Street Fight Daily: Dex One Merges With SuperMedia, Groupon’s Tech Origins
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.
Dex One and SuperMedia to Combine in Stock Swap (Press Release)
Dex One Corporation and SuperMedia Inc. have announced that they will combine in a stock-for-stock merger of equals, creating a national provider of social, local and mobile marketing solutions through direct relationships with local businesses. Dex One shareholders are expected to own approximately 60 percent and SuperMedia shareholders are expected to own approximately 40 percent of the combined company.
LivingSocial Nabs High-Fashion Clothing Line (Inc.)
In a move to grow beyond daily deals, the company is experimenting with exclusive fashion by a big-name designer. The former Liz Claiborne creative director turned high-end fashion designer Issac Mizrahi will team up with Chevrolet to sell a high-fashion clothing line exclusively through the LivingSocial Shop for the next three months.
Groupon is Not a Tech Company. Why Was It Valued Like One? (GigaOm)
GroupOn’s precipitous stock decline since its public offering in November 2011 has turned the local commerce company from a web hero to a piñata. The problem is that of false expectations and lofty valuations from a company that was never really a tech-company.
Local News Sites Form New Trade Association (CJR)
Next month, at the annual Block by Block conference for local news sites, around 100 independent publishers will celebrate the launch of a new nonprofit trade group that will offer support for the growing hyperlocal news industry. Unlike bigger professional networks—which include AOL’s Patch, and the Online News Network—LION will focus solely on small, independent sites that are serious about the business of local news.
Online Outsourcing Helps Johnston’s Digital News Show Creep Forward (Paid Content)
The UK publisher of 230 local newspapers has set ambitious digital growth targets for its new CEO’s turnaround. So far, Johnston’s online gains are going slow from a low base. But the most interesting part of its strategy may lay ahead.
Daily Deals Are Dead, Long Live Coupons and Discounts (Screenwerk)
Greg Sterling: Here’s the thing about the daily deal industry: coupons/deals/offers have been around for years and years. They will survive whatever happens to Groupon, LivingSocial et al. Consumers love and will continue to love saving money. Deals aren’t going anywhere.
PayPal’s French McDonald’s Experiment Could Have Big U.S. Implications (ReadWriteWeb)
PayPal is confirming reports that it is test-running a new app-based checkout system in McDonald’s restaurants, a pilot program that could push the online payment broker – and the notion of phone-based payments – much further into the consumer shopping experience. It could also add confusing choices and tools to manage in an increasingly fragmented payment landscape.
Get Street Fight Daily in your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletter.