Street Fight Daily: Taco Bell’s New App, Sun-Times’ Network Play
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…
Taco Bell Unveils Mobile Ordering (USA Today)
Taco Bell went way outside the bun to unveil an advanced mobile app that lets folks order and pay on their smartphones and then walk or drive in and pick up their food. Meanwhile, Outback on Tuesday announced plans to roll out an industry-first online reservations tool that shows real-time waits for seating.
With Nomi Deal, Brickstream Kicks Off Consolidation in Store Analytics (Street Fight)
Brickstream, an in-store analytics firm, has snapped up the New York-based Nomi, an indoor marketing startup founded by a handful of Salesforce alums, in an all-equity deal. The entire 37-person Nomi team will join Brickstream including CEO Marc Ferrentino who will now serve as chief marketing officer for the Atlanta, Ga.-based company.
The Newsonomics of the Sun-Times National/Local Network Play (Nieman Journalism Lab)
Ken Doctor: Coming, officially today, to your hometown: A templatized, national/local, ready-to-go network of 70 news sites and apps that aim to make use of all the au courant digital news business knowledge of the day. It’s called the Sun-Times Network, and it’s the latest attempt to try to do local news at a national scale.
Holiday Shoppers Will Move Between Online and Offline More Than Ever Before (Street Fight)
In two new studies, G/O Digital took a look at the capabilities and offerings that will drive shopper behavior during the holidays for national and smaller retailers respectively. According to one, 84% of online shoppers said they planned to use an online channel to help decide where to shop before purchasing a gift in store at a small business.
Groupon’s New Product Boss Leaving After Less Than Two Months (Recode)
Parker Barrile is exiting his role as Groupon’s head of product after less than two months on the job, according to multiple sources. The former LinkedIn product exec was hired late this summer to fill the role vacated earlier this year by his predecessor, Jeff Holden, who left Groupon for Uber.
Wix Buys Its Way Into Online Ordering (Street Fight)
Wix, the Israel-based website builder, has quietly pushed into the wider small business technology market since going public last year. Now the company has acquired OpenRest, a small Israeli-American startup that provides restaurants with the ability to accept orders through a website or mobile app.
Gautam Thakar’s LivingSocial (Washington Business Journal)
Thakar, a former eBay exec and a new member of WBJ’s Power 100, joined LivingSocial as its new CEO in mid-August, and since then has been taking a deep dive into the D.C.-based deals company’s operations. He’s in the early stages of mapping out a plan for the future, an effort that could reshape how LivingSocial structures and distributes its offers.
Rival Payments Coalition MCX Moves to Curb Apple Pay (New York Times)
Even before Apple Pay was announced, a coalition of retailers refused to accept it in their stores. More than 50 companies make up this group, the so-called Merchant Customer Exchange or MCX, including global retail giants like Walmart, Best Buy and Gap Inc.
An Uber Founder Tables A New Idea (Fortune)
Reserve.com, a self-described “digital concierge” conceived in part by one of the co-founders of Uber, goes live Tuesday morning. It was conceived by New York entrepreneurs Greg Hong, the company’s CEO, and Joe Marchese, who runs an ad-tech company called TrueX.
McDonald’s Extends Android NFC Payments In All 14,000 Us Outlets With Softcard Tie-up (The Next Web)
od news for McDonald’s’ Android-using customers in the US – there are now more options for paying with NFC thanks to a tie-up between the fast food giant and Softcard. Following a pilot program that kicked off last year, McDonald’s’ patrons across the US will now be able to pay with NFC in-restaurant and via the drive-thru lane.
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