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
Catch-(20)22: Where Do Mobile Apps Go from Here?
The privacy solution is sitting right in front of marketers’ faces. Shifting data analysis onto the mobile device of each user is the path out of this impossible situation. Not only does it solve the privacy issue, it also makes it possible to enrich previously available data with much richer datasets, some of which are available immediately upon download.
Superior Customer Experience is the Gift that Keeps on Giving All Year Long
All brands and retailers are competing against each other for sales this holiday season, and the surge in e-commerce has favored big retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target thanks to accessibility, convenience, and marketing dollars. Local businesses, which previously thrived on outpacing big brands with superior in-person customer service, are now being pushed to adapt to the new consumer, one who spends less time browsing a retail location and more time scrolling online.
LBMA: Alexa Arrives in NYC Christmas Window Displays
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Skyhook signing a partnership with Sigfox, Asda partnering with GoodMaps to help the visually impaired navigate stores, Girls trying coding inside Doja Cat’s new music video, and Alexa in a Pear Tree — Alexa arrives in NYC Christmas window displays.
Latest Posts
The Next Frontier of the Mobile App Ecosystem
Here are the five mobile marketing-related developments I see happening in 2022, no matter what is going on with the economy, politics, or any of the other highly fluctuating variables we’ve all gotten used to.
US E-Commerce Brands Need to Localize to Maximize Overseas Opportunities
International ecommerce sales are skyrocketing, but selling abroad means taking on the challenge of catering to consumers with localized preferences. A recent global ecommerce report by payments infrastructure provider PPRO shows many brands are not currently up to the task.
5 Next-Gen RFID Solutions for Omnichannel Retailers
Radio-frequency identification, or RFID, has found new life in the post-pandemic retail space. By attaching small strips of metal that can transmit radio waves with information about any product, retailers are finding that they can accelerate and automate the store checkout process. Unlike barcodes, which must be scanned individually, RFID tags can be scanned together and they hold significantly more information.
The Future of Customer Experience is Hybrid
A post-pandemic future gives businesses the chance to evaluate how to best do business and what exactly consumers will value. Brick-and-mortar businesses have an incredible opportunity to redefine what the new local hybrid experience looks like.
Local Platforms Promote Integrity with Consumer Confidence at Risk
Nextdoor is the latest local platform to publish what it calls a Transparency Report, designed to offer information to the public about efforts made to maintain an online community that is free from problematic content. In Nextdoor’s case, the focus is on reducing incidents of hate speech and incivility in order to promote healthy community interaction.
Why and How Businesses Should Embrace Product-Led Growth
For SaaS organizations especially, PLG can open up new revenue channels, giving you a competitive advantage by making it easy for customers to understand the value of your product. PLG becomes an efficient, no-touch way to scale revenue, affording customers the ability to self-serve and self-select without being weighed down by a traditional sales cycle.
The Power of Choice is Rekindling the Connection Between Consumers and Marketers
As with any change, opportunities to respond are plenty, and they start with control. The simple gesture of offering an end user the ability to exert at least some level of control over their advertising experiences is a step in the right direction.
It’s Time to Leverage the Entire Digital World in Your Marketing Strategy
On any given day, a person will switch between scrolling social media, listening to their favourite playlist, browsing products online, bingeing their favourite show on a connected TV (CTV), and more. This is why in 2022, advertisers should consider leveraging a multi-channel strategy. Marketing across several channels means an advertiser is casting a wider net and expanding the potential for reaching the right audience in the right moment.
Marketers Struggle to Balance Personalization and Privacy
While consumers are increasingly coming to expect personalization in their inboxes, too much personalization can damage trust and steer customers away. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being watched, but recent surveys show consumers are also growing increasingly frustrated with marketing materials that aren’t targeted enough.
Street Fight’s March Theme: The Long Pandemic and Local Commerce
The pandemic spurred fast change in local commerce and thousands of think pieces on that change. We watched as local delivery soared, as did use of BOPIS, curbside pickup, and contactless payments. But what local trends have persisted even as consumer concerns about Covid have waned? And which trends are decreasing in intensity or going away entirely?
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