Street Fight Daily: Uber CEO Taunts Critics, RetailMeNot’s Simple Success
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.
Uber CEO Taunts Price Critics, Points to Airline “Surge Pricing” (GigaOm)
On Christmas Eve, the Uber CEO Travis Kalanick used Twitter to taunt critics of the popular car service’s so-called surge pricing by pointing to Delta Airline prices. Kalanick’s latest Twitter salvo suggests he’s had no second thoughts about Uber’s pricing model, which he claims is a simple reflection of supply-and-demand, and helps ensure there’s an adequate supply of drivers at critical times.
Street Fight Staff and Friends Predict 2014′s Top Stories (Street Fight)
As 2013 winds down, it’s clear that the landscape in hyperlocal business has shifted significantly. Looking ahead, we’ve asked Street Fight staffers and a few friends who regularly contribute to the site to submit their prognostications for what’s to come in the next 12 months.
RetailMeNot Wins the Holidays by Not Overthinking It (PandoDaily)
Erin Griffith: Each year a new wave of ecommerce companies whips up an innovative business model. There is always a new kind of marketplace, a new brand of “social commerce,” or a new twist on personal shopping, stylist curation and showroom shopping. But this week I remembered how basic this stuff is. No need to over think it: people love coupons.
What We Learned About Local Merchants in 2013 (Street Fight)
Stephanie Miles: In Street Fight’s “2013 Report on the State of the Local Merchant,” merchants discussed what they’re looking for from hyperlocal vendors, and outlined the factors they look at when deciding where to spend their local marketing dollars.
Mobile: Preparing for the Third and Final Wave (Wired)
Yoram Mizrachi: Today’s third wave of smart mobile devices, which shows no signs of slowing down, will be the last great disruptive computing platform. And though new devices, I foresee a dramatic increase of pressure on developer’s to deliver quality as the technology becomes more deeply implanted in our everyday routines.
With $100M+ Run Rate, Gett Reveals A New Look, App And Delivery Service As It Prepares To Do Battle With Uber (TechCrunch)
European on-demand car service is finding investors more than willing to bet on its own fast-growing business, as it, too, follows Hailo into the U.S. market. Already operating in over 20 cities across the U.K., Russia and Israel, GetTaxi opened its doors for the first time in the U.S. in August, looking to take on Uber and others by providing New York City passengers with a low-cost black car alternative.
How Live Nation Pre-Games for Data Insights (AdAge)
As few as five years ago, Live Nation didn’t consider itself a data company. Now data is a core part of the concert promoter’s DNA, according to John Forese, who joined in 2011 to head a new data arm, LiveAnalytics, as senior VP and GM.
Inside The Sleazy World Of Reputation Management, Where People Pay To Control What You See On The Internet (BusinessInsider)
There is an entire industry dedicated to making bad things on the Internet quietly disappear and making promotional, good things about a person or a company look totally legitimate, even when they’re just PR spin. It’s known as “reputation management” and those who are good at it can earn $5,000 – $20,000 per month per client.
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