News and Analysis

Holiday Sales Are Starting Earlier Than Ever. Here’s Why

“Retailers are responding to social distancing guidelines [this] year and preparing for potential decreases in spending by kicking off promotions earlier than we’ve ever seen,” says Dosh CEO Ryan Wuerch.

Wuerch says Covid-19 safety protocols require a more elongated approach to holiday marketing. Kohl’s, L Brands, and Macy’s have all referenced pulling forward holiday promotions, and Amazon’s Prime Day later this month seems perfectly timed to pull in early holiday shoppers.

Street Fight’s October Theme: Home for the Holidays

Entering Q4 means many things, but to us it points to the media and commerce world’s annual culmination. That’s right — in this time warp of a year, we’re entering the holidays. Considering the oddities of 2020, what will this year’s holiday season look like? We know for sure it will not be normal.

Answering that question will be Street Fight’s October editorial focus. Branded with the cheeky title “Home for the Holidays,” (title credit: Damian Rollison), this month’s focus will be defining the holiday shopping dynamics of a socially distanced and sheltered-in-place world. What will be different?

Interactive Maps Help Bring Back Shoppers After Covid Hiatus

As the pandemic has worn on, marketers have begun to ask what’s next. How do you keep open and click-through rates high, even as consumers shift back from e-commerce to in-person shopping? The answer, for many, involves maps.

Just look at Torrid, the women’s retail chain formerly owned by Hot Topic, with more than 600 stores across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada.

Commentary

With Rover, David Arkin Takes a Mobile-First, Enjoyable Approach to Local News

American Hometown Publishing details how the company’s brand-new publication Rover—launched two weeks ago in suburban Nashville—aims to present news to its readers as an “enjoyable experience.”

Google Maps Is Becoming More Personal and Useful, and Businesses Can Reap the Benefits

In recent months, Google has launched a number of changes to Maps. Users will win with the more personalized and intuitive future of the app. Businesses will win, too—so long as you manage your location data, content, and reputation.

LBMA Podcast: Thinknear, Facebook & Nike, Groupon Buys Vouchercloud

On this week’s edition of the Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: Thinknear, Facebook + Nike, Groupon buys Vouchercloud, Clear Channel launches RADARView, Oscar Meyer’s Bacoin, Coca-Cola teams up with Cargo.

Latest Posts

Google Maps Holiday Controversy Reflects Deeper Issues in Local Search

In cases where community values are not unanimous, public companies are faced with an ethical question, and their answers can help to shape perceptions among users. For many, the removal of a Confederate holidays from Google Maps signals that it is truly a thing of the past.

Street Fight Daily: Social Platforms Bring Pubs Limited Cash, GM Enables In-Car Data with New SDK

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Deals with Facebook and Snapchat Are Popular, But They’re Not Big Money-Makers… GM’s New SDK for In-Car Infotainment Apps Offers Access to Nearly 400 Data Points… For Retail, the Next Big Tech-Driven Shakeup is Organizational…

Why Developing a ‘Near Me’ Strategy Has Become Critical for Local Marketers

Mobile is no longer just an important or necessary element of a marketing strategy — it’s vital for the livelihood and existence of a brand. And it has led to a critical shift in shopper behavior that brand marketers are rushing to understand and adapt their digital marketing strategies to.

Street Fight Daily: Mobile Ad Spend Could Double by 2021, Snap Courts Big Advertisers

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… U.S. Mobile Ad Spend Will More Than Double by 2021… Snapchat Is In Talks for Big Ad Deals Ahead of IPO… Big Data Adoption is Slow, But Benefits Are Beginning to Show…

Why 2017 Will Be the Year of the ‘Micro Moment’

A micro moment is the point at which a consumer searches for nearby information, for things to do, buy, or learn in real-time. Essentially, it’s a description of a new consumer mindset: one that has switched from regularity to spontaneity in shopping and learning habits, due to ubiquity of smartphones.

Case Study: Restaurant Group Uses Spend Data to Analyze Customer Base

For Good Food Guys, a restaurant group that owns and operates fast casual restaurant concepts in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, digital marketing platforms helped bring in customers over the holiday season who were already out doing their shopping, while also rewarding those who visit most frequently.

Street Fight Daily: Voice Assistant Sales to Skyrocket, Alibaba Local Commerce App Raises $1.1 Billion

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… 25 Million More Voice Assistants Coming This Year; Google, Amazon Dominate… Alibaba’s Local Commerce Platform, Koubei, Raises $1.1 Billion… Crate and Barrel COO Talks Bucking Brick-and-Mortar Trends…

5 Influencer Marketing Platforms for SMBs

Without million dollar marketing budgets, many small businesses are unsure of how to launch their own influencer campaigns. Here are five examples of influencer marketing platforms that these small and mid-size businesses can try.

Local Media Consortium Signing 6 Revenue Partners, Adding More TV Stations

The organization is making major strategic changes – and more are on the way — as it seeks to strengthen the revenue power of its members, who represent a big chunk of the embattled digital local news industry.

Street Fight Daily: Google Builds Cloud-Based Measurement Service, Uber Nabs Google Search Exec

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google is Building a Cloud-Based Measurement Service for Advertisers… Uber Hires Google’s Former Head of Search, Stoking a Rivalry… Retailers Turn to Silicon Valley to Lure Customers…