Street Fight Daily: Google Unveils New Maps, PayPal Takes Aim at Square
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.
Eight Years Later, Google Reinvents Its Maps for a Data Rich Web (GigaOm)
Eight years after Google launched Maps as a beta product, the search giant is reinventing the map for a new data rich web that lives on fast broadband, and runs on computers with oomph to spare. The new Google Maps marries data, social and the concept of hyper-personalization, tastefully layering those principles on top of beautiful and detail-rich maps.
Looking Up: Local Data and the Real World (Street Fight)
Damian Rollison: Google Glass may be overpriced or simply too odd for many consumers, but it still represents a manner of thinking about the interconnectedness of the Internet and the world that is an inevitable outcome of current trends. With smartphones as our constant companions, we already spend a vast amount of our time looking down to look things up.
PayPal Takes Aim at Square With Free Mobile Payment Processing (CNet)
In a bid to one-up Square, PayPal is offering free payment processing through the rest of the year for some U.S. businesses that use its PayPal Here mobile payment system. Starting next month, PayPal will offer free credit, debit card and check processing to “qualifying” merchants.
Marqeta Finds $14M in Funding as Loyalty Plays Start Thinning Out (Street Fight)
The flood of new loyalty and payment startups that littered last summer’s newscycle has dried up, with only a handful of companies – namely, Square, Belly, FiveStars and LevelUp – making it to a meaningful second or third round of funding. Add Marqeta to that list. The maker of a branded and white-labeled prepaid loyalty card announced that it closed a $14 million series A round led by Greylock Partners this morning, and revealed that its technology underpins the Facebook Card, the social network’s most recent stab at gifting.
Google Announces 3 New Location Services for Android (Mashable)
At the Google I/O keynote at the Moscone Center in San Francisco Wednesday , Google announced enhancements to its Android location services. It will be rolling out three new location APIs to developers, all of which take advantage of all the sensors available on Android devices.
Case Study: Salon Increases Average Purchase Price With Card-Linked Offers (Street Fight)
Everyone wants a prize, and most people are willing to spend a little more to get one. At least that’s been the experience of Tiffany Amorosino. The co-owner of Bella Sante Spa uses a platform called OfferLink by Cartera to reward customers with free gift cards when they meet certain purchase price thresholds. Since opening her spa in 1996, Amorosino has seen a significant shift in the way SMB marketing is done.
Twitter and Foursquare Partner With Movie Ads Firm (AdWeek)
National CineMedia is teaming with Foursquare to provide users of the mobile app local offers that aim to be relevant to the movie-going experience. NCM’s regional sales team, per the company, will offer local brands some kind of advertising play centering on Foursquare’s check-ins and local search.
Yelp is Acquiring a Taste for Ex-Rival Google (New York Post)
Chief Financial Officer Rob Krolik, who spoke privately at a Jefferies tech conference last week in New York, said Yelp would have “no problem” teaming with Google, according to an analyst who attended the meeting. A company spokesman confirmed Krolik’s remarks, adding the firm was open to any beneficial partnership.
Groupon: We Can Be A $100 Billion Company (Business Insider)
Henry Blodget: If Groupon can eventually grow to $10 billion of revenue, let alone the $100 billion that Co-CEO Ted Leonsis told me, Groupon’s shareholders should be amply rewarded. The company will have to demonstrate that it can become a destination for consumer-driven commerce, rather than a “push” driven email deals company.
Walt Doyle, Former CEO of Where, Leaves PayPal: What’s Next? (Xconomy)
Walt Doyle, the longtime CEO of Where, which was acquired by PayPal in April 2011, has left the company as of today. Doyle served as general manager of PayPal Media Network after the acquisition. With Doyle’s departure, the local office is led by David Chang, the chief operating officer of PayPal Media Network.
Ticketfly Adds Fanbase Customer Analytics Platform to Help Venue Owners Pack Events (PandoDaily)
Ticketfly is releasing its Fanbase customer analytics suite that will allow venues and promoters to identify, engage, and reward their best customers. The genesis for this new product was the realization that just 7 percent of consumers accounted for 24 percent of ticket orders in 2012, and 30 percent of ticket revenue.
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