Street Fight Daily: Why Uber Won’t Go Public For More Than a Year, The Disappointment of Zulily
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…
Why Uber Is Waiting to IPO (Inc.)
Waiting 18 months or more would be long enough for Uber to IPO after what has been described as the current “major meltdown” in the global stock market. Recent tech IPOs, like Twitter, are in particular ailing. But the reported IPO window is also far enough away that Uber’s valuation could drop. Which raises the question: Why is Uber waiting? Maybe it isn’t ready for the scrutiny that comes with going public.
Why the Largest E-Commerce Acquisition Ever Is Actually a Disappointment (Recode)
The acquisition of Zulily by QVC parent company Liberty has not been received in a celebratory manner by the e-commerce industry at large, because many saw Zulily as an example of how entrepreneurs could build a big publicly-traded company in the U.S. that would not get crushed by Amazon.
INFOGRAPHIC: The Complex SMB Marketing Ecosystem (Street Fight)
Lorren Elkins: As the head of digital strategy for a broadcaster operating local TV stations, I’ve been challenged to clearly understand the digital marketing space from an SMB perspective. So I’ve developed a chart, both to enhance my understanding and to assist SMBs in identifying potential suppliers.
In-Store Personalized Digital Display Pushes Purchases (eMarketer)
A recent study found that satisfying today’s digital consumers’ desire for personalization when they’re in-store could boost brick-and-mortar sales; 85% of respondents ages 18 to 34 and 35 and older said they would be more likely to make a purchase if they saw something personalized to their interests on an in-store beacon or digital display.
‘Indie’ Times of San Diego Marches Northward With Twin Site in Metro L.A. (Street Fight)
Tom Grubisich: Digital media vet Chris Jennewein left Patch after the AOL sale and returned to San Diego to launch the independent Times of San Diego. He is now a direct competitor to the Union-Tribune and has started a twin regional site called MyNewsLa.com. Street Fight caught up with Jennewein, who has been hardwired to digital local news from its birth.
Retailers’ Efforts to Reinvent Themselves Dragging Down Profits (Denver Post)
Retailers are facing some pain as they aim to deliver better in-store experiences and faster and friendlier service to increasingly demanding shoppers that have shifted their spending to online; second-quarter earnings reports show how the reinvention efforts from the likes of Kohl’s, J.C. Penney, Walmart, and Macy’s are all weighing on their profits. But they don’t have a choice.
How Instagram Is Changing the Way Brands Look at Photography, Online and Beyond (Adweek)
Design teams are beginning to see the benefit of moving away from over-lit, over-staged, and generally over-edited photography for their campaigns and instead are favoring a more organic look and feel that matches the medium — on Instagram itself, but also in print and an array of other media.
Reserve Acquires Set For Service, A Startup Offering Guest Management Tools For Restaurants (TechCrunch)
Reserve, a “dining concierge” startup that facilitates restaurant reservations and payments, has acquired Set for Service, which offers an app that serves as a CRM system for restaurants and allows them to track details and feedback from their guests.
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