News and Analysis

How Google’s Review Attributes Expansion Impacts Local Businesses

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Businesses that understand these changes and find ways to harness review attributes stand to see major gains in search. Google’s new feature could be a big improvement for small and mid-size businesses, in particular, since it provides marketers with both comparative structured feedback and sentiment. But whether businesses benefit from Google’s decision to expand review attributes into new categories depends largely on how they capitalize on the changes.

Restaurants Are Using Technology to Bring Back Customers Post-Pandemic

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How do local restaurants implement coronavirus-driven changes, and what role will technology play in helping those businesses reemerge from lockdown status?

Statewide regulations, like sanitizing protocols and spacing between tables, are in many ways easier for restaurants to implement because they are clear-cut. Certain diner expectations are harder for restaurants to gauge, and that has presented a new opportunity for technology providers catering to the restaurant market.

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.

Commentary

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.

Who’s Using Local AR? And How Often?

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According to a recent survey, AR users like what they see, with a whopping 73% reporting high or very high satisfaction. But non-users report explicit disinterest, with the biggest reason being the rather daunting “just not interested.” This presents a big hill for AR app developers to climb. 

The Future of CRM: Devices, Data, Touchpoints, Apps—and Analytics

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In a mobile-only world, better CRM solutions are as close as the smartphones in our pockets. With that in mind, let’s look at what the mobile device ID can do to reshape CRM and at how it points to the future of better consumer experiences.

Latest Posts

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.

Raise Report: New Funding for ezCater, Gravy Analytics, CloudCar

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Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This edition includes funding for Flytrex, CloudCraze, NG Data, and Choozle.

Street Fight Daily: Google Launches Website Builder for SMBs, Amazon Go’s Potential Impact on Retail

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Testing Website Builder Within Google My Business… Amazon Go, Deep Learning, and a Better Retail Experience… Toyota Leverages Mobile Location Firm NinthDecimal’s Data to Establish Attribution for Dealer Visits…

Sponsored Content: Jewelers Battle for Holiday Retailers

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While some shoppers went online to buy gems this holiday season, many went to their local jewelry stores. Winning brands this holiday season had their store location information readily available. But there’s more to reaching the local customer.

How Retailers Running Beacon Campaigns Fared This Holiday Season

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As large retail chains start unpacking the effectiveness of their digital marketing efforts, mobile presence management vendor Swirl is releasing the results of its own beacon marketing campaigns run during the holiday shopping season.