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
Will Audio AR Drive Local Commerce?
Mike Boland: AR may not play out in the way you think, at least in the near term. Though it’s generally thought of as graphical overlays on your field of view, another “overlay” could be more viable in the near term: sound. This “audio AR” modality could come sooner than—and eventually coexist with—its graphical cousin.
The Transparency Trap: On Low Standards for ‘Transparency’ in the Data Market
Jake Moskowitz: In media, transparency demands accountability. In other words, it means asking media suppliers to “prove it.” It means expecting suppliers to “show me the viewability and fraud percentages, and allow me to suppress ads from running next to unsafe content.” Today, when it pertains to data, transparency just means “tell me where the data came from”—that’s it. That is not enough.
Improving the Local SEO Toolkit: A 2018 Holiday Wish List
“Local is a complicated world that is not currently served well by the tools of the organic world. The end of the year and the start of a new one is a great time to get folks thinking about how they might address this hole in our tool sets,” says Mike Blumenthal. He and David Mihm explore the weaknesses and possibilities among local search tools in their last column of 2018.
Latest Posts
The Key to Multi-Channel Success: Understanding the Search and Social Mindset
People behave differently depending on where they are in the digital space. Even the same individual will exhibit drastically different behavior depending on when and where they are online. Understanding the different mindsets of your audience on these channels will help you align them more effectively.
2017: A Year of Experimentation for Google Local Search
For marketers and local businesses, it’s always a challenge to keep track of the search giant’s frequent shifts in policy in policy, procedure, and terminology. This year has been especially dizzying, though to those paying attention, many opportunities are presenting themselves to reach out to customers in new ways.
Street Fight Daily: Amazon’s In-House Brands Prosper, Frontrunner for Uber CEO Emerges
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon’s Private Brands Have Gone from $0 to $2.5 Billion in Sales in Under a Decade… Jeff Immelt Emerges as Frontrunner in Uber CEO Search… Voice, AI, Mobile Dominate Search as IoT Hits $800 Billion in 2017…
Street Fight Daily: Walmart Grows As Advertising Platform, Amazon Paves Way for Alexa Everywhere
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Walmart Leverages In-Store Data to Grow as an Advertising Force… Amazon Opens Up Access to Developer Tools for Adding Alexa to Commercial Products… Facebook Is Giving Advertisers More Flexibility When Buying Mid-Roll Video Ads…
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Authentic Storytelling: Real-Life Scenarios Showcase Brand Values and Build Trust