News and Analysis
Report: 74% of Businesses Interested in Using AI and Automation
Was the last email newsletter from your favorite jewelry boutique generated by AI? What about the Facebook and Instagram posts from your local coffee shop? Years after big brands first started using AI and marketing automation to generate better ROI from their digital campaigns, small and mid-size businesses have finally jumped on board en masse. […]
Back-to-School 2023 by the Numbers
Although Halloween treats are already appearing on MULO (multi-location) retail shelves, let’s not forget that back-to-school shopping is still in season. Depending on where in the U.S. they live, students can return to academics as early as July these days. Although many schools still start after Labor Day, summer vacation ends early in many regions. […]
The ‘Last Mile’ Looms Large as Q4 approaches
As much as everyone loves Amazon, we must admit, they ruined it for other businesses in terms of raising customer expectations, particularly when it comes to the last mile. Amazon Prime. Next day. Same day. Drones. Amazon does it all, and other shipping providers have had to meet those standards to stay competitive. AxleHire, a […]
Commentary
LBMA: Target and Safeway Use Google Pay for Location-Based Promotions
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
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?
Commerce Content: A New Way to Connect with Customers Online
Most millennial consumers, the generation with the most spending power, grew up shopping by researching a product before purchasing. Nine out of 10 consumers consult reviews before making a purchase, and 56% say they consult at least four reviews before making a purchase. This portends a different way to reach consumers and convert.
Latest Posts
Recent Ad Fraud Schemes and How to Fight Them
Each year, marketers set out to solve ad fraud, but the systemic struggle is a long-term fight with no instant fix. To that end, I checked in with Paul Roberts, CEO of audience marketplace Kubient, to assess the state of ad fraud and how providers can keep it at bay this year.
Online Customer Service is the New Storefront
The face of retail is fundamentally different today than it was last January. Fewer shoppers entering brick-and-mortar stores and interacting with sales associates in person means retailers have had to rethink how they handle customer service. Retailers are now looking at ways to equip service teams to fill that new void.
Doubling Down on GMB: Local Search in 2021
For marketers who have found ways to use the latest tools and features being offered by Google and other search partners, 2021 is poised to become a period of high growth. With Google’s spate of new local marketing features launched in 2020, and predictions that additional changes are on the horizon in 2021, Adthena VP of Marketing Ashley Fletcher says the role that GMB plays in the larger local search space is expanding.
Contactless Pay Is the Next Big Pivot in Retail CX
Remember when Amazon launched Prime? The entire retail customer experience (CX) changed overnight — for everyone. The bookseller-turned-everything-seller suddenly offered low prices and fast and free delivery, leading traditional retailers to pivot drastically to keep up with their mega-competitor.
But sometimes, unexpected CX overhauls are a good thing — especially when competitors have to pivot, too.
5 Predictions for Mobile in 2021
Emerging mobile commerce data shows retail’s future hinges on our phones. While our industry was well aware of this trend before the pandemic, the acceleration stats are striking.
How SMBs Capitalize on Customer Data
Small businesses have had to squeeze every bit of value out of their operations in the past year and are quickly realizing the importance of knowing their customers. Luckily, collecting and taking action on data doesn’t have to mean learning an entirely new skill set.
Rather, it can be as simple as using the information that you already have, or could easily access, to improve the things that you’re already doing.
5 Mobile Ordering Platforms for Independent Coffee Shops
For those independent businesses that made the leap to order-ahead tech, the financial rewards in 2020 were significant. According to data from Odeko, coffee shops using order-ahead marketplaces prior to Covid-19 saw a net increase in customers with little-to-no drop-off in existing customers this year.
We review the top mobile ordering platforms for coffeeshops.
Email Security for Small Businesses
A secure company email account is just as important for small and medium-sized businesses as it is for large enterprises. More often than not, it’s email-based breaches at Fortune 500 companies making the news, but SMBs are targeted by email threats just as often, if not more.
Street Fight’s January Theme: Turning the Page
During the past few years of that stretch, we’ve segmented our monthly coverage into themes, as you may have noticed. Flowing from last month’s theme of “Leaving 2020” — a retrospective analysis — what better way to ring in a new year than to focus on what’s to come in the next year?
2021 Holds a Bright Future for Advertising. Yes, Really
While 2021 holds a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the pandemic, there are absolutely things that marketers and publishers can and should plan for. That entails making identity, data quality, and privacy a key part of their strategy for the year.
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Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem