News and Analysis

Amazon Leans Into Livestream Shopping to Promote Prime Day Deals

Amazon Leans Into Livestream Shopping to Promote Prime Day Deals

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More than a decade after livestream shopping first took off in China, it’s yet to reach critical mass in the U.S.  Now, Amazon could finally be changing that.   Companies like Shopify, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Amazon have all invested heavily in live selling in recent years. Although Facebook famously bowed out of its investments […]

How MULO (Multi-Location) Brands are Using Threads

How MULO (Multi-Location) Brands are Using Threads

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The newest social media app, Threads from Meta, has already close to 100 million users after its launch on July 5th. (As of this publishing, the number may even be higher, reflecting the viral spread of the app.) Despite skepticism about its functionality and staying power, big brands have already “threaded up” and are claiming […]

Study: Half of Marketers Don’t Trust Their Own Data 

Study: Half of Marketers Don’t Trust Their Own Data 

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Nearly half of marketers have doubts about the reliability and accuracy of their digital data, despite spending thousands per month on their technology stacks.  That’s according to a new study by Forrester and Zeta Global, which found that data challenges increase as more solutions get added to a company’s tech stack.  Although 85% of companies […]

Commentary

Amazon’s Retail-as-a-Service Expands into Payments, AR, and Salons

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As Amazon continues to mature, it needs to find revenue growth in new, creative places. The company’s booming advertising business is one such conquest. Iterating on the AWS playbook by bringing tech-fueled logistical innovations to physical stores could be another.

LBMA: Target and Safeway Use Google Pay for Location-Based Promotions

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In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers TikTok partnering with Nielsen for geo-targeted campaigns with the aim of helping SMBs, Target and Safeway using Google Pay for location-based promotions, Petco using facial recognition tech to reunite lost pets with owners, and a KLM billboard that listens for flu symptoms.

Delivering an Online Retail Experience with In-Store Shopping’s Perks

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As the future of retail customer experience takes shape, it will become more important for brands to re-create the in-store experience online. But how?

Latest Posts

Three Key Shifts the Tech Space Will See in 2021

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What we will see with voice is a gradual-but-growing diversification of product discovery beyond websites and mobile apps. And voice will increasingly be a part of the mix.

Predictions Roundup: Location Consolidation and the Rise of BOPIS

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A roundup of top digital marketing, SEO, and location intelligence experts predicts location consolidation, the re-humanization of digital marketing, and the dominance of Google My Business and new retail features such as BOPIS in 2021.

Why Marketers Are Prioritizing In-App Notifications in 2021

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According to a survey by the cross-channel marketing platform Iterable, in-app and push notifications are primed for a jump in utilization in 2021, as marketers look for smarter ways to take advantage of the boost in mobile usage among consumers during the pandemic.

3 Ways SMBs Can Beat Competitors With Tech in 2021

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As Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently put it, digital experiences are no longer nice-to-have features but need-to-have services for all businesses. Let’s look at three important ways SMBs can meet this new digital imperative head on in 2021 while beating competitors down the street.

Your Flagship Store Should Be Digital in 2021

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The customer experience must be the central tenet for all brands in 2021. The retail changes that occurred in 2020 have made e-commerce the highest and most important expression of your brand. A digital-first approach to retail is now required to create frictionless experiences across channels.

CDPs and Martech M&A in 2021

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Ad and martech companies will thrive this year by leveraging their ability to provide brands and advertisers with new strategies to win in a post-Covid environment. CDPs will become the new DMPs and CRMs, and M&A will accelerate.

Reflections on 2020 in Local: Innovation by Necessity

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From a big-picture perspective, innovative tech providers are recognizing that SMBs don’t need all the bells and whistles that may come with an enterprise solution. They need tech that solves critical everyday problems that are common across the local landscape. 

Can Immersive Marketing Boost Local Businesses?

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One of the emerging technologies driving innovation amid Covid is AR. For example, its ability to add real-life interactivity to e-commerce gained traction in 2020. This could extend to a post-Covid world of “touchless” retail for in-aisle virtual product interaction.

3 Ways Local Content Drives Customer Connections

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Social distancing is here for the long haul, but consumers are still craving social connection. Brands can fill in the gaps by maximizing their digital presence on the key search and social platforms, such as Facebook, Google My Business, and Yelp, where consumers are spending increased time online.

Brands Must Balance Local Engagement with Scale

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Alex Nocifera sees plenty of reasons to be optimistic. As the founder and CEO of Field Day, a local marketing startup, Nocifera believes that marketers in 2021 will be tasked with deciding when and how to diversify their budgets back to a balanced blend of online and offline spending.