Street Fight Daily: Social Networks Struggle with Ecommerce, Nextdoor’s ‘Neighborhood Favorites’
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…
Social Networks Face Obstacles in Road to Ecommerce Domination (Gigaom)
Over the last year, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest have developed ways to make shopping easier with “buy” buttons. The idea is that if you build purchasing features directly into social networks, people will be more likely to make a transaction than if they were redirected to an online retail site or a brand’s website. But consumers aren’t changing their shopping habits as much as hoped.
Local News Media on Ad Blockers: ‘We’re Not Hemorrhaging Revenue’ (Street Fight)
“The loss from ad blockers appears to be more of an opportunity loss for publishers than an actual revenue loss,” said Thomas Sly, vice president of digital revenue at E. W. Scripps Co., in an interview with Street Fight. Sly also is chair of the Local Media Consortium committee established to respond to the ad-blocking threat.
Nextdoor’s ‘Neighborhood Favorites’ Gets Closer to a Business Model (Local Onliner)
Peter Krasilovsky: Nextdoor is soft launching a “Neighborhood Favorites” feature that serves as its first attempt to charge businesses for promotion. There is reason to be skeptical, as hyperlocal concepts have typically relied on high penetration of local users, frequent newspaper-like visits, and active participation. None of them have come close to succeeding as local media.
Case Study: Restaurant Increases Visit Frequency with Mobile Ordering Option (Street Fight)
Cold-calling techniques have a notoriously low success rate for hyperlocal vendors trying to onboard new merchants, but it was an unsolicited drop-in that led to The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen’s successful three-year relationship with ChowNow, an online ordering system and marketing platform for restaurants.
Millennials’ Growing Distrust of Plastic Cards Paves Way for Digital Payments (Marketing Land)
Just as credit cards have mostly replaced cash, credit cards themselves will be replaced by digital payments. Recent survey data showing millennials’ growing ambivalence toward or distrust of credit cards seems to support this inevitability.
How a Consumer Startup is Raising Funding in Austin (and Beyond) (AustinInno)
Austin-based Localeur, a platform where locals can tell people about their favorite bars, coffee shops, boutiques, or happy hours, recently hit one million users. The startup, launched in 2013, is now seeking a Series A round, but has found that there’s not a lot of support or benchmarks for a B2C company in Austin.
Former CEO of Vodafone Europe on Why He’s Joining the Board of an Ad Blocker (Business Insider)
Israel-based mobile ad blocking company Shine has generated a lot of publicity in recent months, like when it launched a provocative ad campaign in the Financial Times to denounce the internet ad industry. Shine, which claims to be the only tech company that can partner with carriers to block ads at a network level, made headlines again with the announcement that outgoing Vodafone Europe CEO Philipp Humm is joining its board.
The App Around the Corner (New Republic)
Peter Moskowitz: The West Village was gentrifying well before apps were a thing, but technology might be the nail in its coffin. Apps that replace stores have presented themselves as unquestionable goods, necessary disruptors of an outdated system. Talk of disruption and convenience obfuscates what’s actually happening: It’s more convenient than ever for those who understand technology and can afford the higher prices of delivered laundry and food; life is less convenient for everyone who’s not quite so fortunate.
Swatch in Smartwatch Payment Deal with Visa (Wall Street Journal)
Swatch has announced a partnership with Visa, a significant step for the Swiss watchmaker as it attempts to break into the growing smartwatch market. The pay-by-wrist function is planned for the watch, which will be launched in the U.S., Switzerland, and Brazil early next year. (Subscription required)
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