News and Analysis
Skai Reveals New Report on the State of Retail Media
Retail media has become critically important in the marketing mix and is now a part of the plans for 92% of consumer products companies, according to Skai’s just-published 2025 State of Retail Media report. Brands are Focused on ROI Despite the massive investment in this channel, marketers are still unsure how to measure it. A […]
The MULO Dozen: January in Review
January, the first month of 2025, was jam-packed with announcements of leadership changes, innovative new store designs and menu items, and game-changing technologies. Brands are suiting up for the Super Bowl. The TikTok “pause” created mass panic among influencers and agencies. As the 2025 progresses, watch this space for the trends, perspectives, and data that […]
Consumers Do This 69% of the Time
Do what? A new study by Salsify revealed that 69% of consumers now make purchases while doing other things — scrolling through social media, browsing YouTube, or even watching shows on Netflix. The days of someone saying, “Let’s go shopping” still exist, but multitasking is now the norm for close to 70% of the population, […]
Commentary
Navigating the Fragmented CTV Landscape: Strategies for Brands and Agencies
2023 was a year of exploration and education. As the industry begins 2024, agencies and brand marketers will continue to gain a better understanding while leveraging necessary campaign elements like transparency, incremental reach and co-viewing to navigate the new challenges and opportunities within the CTV (Connected TV) landscape. Today’s brand marketers are confronted with crucial […]
Industry Changes Ahead for Marketers: Cookie Deprecation, Dirty Data, and AI
With 2024 here, marketers need to prepare for a few big industry changes. The deprecation of third-party cookies and the death of the traditional customer journey will greatly impact marketing strategies, transforming how businesses engage with their customers. Marketers also must tackle the elephant in the room: dirty data. Accurate, unified data is the vital […]
Breaking Boundaries: Microsoft’s App Store and the Epic vs. Google Ripple Effect
It has been an earth-shattering few weeks in the app ecosystem. First, in a groundbreaking move that has sent shockwaves through the tech industry, Microsoft has announced its plans to launch an app store within the Apple App Store – a move that holds significant implications for app developers, especially those in the gaming industry. […]
Latest Posts
June Retail Sales See Moderate Growth Amid Solid Economy
Retail sales in June demonstrated moderate growth, reflecting the stability of the current economy and near-zero inflation for retail goods, according to the latest CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions. This report, by the National Retail Federation (NRF), provides a detailed overview of retail sales trends and consumer spending behaviors. Economic Overview Despite facing […]
“Coupon Clippers” are Now “Coupon Clickers and Viewers”
The concept of discount coupons for grocery items originated in the 1800’s. After all, who doesn’t want a deal? But we’ve come a long way from paper envelopes filled with individual pieces of paper. Although local “circulars” still fill our mailboxes, automation and precise consumer targeting have taken the concept to a whole new level. […]
Big MULO Moments: Amazon Day 2024 Recap & Insights
Amazon Prime Day has passed. In the MULO (multi-location) retail and restaurant worlds, analysts and the media use certain major moments to” temperature-check” consumer spending behavior, marketing tactics, and economic trends. Super Bowl Christmas Back-to-School (which we’ll soon be covering) Valentine’s Day Mother’s and Father’s Days Wedding season (which seems to be year-round these days) […]
Brand Loyalty is Being Hit Hard by Inflation, According to New Resonate Report
A new study from Resonate reveals that consumers are radically changing their spending behavior and becoming less loyal to brands due to inflation. A whopping 97 percent of consumers have changed their spending, and about 19% have bought different brands or shopped at other stores or online because of prices. The full report can be […]
Local Consumers Are Shifting Toward Social; Are Marketers Keeping Up?
Most local marketers are savvy about the importance of platforms like Google Maps and Apple Maps. As consumers ourselves, we know that these channels drive a huge amount of consumer traffic to storefronts, and we understand that informative, engaging search profiles help both small businesses and multi-location brands to differentiate themselves from the local competition. […]
Emerging Trends and Innovations Shaping the Future of AI in B2B Sales
AI has already transformed B2B sales, but it is poised to do even more in the coming months and years. According to a report by McKinsey, companies that leverage AI in their sales processes are already seeing an ROI uplift of 10-20% and a revenue increase of up to 15%. As AI-driven technologies continue to […]
Crant’s Ink Lantern Boosts Engagement for Brands
Crant, an AI training and consulting platform, has launched Ink Lantern, an AI platform that enables tracking and understanding of “brand Love.” “We see ‘brand love’ as that deep, emotional bond people form with brands, kind of like how you feel about your favorite band or sports team,” said Alvaro Meléndez, Co-Founder & CEO of […]
Sneak Preview: A Chat With Nick Dan-Bergman About Experiences
Nick Dan-Bergman is VP, Marketing & Insights at LaneTerralever (LT) and will be one of our featured speakers at Street Fight LIVE on November 7th at Meta’s Chicago headquarters. This one-day summit will be an amazing interactive experience (in the tradition of Street Fight gatherings in years past). So, we picked Nick to feature this week because his […]
The C in C-Stores Also Means Consolidation
C-stores (convenience stores) are huge within the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem. They include mega roadside complexes that have showers, EV chargers, food options, and (of course) restrooms. The size of these C-stores has expanded, and the brands now have bragging rights as they offer new services and bigger footprints. Check out this recent article. Corner delis […]
Streets Ahead: 64% of Google Searches End with Google
In this week’s Streets Ahead update we learn about new Google research from Rand Fishkin and a reduction in brand spending on TikTok 64% of Google Searches End with Google The News Rand Fishkin at SparkToro has released an updated version of his “zero click” search studies, with the last one published in 2021. This […]
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