Street Fight Daily: Groupon Buys Booking Site, Delivery Hero Nears IPO
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…
Groupon Acquires Beauty Salon And Spa Booking Startup (Chicago Business Journal)
Beauty is getting bigger at Groupon. The Chicago-based online deals company said today it is acquiring PettyQuick, a Chicago-based startup website and app where users can book and pay for appointments at a range of beauty salons and spas.
Can Home Services Really Be Uber-ed? (Street Fight)
Todd Bairstow: Homeowners don’t “Uber” a $15,000 window replacement job. They don’t contract for a new sunroom on their mobile phone. And they don’t sign on for a $30,000 kitchen remodel without spending hours of real time with a designer and salesperson.
Takeout Giant Delivery Hero Raises Another $110M at Over $3.1B Valuation Ahead of IPO (TechCrunch)
Delivery Hero, the takeout food ordering service based out of Berlin, has raised yet more money — possibly some of its last before an IPO sometime after 2015. It’s picked up another $110 million at a post-money valuation that the company says is over $3.1 billion.
5 Ways Mobile Is Improving the In-Store Shopping Experience (Street Fight)
Hyperlocal tech has the power to revolutionize the in-store shopping experience, but whether those changes ever come to fruition will depend largely on retailer adoption. Here are five examples of ways that hyperlocal technology is being utilized in stores right now.
Google Misses Out on Apple’s Slice of Mobile Transactions (Wall Street Journal)
Google won’t earn any transaction fees from credit-card issuers for its coming mobile-phone payments service, unlike Apple, because of evolving ground rules for the services. Credit-card issuers hope the changes pressure Apple to trim or eliminate its fees.
The End of Yahoo Maps and the Missing Local Strategy (LSA Insider)
Greg Sterling: Perhaps basic business listings and a map in PC or mobile search results is sufficient in Mayer’s mind to satisfy basic local user requirements. But it’s not going to win any new usage for the company from Google, which controls about 90% of queries in mobile search.
In ‘Year of Apple Pay,’ Many Top Retailers Remain Skeptical (Recode)
Since the launch of Apple Pay, the company has aggressively courted retailers — and claimed significant success. But interviews with analysts, merchants and others suggest that Apple’s forecast may be too optimistic and that many retailers remain skeptical about the payment system.
In Partnership With Postmates, Apple Expands Same-Day Delivery To Its Web Store (TechCrunch)
In late May, Apple began offering same-day delivery of the various products and accessories it sells through its Apple Store app on mobile devices through a partnership with on-demand delivery startup Postmates. Now, that same option is being made available to consumers shopping on Apple’s web store.
The Top 3 Mistakes Marketers Make When Going Mobile (MediaPost)
Brett Kohn: Even though a majority of Americans have smartphones, marketers still struggle to effectively reach them and build viable audiences there. They still don’t understand how mobile audiences are unique from others and what the most effective tactics are to reach them.
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