News and Analysis
How Retailers Are Getting More Mileage from Curbside Pickups
With the pandemic firmly in the rearview mirror, consumers have returned to stores en masse. Surveys show that shopping behaviors in 2023 are not all that different from 2019 — with a few big exceptions. Online shopping continues to be more popular today than it was before the pandemic, and BOPIS—buy online, pickup in-store—has also […]
BOOM: Beyond the Barbells (MULO Specialty Gyms Abound)
We live in a world obsessed with longevity and fitness. Exercise has long been a big business. The fitness industry had its renaissance in the 1970s and 80s when the widespread adoption of TV and insights into the role of working out in battling heart disease gave rise to the practices of aerobics and yoga. […]
Bombas Sees Opportunity in Mission-Driven OOH Strategy
When Randy Goldberg and David Heath launched Bombas back in 2013, the direct-to-consumer sock startup was primarily known for its focus on charity — famously donating a pair of socks for every pair sold. Although Bombas has remained dedicated to that mission in the years since, the company has also expanded to become a complete […]
Commentary
How to Cater to the Covid-Conscious Consumer
Resonate took a fresh look at the transformed retail reality in its latest State of the Consumer Report, which examines the values, concerns, and attitudes guiding the purchasing decisions of today’s pandemic-concerned consumers. Let’s take a look at a few trends that retail brands need to keep in mind as they navigate this year.
Retail Performance Platforms Can Boost Brands in a Cookieless Future
Brands searching for ways to connect, understand, and engage with consumers throughout the omnichannel journey can find an abundance of data through retailer performance platforms that can be impactful, actionable, and measurable in future campaign planning. These platforms can offer onsite (such as sponsored search and display) and offsite (such as digital out-of-home and social media) opportunities for brands to attract shoppers, and these advertisement opportunities can then be measured and analyzed, leading to more valuable interactions.
LBMA: OH! Media Releases Audience Intelligence Hub
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Trader Joe’s launching a special app for those with autism, OH! Media releasing its “Audience Intelligence Hub,” Ladorian & inReality partnering to personalize in-store screen messages, and Ulysses trying to monetize location data from every car on earth.
Latest Posts
How Local Retailers Can Reach Mission Shoppers this Holiday Season
The mission shopper is focused on getting in and out of stores as quickly as possible. They spend less time, and less money, in stores, and their mindset is different from the lighthearted holiday shoppers of yesteryear—or even last year.
Understanding this consumer archetype will prove critical to retail success this holiday season.
Qualifying and Quantifying 2020’s E-commerce Surge
Spending hasn’t declined — it’s just shifted. One of the themes we’re seeing is that the standouts of 2020 are those who have shifted with it. We’re talking here about a broad definition of e-commerce — not just ordering things online, but any digital or mobile purchase.
For example, in local commerce, these digital fulfillment models include mobile order-ahead functions in QSR and coffee. They also include curbside pickup for physical goods. And in an even broader sense (and looking forward), they will include touchless or cashier-less retail in a post-Covid era of physical retail.
The Most Important Local Search Updates of 2020
This has been the most active year in the history of local search when it comes to the introduction of new features. Google recently announced that it had made nearly 250 updates to Google Maps since the start of the pandemic, and just about every other local publisher, including Yelp, Bing, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, and even Apple Maps, has been busy.
As we near the end of this unusual year, I thought it would be useful to take stock of these changes and note the ones that are the most significant.
Survey: Consumers Are Taking a Cautious Approach to Black Friday
Despite the somewhat complicated outlook, there are things retailers can do to change their fate. NMI found that 43% of consumers plan to avoid shopping with retailers that don’t offer contactless payments. Retailers that quickly adapt and add contactless payment options, and then market those changes aggressively over the coming days, still have an opportunity to win back customers who would otherwise be staying home.
Will 2020 Be the Year to End Black Friday?
Black Friday this year will probably look a lot like it would’ve been in about a decade; we’ve just accelerated the online shift. 2020 will be the year that Black Friday and Cyber Monday stop being shopping ‘days.’ They’ll be turned completely upside down for years to come as retailers embrace a holiday shopping season of deals, strategized and targeted based on insights from online data.
DTC Brands Combine Physical Storefronts with Localized Search Strategy
Allbirds and Fabletics aren’t the first DTC brands to open up for in-store shopping, of course. Brands like Warby Parker and Bonobos pioneered the approach years ago. But the latest class of trendy DTC brands is doing things a little differently. Rather than focusing on urban centers, like New York and Los Angeles, DTC brands are using local data to target new, smaller locations in states like Arizona, Florida, and Texas.
Locating Holiday Success for Small Businesses
Because of the enormous spike in online transactions, there are more ways for customers to shop than ever before, creating new opportunities for small businesses to connect with core segments and personalize messaging with data-based insights grounded in historical trends and real-time behaviors. The ability to target individuals based on where they have previously been is tremendously valuable as consumer behavior has been required to adjust to ever-changing guidelines at the state/city and local level.
Search Marketers Cater to New Customer Needs for Holidays
Grocery stores are doing more business than pre-pandemic, with average weekly household grocery bills surging from $120 to $161 at the height of statewide lockdowns this spring. Many restaurants are pivoting right now to promote their takeout and delivery options. Health and wellness websites are fielding questions about coronavirus, as are many news publishers.
Leaning into the changes means understanding and responding to the challenges consumers are facing right now and setting up a search strategy that focuses on providing the best experiences possible.
Location Weekly: Grocery Store Lidl Deploys WhatsApp Chatbot
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers GameStop activating with a Pokémon Go partnership, Lidl’s WhatsApp Chatbot helping you plan ahead, Amazon going after the office supply market with Smart Dash Shelf, and Powell’s Books launching a book-scented fragrance.
Virtual Event Best Practices and Ideas for Business Growth in 2021
Major events such as the San Diego Comic Con successfully transitioned online in 2020, featuring more diverse speakers and reaching new audiences. But to make a virtual event that delivers views and boosts conversions, companies will need to follow a few best practices. We will also be sharing some virtual event ideas.
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