#SFSW16: Identifying the Location ‘Currency of Local’

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“The way we categorize data is it’s probabilistic,” said Juice Mobile CEO Neil Sweeney at Street Fight Summit West. “If you are acquiring or buying location from bid stream data, your location is inferred and inherently flawed.”

#SFSW16: Location Solves Data Glut Says HERE Exec

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Goubert says one of the biggest questions that comes up when people start talking about data is, is more always better? “We all love data because we think data is the oil of the next industry,” he said. “We all want more.” But collecting data for the sake of collecting data is a common mistake, and Goubert said the first step in solving most big data dilemmas is to add a location angle…

#SFSW16: Loyalty is Back, and It’s Big, But It’s Not Cutting-Edge

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“The premise of our business is that in the past you walk into your local business and everybody knows who you are. It is a very familial relational space,” Ho said. “Our goal is to help these business owners treat every single [customer] as a unique individual. Not long from now it’s either going to be like Minority Report or like Cheers. We want it to be like Cheers.”…

#SFSW16: YP’s Biggest Competitor? SMBs’ ‘Guy’

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Fragmentation is changing the local marketing industry, with smaller sellers encroaching on a space that was once reserved for large national agencies. At Street Fight Summit West, YP CEO David Krantz said the influx of competition is making it tougher to sell bigger advertising services.

#SFSW16: Yelp Announces New CPC Program

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Ten new partners in one week, a “Twitter firehose for local analytics,” and an appearance at Street Fight Summit West 2016. The new programs are helping to further Yelp’s mission to make the local marketing ecosystem less daunting for merchants…

#SFSW16: Why the ‘Gig Economy’ Is Not the Future of Work

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In a morning keynote at Street Fight Summit West in San Francisco on Tuesday, Thumbtack CEO Marco Zappacosta discussed the challenges facing skilled professionals and long-term trends within the service sector.

5 Tools for Capturing Customers from Competitors

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Merchants can use multiple tactics to turn a competitor’s customers into their own, from timely advertisements and relevant mobile messaging to targeted social media coupons. Here are five examples of platforms businesses can use to poach customers from their competitors,

Yelp Extends Online Booking Capabilities With New Platform Partners

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Yelp took another step in its expansion into the online booking arena this morning, with the announcement that it would be adding five new platform partners to its roster: Whittl, TicketNetwork, delivery.com for laundry, Peek and foodjunky.

7 Automated Customer Service Solutions for Merchants

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Savvy business owners are looking for ways they can use hyperlocal technology to manage the increasing number of customer requests, issues, and even complaints, without taking time away from the hundreds of other tasks they juggle on a daily basis. Here are seven examples of platforms that can help businesses react nimbly and effectively.

5 On-Demand Platforms for Lawn Care

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Hyperlocal technology providers believe they can be the conduit to connect homeowners with landscaping professionals, and they’re using the same on-demand model as startups like Uber, Handy, and Instacart to make it happen. Here are five examples.

Case Study: Hardware Store Shifts Marketing Mix, Joins the ‘Buy Local’ Movement

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Taylor’s Do it Center is never going to be able to compete with corporate heavyweights like Home Depot and Lowe’s. But the company is hoping to turn its locally owned status into an asset, rather than a liability, by partnering with other small businesses and educating consumers on the benefits of buying local.

VCs Share 7 Strategies for Hyperlocal Startups Looking to Raise Money

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As access to venture capital funding softens within the startup community, it’s becoming even more important for hyperlocal firms to think more strategically about how they’ll fund their great ideas. Here, several top VCs talk about the groundwork that founders need to do to make their funding goals a reality in 2016.

Swirl Looks to Close the Digital Divide Between E-Commerce and Physical Stores

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Pushing back against a shifting tide and changing consumer behavior won’t be easy, but executives at in-store digital marketing technology provider Swirl believe they can change the way consumers shop. Hilmi Ozguc, Swirl’s CEO, says the key will be arming physical retailers with the same datasets as e-commerce giants.

How True Religion Uses Wearables to Elevate the Shopping Experience

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“It’s no secret that today’s retail landscape has shifted from ‘shopping efficiency’ to experiential. Customers want and expect elevated treatment from their brands. Specifically, brands that they frequent,” says the company’s SVP for direct to consumer, John Hazen.

Bakery, Cake, Dessert

Case Study: A Maryland Bakery’s Love/Hate Relationship With Facebook

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Never underestimate the power of social media. That’s a lesson that Capital City Cheesecake co-owner Meaghan Murphy learned the hard way while trying to get her Maryland-based bakery/café up and running in 2010. She thought word of mouth alone would be enough to build a sustainable business.

5 On-Demand Platforms to Connect Busy Parents With Local Services

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Uber-style apps for children face an uphill battle, in part because trust isn’t something the on-demand economy is known for and people aren’t as willing to entrust their children with a stranger as they are their laundry or their take-out. But creative solutions abound.

5 Platforms to Quickly Sell Overstocked Items

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When brick-and-mortar businesses have a surplus of inventory, they have a few options. For local merchants, deal-posting sites that use hyperlocal technology to target nearby consumers in real-time are becoming a popular solution.

Case Study: Coffee Chain Tracks Service Levels with Mobile Messaging Tools

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For Philz Coffee, a “third-wave” coffee chain with a focus on drip coffee, customer service has become a differentiating factor. For more than three years, Philz has been working with hyperlocal vendor OwnerListens to collect valuable feedback from customers.

How SMBs Can Take Advantage of Location in Paid Search Campaigns

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One theory among local agencies is brick-and-mortar merchants haven’t been as successful with paid search because they aren’t taking advantage of location targeting capabilities. Here are eight way that local merchants can take better advantage of location in these campaigns.

6 Customer Analytics Solutions for Restaurants

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The restaurant industry may be better positioned to take advantage of big data than almost any other vertical. Here are six examples of data platforms that restaurants can use for both sales and service optimization.