Case Study: Restaurant Chain Uses Mobile Promotions to Reach Millennials
Homestyle Dining Chief Marketing Officer Jon Rice knew that implementing a sweepstakes program across all of his company’s 142 Bonanza and Ponderosa steakhouse franchises would be a logistical challenge. So he opted to partner with Front Flip, a mobile engagement and loyalty platform, to generate excitement, boost engagement, and gain more insight about his guests…
5 Tools That Bring Web-Like Analytics to Offline Locations
It isn’t chance that e-commerce retailers like Amazon are generating billions of dollars in online sales. Digital commerce businesses are utilizing big data analytics to measure shopper behavior, click-through rates, and page views when designing their online sales outposts. Here are five hyperlocal vendors bringing web-style analytics into the real world…
Case Study: Using a Card-Linked Loyalty Program to Gain Customer Insights
In an effort to separate her upscale resale boutique from competitors in the area, Karma Couture business manager Sarah Kirinsky has started working with vendors like Swipely, PunchTab, Constant Contact, and Perfect Audience. She uses the platforms to reward loyalty, host online giveaways, and retarget existing customers with email newsletters and exclusive offers…
7 Ways CPG Brands Can Leverage Location-Based Marketing
Location-based marketing tools make sense for retailers trying to drive customers into their stores, but what about brand advertisers? Here are seven strategies that brands can use to take advantage of location-based marketing tools right now, even without having their own physical establishments…
8 Tools For the In-Store Delivery of Mobile Coupons
Sixty-three percent of shoppers say they would be more likely to make a purchase if they received a coupon during their shopping experience. Still, only 27% of companies have plans to implement location-based marketing in 2013. Here are eight straightforward tools that retailers can use to satisfy consumer demand and drum up additional sales with the delivery of mobile coupons…
Case Study: Loyalty Program, Targeted Emails Lead to Daily Sales Spikes
At Gelato Fiasco in Portland, Maine, director of marketing and public affairs Bobby Guerette says his team initially developed the company’s digital loyalty program — dubbed the Red Spoon Society — as a way to promote individual Gelato Fiasco locations. What they later discovered was that the card-less program could be useful in promoting the wholesale side of Gelato Fiasco’s business, as well…
9 Strategies Merchants Can Use to Protect Their Reputations Online
It’s not uncommon for local merchants to go to the extreme to make a great first impression when customers arrive at their businesses — designing custom signage and selecting window displays with the utmost care — without giving a second thought to the first thing potential customers see when they search for their companies online. Here are strategies that merchants can use to protect their reputations and make a great first impression on the web…
6 Tools Restaurants Can Use for Better Guest Intelligence
By the time a guest walks through the front doors at Ping Pong Dim Sum in Washington D.C., marketing manager Myca Ferrer can already be fairly certain what he or she will order. Ferrer isn’t psychic, but he is using a guest intelligence platform to gain a deeper understanding of his most frequent customers. By tracking preferences and payment histories, Ping Pong Dim Sum is better able to offer VIP service to its most loyal diners…
Case Study: Bakery Uses Mobile POS for Real-Time Business Analytics
When Tara Koenig first began researching mobile point-of-sale systems for her Virginia cupcake bakery back in 2011, her interest wasn’t driven by the lack of upfront costs or tablet integrations. It was driven by necessity. The location Koenig had chosen for her new bakery was a 500-square-foot garage with no telephone lines (a feature that’s typically necessary when installing a hardware-based POS system)…
6 ‘Microfencing’ Tools for Retailers
Dozens of popular geofencing platforms help retailers generate foot traffic — but what happens after these potential customers cross a store’s threshold is anyone’s guess. In an effort to drive traffic to specific points inside their stores — like special displays, brand kiosks, or promoted products — retailers and brand manufacturers are beginning to utilize “microfencing” solutions from indoor navigation vendors. Here are six tools that retailers and brands can use for in-store “microfencing.”
Case Study: For NYC Nightlife Group, Adding Restrictions Increases Deal Profitability
As the marketing director for The Lure Group, Kelly Bruce isn’t afraid to try new digital platforms on for size. Over the years, she’s worked with dozens of hyperlocal vendors, including Foursquare, Yelp, Gilt City, Grouper, Scoutmob, and HowAboutWe. “We’re doing all these different experience packages to bring in a new audience who might not be familiar with the venues,” said Bruce. “Every couple of weeks, we reach new people.”
6 Reasons to Opt for Card-Linked Loyalty Programs
Customer analytics have become an integral part of the local merchant’s marketing toolbox, and digital loyalty providers are increasingly leveraging their own data to help clients make more informed business decisions. Hyperlocal vendors with loyalty programs that are linked to credit cards or debit cards are especially well positioned to take advantage of this trend. Here are six reasons why loyalty providers should consider structuring their programs to connect with customer’s credit or debit cards…
5 Tools to Track Conversions from Social Media to In-Store Traffic
The vast majority of SMBs have no idea whether the “fans” and “likes” they’ve generated via social media are actually translating into real-world sales. A number of hyperlocal vendors are stepping in to help solve this mystery. These companies have created digital platforms with tools that help business owners track the number of online fans they’ve managed to convert into actual customers. Here are five of those platforms…
Case Study: Switching to a Cloud-Based POS For Increased Reliability, Lower Costs
As a seasoned restaurateur, Steven Cook already knew that traditional hardware-based point-of-sale systems could be overly expensive and unreliable when he opened Federal Donuts — a shop that sells cake donuts and Korean style fried chicken — in late 2011. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that there were alternative options for quick-service restaurants…
7 Strategies for Generating Localized News Stories
Appealing to a hyperlocal audience means going beyond repackaged press releases and community events listings to uncover truly newsworthy stories happening in individual neighborhoods. We consulted with experts from some of the country’s top hyperlocal publications to round up the best strategies for developing localized story ideas on a regular basis. Here are their best tips…
6 Ad Networks With Targeting Capabilities
Ad networks with advanced targeting capabilities are giving national brands and smaller advertisers a way to drive conversion rates and boost sales. By narrowing their focus and targeting specific audiences based on location, demographics, or interests, advertisers can increase the relevancy of their ads and improve click-through rates (CTRs) by a factor of 2x. Here are six ad networks that offer these targeting capabilities…
6 Strategies for Reaching Customers at the ‘Zero Moment of Purchase’
Targeting consumers at the “zero moment of purchase” — that is, while they’re shopping inside a store where a brand’s product are sold — is a proven way to increase conversion rates on mobile coupons and other discounted offers. Unfortunately, getting this type of high-impact marketing program off the ground can involve much more than a typical offline campaign. To find out more about what marketers should know, we consulted with experts in the field of purchase-based ad targeting…
Case Study: How a National Restaurant Group Uses Hyperlocal Platforms
As the national sales and marketing director for East Coast Saloons, a management company that operates bars and restaurants nationwide including McFadden’s, Calico Jack’s, and Johnny Utah’s in New York City, Gina Groh fields cold calls from hyperlocal startups on a daily basis. When deciding whether a particular platform will be a good fit, Groh is primarily concerned with the return on investment and the time involved in setting up the system…