News and Analysis
The Future of Amazon as a Service
The concept of Amazon-as-a-service, or AaaS, didn’t begin in 2020. But as the year wore on, and people began relying on e-commerce platforms more than ever before in history, the concept took off. Reaching the first page of Amazon became paramount for brands hoping for digital success, particularly now, during the tumultuous holiday season.
Brands Embrace Live Video to Keep Shoppers Engaged
Live streaming, advertising, and e-commerce are all coming together in a new technology that could change the way brands interact with shoppers online.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly increased the interest in shoppable video tech, on both the brand and consumer side,” says Clicktivated CEO Chris Roebuck.
What’s the Fate of Location Intelligence in 2021?
The biggest thing we predict is location intelligence sector consolidation. This has already gotten started in 2020, considering Foursquare’s merger with Factual, and smaller deals like X-Mode’s acquisition of Location Sciences and Near’s recent Teemo acquisition.
Commentary
How Business Reviews Contribute to Local SEO
Local businesses need to pay attention to the reviews that they are getting to make sure that they have an optimized online presence. Reviews definitely play a part in a business’ local SEO, and they also help improve customer interaction and CTR.
Does Google Really Need a Social Network to Succeed at Local?
“The driving vision of Google’s entire local arc is to be able to give a single eyes-free answer to any query with local intent. Social features like reviews, Guides, business owner data, and Q&A are just the means to that end,” writes David Mihm in his biweekly column with Mike Blumenthal.
Performance Partnerships: A Better Way to Define Affiliate Marketing
Performance Partnerships can only exist within a CPA model because the partners win and lose together. This isn’t the case with many of the other channels labeled as performance marketing. Performance Partnerships include everything that people want in their affiliate relationships and exclude all that is undesirable.
Latest Posts
6 Ways Retailers Are Using Messaging Apps for Marketing
Popular consumer-facing apps like Viber, Kik, and WhatsApp, are pushing hard to become known as more than just messaging services, and one of the ways they’re doing that is by beefing up their social commerce capabilities. Here are six examples of innovative ways that retailers are using them to market to consumers.
Tried and True Marketing Tactics SMBs Can Borrow From Premium Brands
Many small-but-growing businesses have a multi-store operation and a dynamic online presence, but simply can’t afford the custom-built, integrated retail and ecommerce systems that keep a premium brand’s customer experience tight and consistent. Here are some tactics they can employ to hack that problem.
Street Fight Daily: Instagram to Add Data and Direct Booking, Uber Rides in U.S. Hit All-Time High
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Instagram Grows to 1 Million Active Advertisers, Plans to Add More Data and Direct Booking… Uber Says It Just Had Its Best U.S. Week Ever Despite Controversies… The Texas Tribune is Using a Facebook Messenger Bot to Reach New Audiences…
YP’s Rowe: Hybrid Print/Digital Offerings Can Reinforce Value
The company’s chief executive, Jared Rowe, talked about where YP saw its sweet spot. In particular, he spoke of a “blended” print and digital model where publishers could move consumers “back and forth, and in between” to create more value for local businesses.
What Does the Bot Bubble Mean for Facebook’s Long Game?
“Facebook has long been a force in post-sale retention and Messenger can really play a huge part as a CRM tool,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm. “I see it as the “real” social network… the one where folks communicate with those closest to them.”
Street Fight Daily: Alexa Now Sets Up 2-Hour Deliveries, Walmart to Make More E-Commerce Acquisitions
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon Extends Alexa’s Voice Shopping Smarts to Include 2-Hour Prime Now Deliveries… Walmart E-Commerce CEO Marc Lore Says the Company Will Make More Acquisitions… Yext Hits $124 Million in Revenues in 2016-2017…
Foursquare Analytics, a Dashboard for Location Intel, Debuts
Today marks the public debut of Foursquare Analytics, a dashboard that puts location intelligence in the hands of brands the company works with. The dashboard, he says, leverages Foursquare’s location tech capabilities for restaurant chains, retailers, and others who need deeper consumer analytics.
InMarket Unveils Program to Recapture Lost Shoppers — And Revenue — for Retailers
The company’s new program identifies consumers who have not visited a partner retailer for a set period of time. This information is then used to put ads in front of the consumer to encourage them to return.
Point Inside Announces Personalization Tool for In-Store Marketing
The new service leverages historical shopping information to allow retailers to serve shoppers more relevant deals on their phones. It is an extension of the company’s StoreMode platform, which upgrades the usefulness of retailers’ branded apps with features like indoor mapping, product location, and store-specific searches.
Street Fight Daily: Uber President Steps Down, Google Increases Brands’ Control Over Online Ads
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Two Executives, Including President Jeff Jones, to Leave Uber… Google Vows More Control for Brands Over Online Ads… Why Samsung Wants to Build a ‘Corporate-Wide AI Voice System’ …
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AI Won’t Fix Advertising – It May Scale Its Chaotic Nature