News and Analysis
After E-Commerce Gains, Retailers Struggle with Return Logistics
$70.5 billion worth of holiday purchases this year are expected to be returned, and 400 million square feet of additional warehouse space could be needed just to process those returns. For retailers already facing a deluge of products coming back into their warehouses, it could already be too late.
SMBs Seek Speedy Relief to Recover in 2021
The Biden administration is pledging $15 billion in grants to help businesses, and $35 billion for small business financing programs, as part of its new American Rescue Plan. But many grants and recovery programs have long timelines, and business owners are saying they need more immediate support.
Commentary
LION Loses Director DeRienzo to Hearst, but ‘Indie’ Summit Doesn’t Miss a Beat
To find out what the Summit of Local Independent Online News Publishers accomplished, I went to longtime journalist Steve Beatty, who was editor and CEO of the award-winning, investigative website The Lens in New Orleans for eight years before joining LION as a consultant last January and who, with DeRienzo’s departure, has been named interim director.
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Facebook Video Marketing Woes, Google Stops Reading Email for Ad Targeting
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Facebook Video Ads Are All the Rage, But Viewability Rates Are as Low as 20%, Agencies Say… Google Plans to Stop Scanning Users’ Emails for Ad Targeting… Snapchat’s Newest Feature Is Also Its Biggest Privacy Threat…
What Happens to Local Data When Physical Stores Close?
More than 8,600 brick-and-mortar stores are expected to close this year. But long after the doors have been shuttered for the final time, much of the local data for those stores remains online. For national chains, outdated location data can lead to frustrated shoppers and missed opportunities for sales.
Instagram Collaboration Is Making Social Media Work for Small Businesses
“All social media is a funnel,” says Chris Warren, owner of Marjory Warren Boutique in New York City. “You’re trying to get someone to buy something.” Warren connected with other local shops via Townsquared, hyperlocal networking platform for small businesses, and joined a sort of “Instagram collective” with other store owners.
Street Fight Daily: Uber CEO Resigns, Instagram Stories’ Rapid Growth Continues
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Founder Travis Kalanick Resigns as CEO… Instagram Stories Is Still Growing Quickly And Now Has 250 Million Users… DMA Report Finds Programmatic and Mobile Payments Leading Tech Adopted by Marketers…
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Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels