News and Analysis

Why Yelp’s Local Data Keeps Popping Up in Unexpected Places

Share this:

Since the debut of Yelp Fusion in 2016, thousands of platforms and experiences have added Yelp search and local content. Integration partners can choose which attributes to show on their platforms, with millions of business updates coming in each month.

Smaller Brands Are Struggling with Social Commerce. Here’s Why

Share this:

Social commerce is expected to grow 3x as fast as traditional e-commerce, according to a report by Accenture, to reach $1.2 trillion by 2025, but that doesn’t mean savvy marketers from smaller brands can’t find their own points of entry. By thinking outside the box and looking beyond Instagram and TikTok for attention, some midsize brands are finding opportunities to shine.

Retailers Scramble to Implement AI-Based Pricing Strategies

Share this:

Supply shortages are easing, but inflation is showing no sign of slowing down. Retailers are using AI to refine their pricing strategies.

Commentary

LBMA Vidcast: NYY Turn to Postmates, Uncle Ben’s Goes Google Lens

Share this:

On this week’s Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: New York Yankees using Postmates, Uncle Ben’s goes Google Lens with Innit, Toy R’ Us back with Candytopia, Heineken teams with Grab in SE Asia, Walgreens delivers with Wing drones, Starbucks  Japan let’s you pay with a pen.

5 Predictions for Mobile Technology After the Mass Adoption of 5G

Share this:

The new 5G standard for phones is just starting to make a splash. There’s a lot to do in the development department and lots of equipment installations necessary before everyone can enjoy 5G hyper speeds.

While there are some predictions on the transition from the current 4G LTE dominance to 5G, nobody really knows how long it will take. But what happens once it does and 5G is the new standard? 

Here are five most likely to happen scenarios that await us in the near future.

The Privacy Movement Is Not (Just) About Privacy

Share this:

Privacy has been slipping away from us since before then-CEO of Sun Microsystems Scott McNealy said we had none of it in January 1999. Americans still do not understand how companies use their data. While that is a transparency issue incumbent upon businesses to fix — and legislation will to some degree remedy it — I think it more likely than not that Americans will continue to hand over their data to Amazon for two-day delivery and Google for the sleekness of search. What we typically conceive of as privacy itself — concern about how much of our information companies possess — is not the factor that will turn the tides on company practices and legal standards. 

Latest Posts

SMB OS Operators, Part III: Booker

Share this:

Recently acquired by MindBody, Booker has been living out the principles of SMB OS long before we started calling it that. In this interview, Booker CEO Josh McCarter explains how his business helps SMBs go beyond typical marketing tactics to attract and keep customers coming back.

Street Fight Daily: Adobe Buys Magento, Inside Google’s Rise to Digital Ad Dominance

Share this:

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Adobe Buys Magento to Become Digital Ad Design Powerhouse… How Did Google Get So Big?… Some Companies Shrug Off GDPR…

Macaroni Kid Leverages Local Influencers to Connect Brands to Consumers

Share this:

“Our secret sauce is our ability to connect brands with consumers on a local level, via authentic local influencers,” says Macaroni Kid co-founder Eric Cohen. “Other media outlets can plug into an algorithm to target an audience. We have local moms telling other local moms the scoop as they hand out samples.”

Selling to Multi-Location Brands: Building on Omnipresent Email

Share this:

In the face of sexier technologies like messaging and social media, email still has tremendous staying power. So helping brands incorporate it alongside digital and traditional marketing tactics won’t be a wasted effort for agencies and marketing tech providers.

Street Fight Daily: Square Embraces Sales and Moves Beyond SMBs, The Staying Power of Email

Share this:

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… As It Grows, Square Deploys Sales Force to Acquire SMB Customers & Bigger Brands… Selling to Multi-Location Brands: Building on Omnipresent Email… Microsoft Acquires AI Company to Make Cortana and Bots Sound More Human…

LBMA Podcast: Google Pay, Rival & Ticketmaster, Sears & Amazon

Share this:

On this week’s edition of the Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: Urban Airship + Google Pay, Aceby app, JetBlue’s pizza to LA, Rival takes on Ticketmaster, 7-Elven goes AR for Deadpool 2, Google Duplex, Sears and Amazon team-up.

Openings and New Hires at Verve, Yelp, Star Tribune

Share this:

Every few weeks, Geoff Michener takes stock of some of the latest hires and openings in hyperlocal marketing, tech, and media. This edition includes openings and new hires at Digital Remedy, Shoptiques, adMarketplace, and Motista.

Raise Report: JumpCrew, Gamalon, Tailor Brands Score New Funding

Share this:

Every two or three weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Good Eggs, MemSQL, Auth0, and Dashdash.

Street Fight Daily: Email Closes Path to Purchase, Ad Tech Courts Subscription-Based Publishers

Share this:

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Email Lures Back E-Shoppers With Abandoned Carts… Ad Tech Vendors Are Pitching Themselves to Publishers as Subscription Saviors… Facebook Lets Advertisers Target Users Based on ‘Sensitive’ Interests…

Consumers Demand Personalization, Range of Features from Brand Apps

Share this:

Consumers demand high and varied functionality from brand apps. About three in five consumers expect promotions and exclusive deals and loyalty programs, and half want to make purchases within the app, a report released this week by digital and mobile development firm WillowTree indicated.