News and Analysis
BUST: When 99 Cents Goes to Zero
Making change takes on a whole new meaning, as 99 Cents Only stores, a MULO (multi-location) business with close to 400 stores in four Southwestern states, will close down all its locations and liquidate its inventory. The brand, founded in 1982, was known for pricing all its goods at under $1, a novelty at the […]
Free Food
As sophisticated as marketing and technology have become among MULO (multi-location) brands, one thing remains true and timeless: People love free stuff — especially free food … stuff to eat. That has been evidenced over the past months by the number of fast-casual restaurants that have incorporated “sampling” into their marketing and customer acquisition strategies. […]
The Rise of Ad-Supported Streaming: Insights from LG Ad Solutions
With the growth of streaming services, consumers are making their preferences clear: they want their content free and supported by ads. The third wave of LG Ad Solutions’ annual study, titled “The Big Shift: Wave III,” sheds light on the evolving habits and preferences of Connected TV (CTV) users. With data collected from over 1,100 […]
Commentary
Could Delivery Service Partners Offer Restaurants More Than a Lifeline?
Data and AI enabled the digitization of advertising a decade ago. Now, those same forces that drove innovation and transformation in advertising are changing the dynamics between restaurants and delivery service partners. DSPs are becoming more than a lifeline. They’re helping fundamentally change how restaurants and the industry operate while also helping to create the omnichannel restaurant business of the future.
Latest Posts
Chatbots Get Faster and Supply Helpful Data
Deploying chatbots effectively will require smarter, faster-learning chatbots. And that’s what Botco.ai is bringing to market with Instachat Builder, “a new product that accelerates AI chat deployment by allowing Botco.ai customers to directly train Botco.ai’s chatbot on any type of text information.”
Retailers Turn to AI to Combat Burnout, Decrease Merchandiser Workloads
As retailers look at getting more done and freeing up their staff to focus on high-value tasks, interest is growing in the use of AI to handle the mundane tasks that take up too much of a merchandiser’s time — like fixing typos on e-commerce websites and researching underperforming product categories. Retailers are also using AI to flag when new products show signs of being more popular than expected, so merchandisers can act quickly and notch strategic wins.
Location-Based Marketing Association: Kalibrate Partners with Near on Location Intelligence
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Best Buy teaming up with Pokemon Go, Taiwan’s FamilyMart launching a convenience store on wheels, Baidu getting China’s first autonomous robotaxi license, and Kalibrate partnering with Near on location intelligence.
TikTok Jumps into Local Events
For multi-location marketers, TikTok’s foray into events, and its increasing role as a destination for local discovery, portend that the platform is joining Facebook and other forums as a key place to connect online with local shoppers. TikTok can’t be ignored as an online-to-offline marketing channel.
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