News and Analysis

Waze Rolls Out Contactless Payments at the Pump

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More than half of Americans say they’re concerned about touching cash during the Covid pandemic, and 60% say they plan to use so-called touchless payments in the future. Google’s Waze is leaning into the shift with a new integration and partnership that will enable contactless payments at the gas pump for drivers all across the country.

Consumer Sentiment Is Shifting Quickly. Here’s How Businesses Are Keeping Up

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The same mobile chat-based technologies that brands like Jagermeister and Snapchat have used to access focus groups on demand are now being used to help small to mid-size businesses access the same research capabilities. Using mobile chat-based applications, SMBs can generate authentic consumer insights in real-time, which makes it easier to foster community engagement during a time when businesses are struggling to reach their customers.

7 Order-Ahead Platforms for QSRs

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According to a report by Dragontail Systems, 53% of people say they prefer carry-out and delivery during the pandemic. To keep pace with that demand, restaurants are investing more heavily in technology platforms that enhance end-to-end kitchen operations.

Here are seven platforms that restaurants can use to manage online orders and streamline their takeout operations during Covid-19.

Commentary

LBMA Podcast: MomentFeed & Yelp, Vendasta, Verizon

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On this week’s Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: Creator’s robot restaurant, MomentFeed + Yelp, iOS 12, Vendasta, Verizon, Amazon Alexa in hotels, Cisco buys July Systems, Sift + Digital Element. Special guest: Mark Michael of DevHub.

How AI Helps Local Businesses Compete With the Biggest Brands

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Historically, the world of advanced analytics has been the domain of huge enterprises with large budgets. But with big leaps in AI capabilities, even the smallest business can now access insights that were previously only available to “the big guys.”

How Local News Publishers Can Win SMB Ads Against Facebook: A Case Study

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We know that local news providers can compete with Facebook for brand advertisers. But what about publishers also capturing SMBs—is that too much of a stretch? Michael Dinan, editor of the profitable local news site New Canaanite in suburban Connecticut, has some answers.

Latest Posts

Raise Report: New Funding for Instacart, Kabbage, Drizly

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Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Goldbely, Peerspace, Workfit, and Cordial.

Street Fight Daily: AirBnB Raises $1 Billion in Series F, Facebook Tests New Measurement Tool

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… AirBnB Just Raised a Massive $1 Billion Round that Values It at $31 Billion… Facebook to Release Advanced Measurement Tool… Brands Cool on Chatbots…

LOAC Notebook: As Platforms Ascend, Some Blunt Words for Legacy Media

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“You’re going to have to change the way you do business,” CBS’s Ezra Kucharz told media executives earlier this week in a keynote at Borrell Associates’ Local Online Advertising Conference in New York. “The world is changing and we have to change with it.”

How San Angelo LIVE! Makes Programmatic Work in West Texas

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When the West Texas oil bust hit San Angelo hard in 2015 and LIVE!’s CEO Joe Hyde turned to programmatic advertising to make up the difference in lost sales from struggling local merchants. To maximize that impact, artificial-intelligence platform Ezoic showed Hyde how to create longer revenue-generating sessions with users.

Street Fight Daily: Amazon Tackles Brick-and-Mortar, WhatsApp Tests Chat Tools for Businesses

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon Confirms Plans for a 10th Book Store, Demonstrating Commitment to Brick-and-Mortar… WhatsApp Tests Business Chat Tools in Search for Revenue… Joe Ricketts, Local News Publisher and Trump Backer, Acquires Gothamist Websites…

Google’s Pragmatic Approach to the Truth, and Its Pitfalls

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If enough people believe something, should Google consider it to be true? In a world where questionable news is very popular, it’s not so surprising that Google’s logical assumptions might sometimes produce unexpected results. After all, trustworthiness at root is a matter of how many people are willing to trust you.

NinthDecimal Decouples Its Data, Expands Partnerships, and Moves Into the Black

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The location data company announced this morning that it has crossed the line into profitability and CEO Michael Fordyce believes NinthDecimal has found an approach that will help it scale up in a big way. Fordyce and chief revenue officer Brian Slitt spoke with Street Fight recently about the need to measure and understand audiences across a myriad of media and channels.

Street Fight Daily: Instacart Amasses $3.4 Billion Valuation, Uber Seeks COO

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Grocery-Delivery Startup Instacart is Valued at $3.4 Billion… Travis Kalanick Wants a No. 2 Executive… Boston-Based Localytics, a Mobile Engagement Platform, Acquires Berlin’s Tapglue…

Spa Facial

Case Study: How a Maryland Spa Owner Tackles Online Marketing

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Laura Correa has made a name for herself in the Washington, DC area with restorative facials and rejuvenating therapeutic treatments, but in order to keep her skin spa afloat and compete against larger chains, Correa stays on top of the latest digital marketing trends

How Publishers Can Improve Their Revenue — Ezoic’s Experts Spell It Out

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Local news publishers are often able to pull together a decent share of pageviews in their communities — but many can’t wring enough revenue out of them. For practical solutions, I went to two experts at Ezoic, whose artificial-intelligence platform aims at helping its thousands of publisher clients to deliver better user experiences.