News and Analysis
Do You Have One of the Most Stressful Jobs?
You may think that managing marketing, business operations, or technology gives you daily headaches. But there are other more stressful jobs. This new “Top 10” report is one that MULO (multi-location) retailers would probably not want to hear about. According to new data from the U.S. Department of Labor, front-line retail management ranks high as […]
Holiday Blur: Retail Merchandise Accelerates
As of this writing, the trees, menorahs, and tinsel are still in living rooms and consumers have barely finished recycling their wrapping boxes, washing dishes from their December feasts, and returning from family visits. The ball in Times Square hasn’t dropped. And yet, retail merchandise for upcoming holidays is already on the shelves at many […]
Ethan Chernofsky of Placer.ai on the Omnichannel Experience
One word we’ve seen non-stop in the MULO (multi-location) space over the past five years is OMNICHANNEL. Smartphones, the pandemic, and Amazon all accelerated this shopping style. The consumer not only decides which brands they like and what products they need (or want) but also how they want to buy them, pick them up, and […]
Commentary
LBMA: 605 and PlaceIQ Partner Up
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers 605 and PlaceIQ’s partnership, Logiq introducing a geofencing platform, Robomart launching a mobile store-hailing platform, and MoodMedia acquiring PlayNetwork.
How Brands Can Rock TikTok to Reach Gen Z
The bottom line for brands is that by being strategic about platform priorities, emphasizing authenticity, and nurturing organic social, marketers can reach the influential Gen Z audience they need to survive and thrive.
Google Local Search Trends III: Socialization
In this third of four installments in my series on recent and ongoing trends in local search, I want to focus on signs that Google’s local platform — comprising Google My Business, Google Maps, and the local component of Google Search — has become, under our noses, a massive social network. Google has achieved this status not through traditional methods of connecting users to each other, but by allowing and encouraging users to share their experiences, questions, and opinions about local businesses in a variety of forms and at a massive scale.
Latest Posts
How Consumers Feel About First-Party Data
More than 90% of marketers believe leveraging first-party data to better understand their customers is critical to growth. But how do consumers feel about sharing their personal information — which is how marketers capture first-party data?
Now’s Not The Time To Cut Back On Marketing. Here’s What To Do Instead
Businesses that withdraw from marketplace visibility have a much harder time, and find it far more expensive in the long run, to regain customers once they start re-engaging, with market share declining even after they resume advertising. So, while cutting back marketing spend can help address some short-term bottom-line issues, it will create significant challenges to long-term sustainability.
New Year, Same Challenge: Content is the Key to Another Digital Holiday Season for Retailers
With the Delta variant bringing a second unwelcome wave of apprehension and disruption, the vision we all looked forward to a year ago — the return to a normal holiday season — is dissipating before our eyes. Online shopping will be the main go-to again this time around, with businesses and consumers facing many familiar, and a few unfamiliar, factors this year.
How Apple’s Latest Privacy Changes Will Affect Email Marketing
Last week, Apple rolled out iOS 15, which brought more privacy changes that could undermine tracking and disadvantage digital marketers. Most notably, the company’s Mail Privacy Protection policy will ask iOS device users whether they want to “protect” their mail or not, preventing marketers from determining whether consumers who “protect” their email opened messages.
Privacy versus Paid Content: What Are We Willing to Sacrifice?
To the naked eye, technologies and laws allowing consumers more control are absolutely and unequivocally good. Who would oppose privacy protection laws and self-imposed regulations apart from those who are exploiting the lack of privacy, right? But what is the end goal we are trying to achieve, and what is the price we are “paying” in the process?
Snap Scan Shines New Light on the Company’s Local Discovery Ambitions
Snapchat’s ambition to become a socially fueled local discovery engine recently got a boost with Snap Scan, a visual search tool that makes the world searchable and shoppable. Connecting dots over several years, Snap’s geo-local efforts include Geofilters, Snap Map, Local Place Promote, and Local Lenses.
5 User-Generated Content Platforms for SMBs
As Google expands the local search experience to encompass more aspects of the customer journey, user-generated content is coming into play as one of the most important ranking factors for small and mid-size businesses.
3 Steps Brands Can Take to Build First-Party Data Practices
Brands must ensure that the first-party data they are assembling is properly permissioned, meaningfully collected across channels, unified, and organized. Getting started comes down to breaking down these goals into manageable projects and timelines that ensure first-party data sets are unlocking all the doors by 2023.
Agency Relationship Status: It Doesn’t Have to be Complicated
Your new agency relationship can blossom into a true partnership if you’re transparent and set clear expectations. As someone who’s worked on the client and agency side, I’ve seen firsthand how a partnership can lead to success. Like many situations in life, doing this right involves managing the people and numbers side of the equation with deftness and clarity.
Brands Rethink Return Policies to Build Customer Loyalty
If generous return policies aren’t sustainable from a financial perspective, and restrictive return policies lead to high rates of customer churn, what’s the solution?
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
The Agency Offering Your Clients Need: Citation Intelligence for AI Search