Street Fight Daily: Starbucks Orders Ahead, Google’s Mobile Problem
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology
Starbucks Has Bigger Plans in Mobile Payments Than Most People Realize (Recode)
A decade after the idea was first sketched on the proverbial drawing broad, Starbucks is poised to finally let its customers order their coffees from their phones. The Seattle-based coffee giant will allow customers in one undisclosed geographic test market to start placing pickup orders from the Starbucks app later this year.
Openings and New Hires at Main Street Hub, Yext, PlaceIQ, and CallFire (Street Fight)
Every two weeks, Search Influence’s Kelly Benish — who knows practically everyone in hyperlocal — covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s edition, moves and new openings at Porch, The Search Agency, VendAsta, Local Yokel Media, Colony Logic and more.
Google’s Quarterly Results Show Its Continuing Struggle With Mobile Advertising (New York Times)
As mobile ads increasingly become a larger part of its business, Google is less able to charge the same premiums that it has for its lucrative desktop ad business. The price that advertisers pay each time someone clicks on an ad — or “cost per click,” in Google talk — dropped 6 percent from the year-ago quarter, largely because of the shift to increased mobile advertising.
Despite a History of Dismal Failures, Hyperlocal News Continues to Attract Believers (GigaOm)
Matthew Ingram: Hyperlocal news has attracted — and ultimately disappointed — hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years, including the CEO of AOL, but that hasn’t stopped former Project Thunderdome head Jim Brady or the founders of Brooklyn’s Corner Media from betting on their success.
Care.com Acquires Subscription Kids’ Goods Startup Citrus Lane In $48.6M Deal (TechCrunch)
Care.com, the listed Massachusetts-based company that runs an online marketplace for finding and managing family care resources such as babysitters and elder caregivers, announced today that it has acquired Citrus Lane, the e-commerce startup that sells monthly subscription boxes of products aimed at babies and kids.
A Look at Facebook’s ‘Buy Button’ for SMBs (LocalOnliner)
Last year, Facebook began to allow consumers to add credit card information to profiles in order to enable ecommerce transactions. Now, Facebook says it is testing a “Buy Button” with “some” SMBs. Facebook’s enhancement of its anonymous consumer profile would put Facebook on a collision with Amazon and its one-click purchase system.
Restaurant Complains After Critic’s Negative Review is Too Popular on Google. And the Judge Agrees! (Pando)
A judge in France has ordered a food critic to change the headline of a scorchingly negative restaurant review because it was “too prominent” in Google search results. The judge, who ordered Doudet to pay $3,400 in “procedural costs and damages and interest,” has essentially made it a crime to be good at SEO or, more generally, to have influence.
Airbnb Founder on Vagina Logo: “Go Ahead, Laugh All You Want” (Recode)
Airbnb launched a new corporate logo yesterday, and everyone — including their dinner guests last night — had an opinion about it. The new logo drew comparisons to various body parts now only because it didn’t have the Airbnb brand attached to it yet, said the company’s CTO.
Uber Unleashes On-demand Ice Cream Service to 144 Cities Worldwide for a Day (Engadget)
For a couple of years now, Uber’s been delivering ice cream on demand for one day to anyone who calls up its ice cream truck through its apps. Today, Uber will have ice cream trucks going around 144 cities in 38 countries , serving a variety of treats like gelato on sticks, sundaes and froyo.
LBMA Podcast: Google’s Chromecast, Ubimo’s Gilad Amitai (Street Fight)
Top stories of the week include: Google’s Chromecast gets Ultrasonic; Chicago’s Array of Things makes the city smarter and creepier; ReservationHop takes reservations hostage; Muuzii taps SMS for real-time translations; RetailNext and iZettle close financing rounds; Ubisoft shows us the map of the future.
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