Street Fight Daily: Apple Watch Meets Beacon, Foursquare’s Uncertain Growth
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…
The New Foursquare: People Are Checking In, But They May Not Be Staying (New York Business Journal)
Foursquare’s first-ever advertising campaign seems to have worked. But don’t break out the Comeback Company of the Year prize just yet. There’s reason to believe the win was fleeting, and the one-time social media darling still faces troubling traffic trends and serious questions about its role in the digital world.
Marsh Supermarkets Brings Beacon Messaging To Apple Watch (Street Fight)
Marsh Supermarkets is working with InMarket to install a system in its stores that will use Bluetooth beacons to “wake up” applications on the Apple Watch and deliver relevant content to their shoppers’ wrists. Shoppers can decide whether or not to receive push notifications upon entering the store.
Google Results For “Car Insurance” Could Look Different Very Soon (Search Engine Land)
A new report from an analyst at Forrester points to signs that Google is finally getting ready to launch its long-anticipated comparison site for car insurance. One thing is clear, we can expect changes similar to those seen in other verticals Google has entered such as travel and shopping.
The Uberification of the “1099 Economy” (Street Fight)
Michael Boland: A new buzzword has emerged in the tech lexicon: “1099 economy.” Referring to the growing ranks of single proprietors and contractors, this trend is part of the massive transformation taking place in the local services economy.
Shopify Preparing for Dual U.S.-Canada Initial Public Offering in 2015 (Wall Street Journal)
Shopify Inc. is working on a plan to raise roughly $100 million in a dual U.S.-Canada IPO that could value the company at well over $1 billion. The tech startup has grown sharply since its inception in 2006, providing software and services that enable small and midsize merchants. (Subscription required)
MenuPages Sacks Founder, Moves Operations to Chicago (Eater)
GrubHub, the food delivery company that owns MenuPages — a repository for restaurant menus — had laid off all of its NY-based staff dedicated to MenuPages. Additionally, GrubHub has opted to let go of Tom Bohan, who has served as Director of MenuPages since 2002.
Ad Company Crossboard Mobile Acquired By Flatiron Media And The Berry Company (TechCrunch)
Crossboard Mobile, an ad-tech company with a focus on helping businesses find sales leads, has beed acquired by two different companies, according to CEO Steve Oriola. Founded in 2008 as Pontiflex, the company rebranded as Crossboard Mobile midway through last year.
Whole Foods CIO says it’s seen ‘significant growth’ in Apple Pay use (MarketWatch)
Whole Foods, one of the first retailers to adopt Apple Pay, has seen “significant growth” in mobile payment use. The organic and natural food grocer has seen “double-digit” growth on the number of transactions using Apple Pay week over week and also saw “solid” results post holiday
When Peter Thiel Labels Your Business the Dead Zone — Validation FTW! (Medium)
Perry Evans: In his new book, Peter Theil goes on to refer to the “Distribution Doldrums” associated (in part) with small businesses and technology products. This generates a growing visceral frustration among small business owner, and everything points to this being a problem about to spin out of control.
Traditional Stores Still Trounce E-Commerce When It Comes to Returns, New Survey Says (AdWeek)
A new survey suggests that returns and exchanges might be one area in which traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are mopping the floor with e-tailers. A whopping 70 percent of shoppers would rather return that not-so-perfect gift at a traditional store than try to do the transaction online.
Everything You Need To Know About Google’s Local Algorithm, Pigeon (Search Engine Land)
Neil Patel: Google’s new local algorithm has taken local search to a whole new level of specificity and accuracy. Here’s everything you need to know about the algorithm update.
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