News and Analysis
Gimbal, NextNav Go Vertical with Next-Generation Location Offering
Gimbal, the location intelligence platform, and NextNav, the developer of geolocation technologies, are coming together on a new vertical dimension that could help brands and retailers more accurately understand how customers are moving through physical spaces. The potential applications are vast, but executives at both firms see fulfillment options like curbside and in-store pickup as being some of the most immediate use cases.
Augment My Town: Local’s Next Turf Battle
AR fuses the digital and physical. So, could it assist in the vexing and longstanding challenge of closing the online/offline gap? We’re starting to see signals that it might.
5 Live Chat Platforms with Location Intelligence
As mobile interactions become the new norm, more retailers and brands are seeking out mobile-friendly live chat solutions that leverage real-time customer behaviors, like locations and progress within the shopping lifecycle, for more personalized SMS chats and in-app messages.
Commentary
Don’t Panic: Location-Powered Mobile Marketing is (Still) the Future of Advertising
Why all the recent talk of going data-only when data shows that customers are amenable to providing location data if it leads to relevant advertising? Let’s take a closer look at what a long-term commitment to our media partners really requires when it comes to location, minus all the triopoly panic.
How the Ad Industry Encourages Poor Data Quality
Digital advertising is an incredibly sophisticated industry, yet when it comes to selling in the data store, vendors lack incentive and opportunity to focus on quality. Instead, they’re restricted to sales tactics—none of which are good for buyers, brands, or the industry.
Untangling the Location Data Ecosystem
As the location data industry progresses as a community, companies in our ecosystem naturally form into a kind of pyramid—NOT a hierarchical one but one that reflects how the different location companies fit into the ecosystem, who does what, their limitations, and their areas of focus.
Latest Posts
Openings and New Hires at Placed, Main Street Hub and Apptus
Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. This week’s edition includes moves and new openings at Search Influence, SalesFuel and Buzzboard.
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.
Street Fight Daily: Google Bolsters SMB Marketing Tools, Marketers Focus on Social and Video
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Posts Now Live for All My Google Business Users… Marketers Plan to Spend More on Social Video… Some Uber Employees Balk at Travis Kalanick’s Exit…
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.
How Using Wearables Data Can Strengthen Brands’ Outreach
Wearables have the ability to become a conduit to exciting new revenue streams, but it’s up to marketers to take advantage of the data these devices generate, and to create a marketing ecosystem that evolves through contextually-based experiences that matter to the consumer.
Street Fight Daily: Snap Launches Location-Sharing Feature, Walmart Goes After AWS
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Snapchat Launches Location-Sharing Feature Snap Map… Walmart to Vendors: Get Off Amazon’s Cloud… Inside Travis Kalanick’s Resignation as Uber’s CEO…
Why Voice Search Is the Future
Voice presents tremendous opportunities for location marketers to build their businesses, too. Companies such as Domino’s Pizza and Starbucks are tapping into voice to drive commerce, but the best way to capitalize on voice is to let consumers define your approach.
Case Study: Hospitality Group Uses CRM to Understand Customer Patterns
At Philadelphia-based Garces — which has more than a dozen restaurants spread across the East Coast — getting inside the minds of consumers and more strategically managing guest feedback has become a top priority.
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…
#SFSNYC: Research Roundtable Shows Nuance of Defining Local and Mobile Effectiveness
Last week’s Street Fight Summit showcased a variety of research on local marketing. Analysts showed evidence of mobile’s impact and improving its performance, and reinforced that companies selling marketing tech and services must address ROI and attribution.
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Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem