News and Analysis
Retailers Use AI to Combat Shrinking Seasonal Workforce, Surging Customer Demands
Increases in customer service tickets are expected to come just as seasonal workforces are hitting all-time lows. According to Puneet Mehta, founder and CEO of the AI platform Netomi, about 25% fewer agents are working in seasonal customer service roles now than before the pandemic. Customer service accounts for a lot of the seasonal roles retailers have traditionally hired for, and now retailers are looking at leveraging technology to fill that labor gap.
What You Need to Know about the Google My Business Name Change
The GMB name change brings with it a fair degree of uncertainty. Google may be retaining, for instance, the model of an API that helps partners manage listings for both SMBs and larger brands, but if the company is simultaneously building out a snazzy new interface for those same multi-location brands to manage Google profiles on their own, does this fact represent an existential threat to listing management companies?
Marketers Want Multiple IDs to Replace Third-Party Cookies
Marketers and publishers asking which will be the next-generation ID to rule them all are misguided, according to a new study by data solutions provider Lotame. The company surveyed 200 senior US marketing and publisher decision-makers, and 33% of marketers said they were open to “any number” of IDs, while 33% said three identity solutions would do the trick.
Commentary
Who’s Winning the Reviews Race? How Do We Define Winning?
In their latest Street Fight conversation, Mike Blumenthal and David Mihm examine the state of the local reviews space and assess the reasons for Google’s dominance. “For me, the question of the future is whether Google’s behaviors will impact the remaining vertical sites over the next 10 years,” Mike writes.
To Understand the Tech Industry’s Responsibilities, We Must Think Differently About Humanity
These questions would be preludes to less abstract ones that will seem more familiar to the creatures of Silicon Valley. Is Facebook responsible if people use WhatsApp and Messenger to spread false news and incite genocide? Is that just the fault of (heinous) people being (heinous) people or should the platforms be held accountable? As for privacy and data collection, what rights do people have to safeguard their information from the communications platforms they use? What does data scraped from Google search or Amazon’s facial recognition technology have to do with our identities? Can data be human?
LBMA Vidcast: Macy’s & Pinterest; PlaceIQ, PMG, and Old Navy
On this week’s Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: Trial Run Media’s ABIE, Cheek-It’s scavenger hunt, JCDeacaux + Location Sciences, Macy’s launches OUT[FITS] with Pinterest, PlaceIQ partners with PMG on Old Navy, Admetrix + Locomizer. Research: S4M & LBMA contrast GDPR vs. CCPA
Latest Posts
Street Fight’s Predictions for 2018: Part Two
As 2017 draws to a close, we’ve once again asked Street Fight staffers, columnists, and friends to look into their crystal ball and offer prognostications for what they thought will be the biggest story (or stories) in local in 2018. This is the second part of a two-part series.
LBMA Podcast: 2018 Predictions Edition
This Week in Location Based Marketing, a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association. On the 2018 predictions show. Asif Khan, Rob Woodbridge, & Aubriana Lopez take a look at the past year and glimpse into the future.
Street Fight Daily: Uber-SoftBank Deal Clears, Swarm Offers Businesses a Path to Social Prominence
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Sells Stake to SoftBank, Valuing Company at $48 Billion… Swarm Emerges as a Serious Social Tool, Capable of Boosting Reps of Brick-and-Mortars… In 2017, Amazon Will Turn to Private Label Goods…
Street Fight’s Predictions for 2018: Part One
As 2017 draws to a close, we’ve once again asked Street Fight staffers, columnists, and friends to look into their crystal ball and offer prognostications for what they thought will be the biggest story (or stories) in local in 2018.
Street Fight Daily: Google Says Sites Can Still Opt Out of Web Crawling, The Alexa Revolution
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Good News for Yelp — Google Will Continue to Allow Sites to Opt Out of Its Web Crawling… Millions Use Alexa to Shop, and Brands Need to Start Paying Attention… Brand Safety in 2017: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going…
With Data and Local Guides, Google Maps Stays Ahead of the Rest
Justin O’Beirne marvels that, with the AOI initiative, Google has figured out how to “create data out of data,” meaning that AOIs are a mashup of 3D modeling and data extraction from images. Looked at more broadly, this is not the only example where Google has built features on top of features within the Maps universe.
Street Fight Daily: Amazon Thrives on Last-Minute Shopping, Pubs See Gains in E-Commerce
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Last-Minute Shoppers Boost Amazon As Yearly Usage of Expedited Delivery Services Doubles… For Some Publishers, The Holidays Bring Jumps in E-Commerce Sales… Search Disruption: How Brands Will Compete with the Duopoly in 2018…
Case Study: How a Brooklyn Retailer Brings E-Commerce Shoppers In-Store
As a local store selling gifts and other mid-century modern vintage items in Brooklyn, New York, Woods Grove has a hard time competing with national chains. But the local retailer has managed to piggyback on the success of e-commerce heavyweights like Everlane and Tradesy.
Street Fight Daily: Voice Fuels CNBC’s Efforts to Monetize, Inside Google Maps’ Data Gold Mine
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… CNBC Eyes Monetization After Its Voice Audience Doubled This Year… This Cartographer’s Deep Dive Into Google Maps Is Fascinating… The Top Stories and Trends of 2017 in Data-Driven Advertising…
Street Culture: Choozle’s Culture Attracts a New CTO and a New Dialogue
Getting rid of job titles and helping people detach from job titles are two of the biggest challenges around refocusing a company on its culture and its values, CTO John Schnipkoweit says. At Choozle, the culture is focused around the product it is creating, and allowing that product to drive the company.
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Why AI Describes Locations Differently