News and Analysis
Did the Music Die or Just Take a Beat as Sam Ash Closes Stores?
Music stores used to be wildly popular. Although many still exist and vinyl records have made a comeback, the MULO (multi-location) music store category is struggling. Sam Ash recently announced that it’s closing 18 of its 45 stores throughout the U.S. The first music store opened in the U.S. in 1759. Sam Ash sells instruments […]
BOOM: Shopping Malls are Back!
A new study by Placer.ai confirms that shoppers are returning to malls. That’s great news for legacy MULO (multi-location) brands and new concepts like pickleball, pop-ups, and eatertainment venues, which are filling spaces left vacant by department stores and other big-box retailers. The study reveals five key findings and trends: Visits to malls are getting […]
The MULO Dozen: March Brands in Review
Openings, closings, leadership changes…the MULO (multi-location) beat goes on! Here are some highlights related to the people, technologies, and brands in the MULO ecosystem. Have news? Please e-mail me. And save the date — Street Fight LIVE is coming to Chicago on November 7th! The convenience store (C-store) industry is going through a major transformation and […]
Commentary
Priorities Marketers Should Consider in 2022
As 2022 approaches, marketers are entering yet another year of great uncertainty as they try to navigate the impending elimination of third-party cookies, privacy updates, and new consumer behaviors. So, let’s dive in. What are some of the biggest areas of focus for marketers next year?
LBMA: Heineken Tackles Supply Chain Crisis
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Hyatt rolling out room keys via Apple Wallet, the New York Mets launching facial ticketing at Citi Field, Foodtown Supermarkets completing a successful pilot with Allegiance Retail Services, and Heineken getting into the Christmas spirit to solve supply chain woes.
The Influence of Local Guides on Google Reviews: Part 2
Figuring out what type of Local Guides are leaving reviews, and what kind of reviews they are leaving, matters for a few reasons. First, Local Guides are responsible for writing more reviews of local businesses than any other group on the internet. Second, Local Guides write reviews under circumstances that make them different from ordinary consumers: They are self-selected volunteers who get rewarded, albeit in a non-monetary fashion, for their contributions. Fairly or not, they are often thought of as biased and their contributions as less valuable, merely “written for points.” Third, the true characteristics of Local Guides are not well known, because they have not yet been subject to this type of study.
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Location-Based Marketing Association: Uber Launches In-App Entertainment Booking
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association discusses Uber launching in-app entertainment booking, AT&T using street lamps to ramp up 5G coverage, Narvar picking up returns from customers’ homes, and Area launching geo-location NFT platform.
New Hires at Lotame, LiveRamp, DemandScience, TextNow, and GumGum
This Street Fight roundup features new hires in the spaces Street Fight covers: adtech, martech, e-commerce, localized marketing, location intelligence, and more. This month’s roundup features new hires at Lotame, LiveRamp, DemandScience, TextNow, and GumGum.
The Evolution of Sponsorships in the Event Industry
What might the future bring with ads and sponsorships within the event industry? Plenty more innovation, whether the events are in person or hybrid. Maybe we’ll see a 10-second advertisement prior to a session starting — or a quick ad in between sessions.
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.
Why Yelp’s Local Data Keeps Popping Up in Unexpected Places
Since the debut of Yelp Fusion in 2016, thousands of platforms and experiences have added Yelp search and local content. Integration partners can choose which attributes to show on their platforms, with millions of business updates coming in each month.
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