News and Analysis

Can a Pandemic Inflect Local Commerce Tech?

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Could forced adoption of alternative shopping methods like curbside pickup lead to user acclimation? Will millions of shoppers get exposed to the merits of these streamlined options and like what they see? Will new habits be born that sustain throughout normal times?

If so, these technologies — along with virtual-office enablement — could benefit from this period as a blessing in disguise for exposing their value propositions. But who stands to benefit most? We’ve identified five local commerce tech areas to which this could apply.

Cannabis CBD

Cannabis Businesses Are Running More Geofenced Campaigns. Here’s Why

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While geofenced campaigns and foot traffic attribution are old hat for mainstream brands, they represent a new frontier for cannabis businesses.

Despite widespread legalization in many states, the cannabis industry has been shut out from many of the most effective marketing and advertising strategies. In some cases, those restrictions come in the form of strict state and federal laws. In other cases, it’s simply due to a lack of ad tech platforms willing to accept their campaigns.

But times are changing, and new doors are opening up to businesses in the cannabis industry.

Ridesharing Inches Forward as Industry Looks for New Path

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Years of rising demand for ridesharing services came to a full stop this spring, as coronavirus spread and communities across the globe were put under lockdown. Now, as ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft begin inching their way forward toward a new normal, they’re looking at how to adapt to the completely new environment in which they find themselves.

Commentary

The Bifurcation of the Local SEO Services Market

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“The changing nature of search and the increasing localization are making “traditional SEO” harder, more expensive, and less productive of ROI, and that should lead every agency to assess what they are delivering and to whom,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm in their latest biweekly column.

LBMA Podcast: RetailLoco, Adsquare, PlaceIQ, Bluedot

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On this week’s podcast from the Location-Based Marketing Association: A RetailLoco Recap, Adsquare’s Footfall, PlaceIQ + IRI, Bluedot raises $5.5M from TransUrban, Waze + Carto, Amex ends Plenti, DAC Group launches ConvergenSEE.

LMC Aims to ‘Think Completely Differently’ About Future of Local News

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“The biggest challenges for the LMC and the local news industry are concerns around transparency, viewability, and fraud, which produce disconnects between buyer and seller,” says Local Media Consortium Board Chair Chris Loretto.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Twitter Drops Buy Button, Google Privileges Its Own Products in Ads

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Twitter Unclicks Buy Button, Signaling Unclear Future for Social Commerce… Google Uses Its Search Engine to Hawk Its Products… Snapchat is Now Pitching Brands on Sequential Video Ads…

Post in the Machine: How Blockast is Taking a Shot at Local News Collection

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The local news automation camp keeps graduating hopefuls. One of these is a four-year-old startup spawned from the mind of a former Microsoft-Amazon engineer who faced a very common problem: “how do I find out what’s happening outside my home right now?”

Near CEO: Bad Data Remains a Big Challenge for Location Platforms

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Near enables brands and businesses to “visualize, engage and analyze audience data including their location and behavior for data-driven decisions.” Street Fight recently caught up with Near’s founder and CEO, Anil Mathews, to talk about location intelligence in 2017 and what types of new use cases we may soon see.

Street Fight Daily: DoorDash and Postmates Test Robot Delivery, Lighting Tech Helps Retailers Sharpen Location Data

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Postmates and DoorDash Test Delivery by Robot with Starship Technologies… Retailers Leverage Lighting Communication System to Sharpen Location Data… As Alexa Becomes Ubiquitous, Amazon Must Craft a Consistent User Experience…

Making Sense of Amazon’s Push Deeper Into Local

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Clearly Amazon is positioning itself in the sales funnel aggressively, Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm. “And unlike Google their presale efforts lead directly to sales that they control. ”

Sponsored Content: Using Your Website as a Customer Engagement Tool

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Websites remain a foundational marketing element for companies of all sizes and they are likely the “home base” for customers finding the detailed information they desire as well as the basics, like store hours, contact information, product details and links to social channels. While on the surface it may seem like websites are the opposite of engaging—static, one-size-fits-all, impersonal—the fact is with a little bit of strategy, businesses can create a website that provides customers with a truly engaging experience with clear calls to action as part of the customer’s journey.

Why Mobile Payments Will Heat Up in 2017

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Mobile payments have been inhibited by point-of-sale hardware upgrade requirements and the lack of a killer pitch for either users or merchants. But the movement to chip-based credit and debit cards in the U.S. could help.

Street Fight Daily: Here Helps Baidu Expand Mapping Service, Retailers Use Tech for Personalization

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Here Partners with Baidu to Expand Its Mapping Service to Europe and Beyond… How Retailers Use Personalization — If They Do At All… Facebook Measurement: The Walled Garden is Cracking a Window…

Surefire Social Rebrands, Acquires Franchise Marketing Firm in Hyperlocal Push

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Surefire Social has announced this morning that it is rebranding as Surefire Local, as it looks to more strongly emphasize its hyperlocal focus. The new name is just one of many changes at the company, which recently purchased the local marketing automation vendor Promio.

Openings and New Hires at Search Influence, Urgent.ly, Kantar Media

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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, Branded Entertainment Network, and DialogTech.