News and Analysis
Skai Reveals New Report on the State of Retail Media
Retail media has become critically important in the marketing mix and is now a part of the plans for 92% of consumer products companies, according to Skai’s just-published 2025 State of Retail Media report. Brands are Focused on ROI Despite the massive investment in this channel, marketers are still unsure how to measure it. A […]
The MULO Dozen: January in Review
January, the first month of 2025, was jam-packed with announcements of leadership changes, innovative new store designs and menu items, and game-changing technologies. Brands are suiting up for the Super Bowl. The TikTok “pause” created mass panic among influencers and agencies. As the 2025 progresses, watch this space for the trends, perspectives, and data that […]
Consumers Do This 69% of the Time
Do what? A new study by Salsify revealed that 69% of consumers now make purchases while doing other things — scrolling through social media, browsing YouTube, or even watching shows on Netflix. The days of someone saying, “Let’s go shopping” still exist, but multitasking is now the norm for close to 70% of the population, […]
Commentary
Come to Place
What place? Place! When? November 7th. OK. But what place? Place! No…that’s not a typo or a reboot of the old “Who’s on First?” Abbott & Costello routine. The Place23 Conference is a one-day event brought to you by Localogy, Street Fight’s “sister” company. With Street Fight hosting 2 sessions (more to come on this), […]
Shuttered Forever or Transformed? 12 Storefront Businesses That Went Poof!
Is this about nostalgia or a MULO (multi-location) business lesson? Probably a bit of both. In our ongoing BOOM and BUST series, we talk about MULO retailers, restaurants, and service businesses that declared bankruptcy or became obsolete because of management issues or blindness to consumer trends and technologies. Let’s walk down memory lane and reflect […]
As DMPs Face Extinction, It’s Time for Marketers to Adapt to the New Advertising Landscape
There’s a seismic shift happening in the advertising landscape as privacy takes center stage and the era of cookies slowly fades away. Yet, somehow, there are still those who cling to cookies as their primary means of audience targeting and measurement in online advertising. Despite roughly 60% of industry leaders foreseeing the consequences of losing […]
Latest Posts
The Rise of Ad-Supported Streaming: Insights from LG Ad Solutions
With the growth of streaming services, consumers are making their preferences clear: they want their content free and supported by ads. The third wave of LG Ad Solutions’ annual study, titled “The Big Shift: Wave III,” sheds light on the evolving habits and preferences of Connected TV (CTV) users. With data collected from over 1,100 […]
MULO Brands Launch Their Own Media
You’ve most likely heard of Netflix, CNBC, and Sirius. Now, welcome to the Walmart network! MULO (multi-location) retailers are entering the broadcast and digital content arena with the launch and ongoing production of their own retail media channels. A retail media network is “a retailer-owned advertising service that allows marketers to purchase advertising space across […]
The New $20/Hour Minimum Wage in CA (and How MULO Brands are Coping)
As if fast-casual restaurants didn’t have enough labor challenges lately, the latest sting for them is the boost to $20/hour as the minimum wage in California. These MULO (multi-location) brands have had to deal with the pandemic, supply chain and labor shortages, lack of brand loyalty, food safety and health, the impact of technology on […]
Did the Music Die or Just Take a Beat as Sam Ash Closes Stores?
Music stores used to be wildly popular. Although many still exist and vinyl records have made a comeback, the MULO (multi-location) music store category is struggling. Sam Ash recently announced that it’s closing 18 of its 45 stores throughout the U.S. The first music store opened in the U.S. in 1759. Sam Ash sells instruments […]
Empowering Retailers: The Imperative for Advanced Advertising Technology
In a rapidly evolving retail landscape, staying ahead requires more than just offering great products or competitive prices. As consumers increasingly shift their shopping habits online and demand personalized experiences, retailers face mounting pressure to enhance their advertising strategies. Traditional methods no longer suffice in capturing the attention of today’s discerning shoppers. To thrive in […]
BOOM: Shopping Malls are Back!
A new study by Placer.ai confirms that shoppers are returning to malls. That’s great news for legacy MULO (multi-location) brands and new concepts like pickleball, pop-ups, and eatertainment venues, which are filling spaces left vacant by department stores and other big-box retailers. The study reveals five key findings and trends: Visits to malls are getting […]
The MULO Dozen: March Brands in Review
Openings, closings, leadership changes…the MULO (multi-location) beat goes on! Here are some highlights related to the people, technologies, and brands in the MULO ecosystem. Have news? Please e-mail me. And save the date — Street Fight LIVE is coming to Chicago on November 7th! The convenience store (C-store) industry is going through a major transformation and […]
Mediaocean Report: 2024 Has Optimism Written All over It
The Mediaocean 2024 CPG Advertising Outlook Report implies that this year’s ad-marketing landscape calls for optimism. “Our research indicates a wave of optimism sweeping across the CPG industry for 2024,” The report said. “Marketers are gearing up for an active year, with a substantial majority expressing their intent to either maintain or increase their spending […]
The Rise and Role of Temu in Apparel
Can the fast fashion apparel segment grow any faster? It is doing exactly that thanks to Chinese retailer Temu. According to various sources, Temu has spent up to $3 billion in advertising outside of Asia-Pacific since 2022, and its profile and app adoption among American consumers has been turbo-charged by online ad spending across Meta and […]
Acxiom Launches InfoBase UK Purchase Transactions
Understanding consumer behavior is paramount to crafting personalized and impactful customer experiences. Acxiom appears to have taken a significant step forward in this area, with today’s launch of InfoBase UK Purchase Transactions in collaboration with Affinity Solutions. This innovative dataset promises to provided unparalleled insights into consumer spending habits, empowering brands to make informed decisions […]
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