaping how people and businesses transact.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PYMNTS Intelligence produces primary research, or data that is collected, analyzed and interpreted by our data analytics and research teams rather than repackaged from third-party sources or vendor-provided materials.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- What PYMNTS Intelligence Is Not --><\/p>\n<div class=\"section\">\n<h2>What PYMNTS Intelligence Is Not<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PYMNTS Intelligence does not produce promotional content, advertorial research or vendor-directed analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although PYMNTS Intelligence research is supported through external funding, it is not commissioned to promote specific products, companies or commercial outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Research Independence Statement --><\/p>\n<div class=\"section\">\n<h2>Research Independence Statement<\/h2>\n<p>All PYMNTS Intelligence research is:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n<li>Hypothesis-driven<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Independently designed<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fielded using PYMNTS-controlled sampling<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Analyzed and interpreted internally<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Published without external editorial control<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Role of Research Partners<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Partners may provide funding, but they do not:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n<li>Select research topics or hypotheses<\/li>\n<li>Influence methodology or survey design<\/li>\n<li>Control sampling or data collection<\/li>\n<li>Alter findings, conclusions or framing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>PYMNTS retains full editorial and analytical authority over all outputs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Methodological Rigor --><\/p>\n<div class=\"section\">\n<h2>Methodological Rigor<\/h2>\n<p>PYMNTS Intelligence applies standards aligned with:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n<li>Academic economics<\/li>\n<li>Applied social science<\/li>\n<li>Top-tier management consulting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Core principles include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n<li>Pre-defined hypotheses before research begins<\/li>\n<li>Transparent sampling methodologies<\/li>\n<li>Statistical validation and robustness checks<\/li>\n<li>Exclusive reliance on real-world data (not synthetic datasets)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>PYMNTS research teams include economists, data scientists, and quantitative researchers.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Economic Model Transparency --><\/p>\n<div class=\"section\">\n<h2>Economic Model Transparency<\/h2>\n<p>PYMNTS Intelligence operates on a research patronage model.<\/p>\n<p>Organizations fund research to gain access to insights and data. This model:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n<li>Enables high-quality research at lower cost<\/li>\n<li>Delivers consulting-level rigor without consulting-level pricing<\/li>\n<li>Separates funding from influence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Funding provides access, not control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Commitment to Objectivity --><\/p>\n<div class=\"section\">\n<h2>Commitment to Objectivity<\/h2>\n<p>PYMNTS Intelligence publishes findings regardless of whether they align with:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n<li>Industry narratives<\/li>\n<li>Market assumptions<\/li>\n<li>Partner expectations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If data contradicts prevailing views, the contradiction is reported.<\/p>\n<p>This commitment underpins PYMNTS Intelligence\u2019s role as a trusted, independent research authority.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section\">\n<h2>Why Our Research Matters<\/h2>\n<p><span data-teams=\"true\">Because of its independence and rigor, PYMNTS Intelligence research is used by:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n<li>Enterprises and financial institutions<\/li>\n<li>Policymakers and regulators<\/li>\n<li>Investors and strategists<\/li>\n<li>Academics and analysts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-teams=\"true\">It is cited as a source of original data and insight, not sponsored or promotional content.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- The PYMNTS Research Credo --><\/p>\n<div class=\"credo-wrap\">\n<div class=\"credo-label\"><span data-teams=\"true\">THE PYMNTS INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH CREDO<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"credo-lines\">\n<div class=\"credo-line\">Data before narrative.<\/div>\n<div class=\"credo-line\">Hypotheses before conclusions.<\/div>\n<div class=\"credo-line\">Independence before sponsorship.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"credo-body\">PYMNTS Intelligence research is independently designed, fielded, analyzed and written by PYMNTS Intelligence with real-world data collected through rigorous survey sampling methods. Research partners provide funding support but exercise no control over methodology, data collection, findings or conclusions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What PYMNTS Intelligence Is PYMNTS Intelligence is an independent research arm of PYMNTS.com, conducting original, quantitative analysis of artificial intelligence, commerce, payments, financial services and consumer behavior. Our work is designed to identify structural trends, behavioral shifts and economic realities shaping how people and businesses transact. PYMNTS Intelligence produces primary research, or data that is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102939,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-pymnts-research-thesis.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3680510","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.2 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Research Framework | PYMNTS.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Research Framework\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pymnts.com\/pymnts-intelligence-research-framework\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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