News and Analysis
Retailers Turn to AI to Assist with Forecasting Challenges
With machine learning and AI, retailers have been able to navigate the continued imbalance between supply and demand. This is especially true for digital-first retailers and on-demand businesses. The number of online grocery shoppers increased by 35 million during the pandemic. That opened the door to new opportunities, but it also opened the door to certain logistical challenges that grocers never experienced previously. For example, online grocery shoppers expect the items in their mobile apps to be in-stock and available for delivery immediately, which is different from a shopper who casually browses store aisles to see what’s available at a brick-and-mortar location.
Commentary
A Compliance-Privacy Tsunami Will Slam Into the Data Ecosystem in 2019: Big Changes to Watch
SPONSORED, by Neil Sweeney, CEO of Freckle IoT / Killi: The takeaway for 2019 will be consent management. Why is this going to be the trend? Two reasons — the first is because consent management is nonexistent in today’s technology stacks (and, no, the catch-all ‘do you accept’ button will not be sufficient moving forward for consent management). And, second: a compliance/privacy tsunami will bear down on the entire world (not just advertising) in 2019. Every trend in 2019 will tie back to a company’s ability, or inability, to check the box on consent management.
Will 2019 Be Remembered as the Year of GMB Messaging?
Mihm to Blumenthal: Absent a messaging competitor, even a handful of conversations with real customers make businesses *think* Facebook is where the party is. In reality, as you and plenty of others have found, 90% of actual leads are coming from Google. And a serious chunk of that 90% comes directly from Google My Business. Per my prediction, Google is *just* starting to push the “Message” CTA to consumers. And I think the floodgates are about to open.
Latest Posts
Swedish Location Management Company PinMeTo Secures H&M Investment
Local presence management vendor PinMeTo is celebrating an investment from the retail giant in a tactical round the company sees as a stepping stone to further expansion. “Our goal is and has been to expand globally in 2018,” says COO Andre Tiwari, “and H&M brings invaluable knowledge and support for that goal.”
Street Fight Daily: Amazon’s Grocery Disruption Begins, Retailers Embrace Direct Mail
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon to Lower Whole Foods Prices Monday and Offer Prime Members Benefits Soon… Why Data-Driven Retailers Are Learning to Love Direct Mail… Two Uber Investors Seek to Defend Kalanick in Legal Battle…
AI Is Breaking Down Data Silos — Without Breaking Privacy