News and Analysis

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.

Who Benefits from the Surging Interest in Contactless Payments?

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More than half (51%) of Americans are now using some form of contactless payment. Consumers are most likely to use contactless cards for buying essentials at grocery stores and pharmacies, where 50% of consumers say they worry about the cleanliness of signature touchpads.

Consumers in the U.S. have historically been slower to adopt contactless payments, and that’s something that is tied to a lack of merchant adoption, says Rob Fagnani, vice president of strategy at Formation.ai.

Commentary

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.

LBMA Podcast: VRstudios, McDonald’s, Snapcodes & Cargo

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On this week’s edition of the Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: VRstudios, Fysical Technologies, City of Sacramento, Snapcodes + Cargo, McDonald’s, Cirque du Soleil + Ivanhoe Cambridge. Special guest: Karl Swannie – Echosec. 

Why Local News Sponsorships Are More Relevant than Ever

As Brands Look Closer, Is Local News the Tortoise and Facebook the Hare?

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“An interesting thing is that Facebook has been a leader for so long [that] it’s become oversaturated on the buy side, and prices are going way up. There’s an opportunity for other vendors who can provide similarly granular audience information to seize some of that market share,” says Kitewheel CEO Mark Smith.

Latest Posts

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.

Street Fight Daily: IBM and Salesforce Share AI Tech, Consumers Still Tepid About Connected Home

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… IBM and Salesforce Will Start Sharing Their AI Technology… Most Consumers Not Turned On By Connected Home, Study Finds… Mobile World Congress 2017: Main Enterprise Themes…

Why Google Is Becoming the ‘New Homepage’ for SMBs

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“So many things are happening right on Google; clicks to call, driving directions, etc., and even more so than a website,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm. “For a business to do well there, things like photos, reviews (everywhere) and other visuals are becoming ever more important.”

Will Native-Social Ads Dominate Mobile?

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The majority of mobile ad companies that don’t evolve their janky and interruptive banners will be displaced. A new era of mobile ads will be defined by intelligent formats that speak to the affinities of buying-empowered millennials (who are now almost 40 by the way).

Street Fight Daily: Uber Wants to Be a ‘Content Marketplace,’ The AP Supplies Hyperlocal Data

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Plans to Turn Its App Into a ‘Content Marketplace’ During Rides… The AP’s Plan to Put Hyperlocal Data in the Hands of Reporters… Yelp Blames Google for Its Failed International Business…

Openings and New Hires at Okanjo, Factual, Bing Maps

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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 Pandora, LotLinx, and Kobe Digital.

Street Culture: Tech Startups Amping Up Opportunities for Women

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For many locally focused tech companies — including NextDoor, SweetIQ, ibotta and G/O Digital — transparent sharing and openness at all levels is inviting a new workplace generation led by women.

Street Fight Daily: Snap Valuation Jumps to $34 Billion, SMBs Shift Marketing Spend to Digital

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Snapchat Shares Surge 44% in Market Debut… Small Businesses Shift Marketing Spend to Digital… For Quartz, Bots Are a Chance to Build a New Path for Interacting with News…