Street Fight Daily: Viber Launches In-App Shopping, Small-Ball Retailers and Google Shopping

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…

Chat App Viber to Launch In-app Shopping with Brands Including Macy’s (VentureBeat)
Chat and messaging giant Viber has announced a new in-chat “Instant shopping” feature that lets users search for goods without leaving Viber. The new social commerce feature will arrive in the U.S. on March 6 in beta and will be rolled out globally throughout 2017.

Investment Firms Come to the Forefront Among Owners of Local Newspapers (Street Fight)
Today seven investment entities control 349 daily newspapers, well ahead of either the 196 belonging to long-established private publishers that include companies like Hearst and Advance Publications or the 161 public publishers that include legacy chains like Gannett and McClatchy.

7 Ways Small Retailers Can Compete with Retail Giants Using Google Shopping (Search Engine Land)
Andreas Reiffen: It is possible to be competitive in Google Shopping as a small business. In fact, done right, Google Shopping can actually be the most effective digital advertising platform in terms of Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).

Marriage of Listenings, Data, Social Drives Better Results, Says SweetIQ CEO (Street Fight)
A long-brewing change is transforming the way local business listings get used, says SweetIQ’s Mohannad El-Barachi. In a recent interview with he tells Street Fight that the integration of more features, such as chat or connections to social media, opens up new ways for businesses to bring in customers.

SocialRank Realtime Helps Marketers Get More Proactive on Social Media (TechCrunch)
Using SocialRank Realtime, instead of just looking for complaints or comments about her brand, a marketer could find relevant conversations where she can make someone happy by jumping in and offering a free product or another deal and maybe get a little positive promotion in the process.

Most Marketers Worldwide Have Personalization Strategies in Place (eMarketer)
A December 2016 study from Monetate, which surveyed senior marketers from companies headquartered around the world, found that 56% of respondents are in the process of implementing of a personalization strategy, while 28% are just starting out. 

Uber Has No Good Reason for Keeping Tipping Out of Its App (Quartz)
Alison Griswold: Uber hasn’t abstained from tipping because it’s the “right thing” to do. Uber cuts prices relentlessly and has fought tooth and nail in court to avoid classifying its drivers as employees, a status that confers both minimum-wage protection and benefits.

What Publishers Admire About the Google-Facebook Duopoly (Digiday)
Publishing execs, under the safety of anonymity, profess admiration for the rigor of Google and Facebook, as well as their focus on user needs.

Legislators Are Trying to Allow Internet Providers to Sell User Data (Wired)
Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona plans to introduce a resolution to overturn the FCC rules, enabling internet providers and wireless companies to sell your data unless you explicitly opt out. 

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