News and Analysis

InMarket Buys NinthDecimal as Location Consolidation Persists

The move comes at a time when location marketing competition is heating up as the number of major players in the space winds down. Foursquare is widely recognized as the leader in location, especially after its merger with Factual earlier this year. PlaceIQ acquired Freckle IoT. X-Mode bought Location Sciences’ location data assets. 

With the boost of NinthDecimal’s tech, talent, and partnerships, InMarket is better positioned to compete.

KickCOVID.us Crowdsources Business Safety Data

KickCOVID.us is one part business directory, one part safety monitor. The hyperlocal mobile website allows consumers to read and rate the relative safety of businesses based on the precautions they are taking around Covid-19.

Look up Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant, for example, and you’ll see that social distancing is being enforced and some masks are being worn, but no temperature checks are taking place. At Matchbox, a restaurant in Ashburn, Virginia, most people are wearing masks and no-contact delivery is currently available.

How Are Brands Preparing for Native Ratings in Apple Maps?

A foundational element of local marketing strategy could be changing. Rumors began circulating last week that Apple would be giving users the ability to add ratings and photos to local business listings on Apple Maps when iOS 14 releases this fall. That could mean big changes are in store for brand marketers who’ve grown accustomed to monitoring reviews and ratings on a core group of third-party platforms.

Apple’s move into the ratings and review space isn’t totally unexpected, but it’s still causing the local marketing community to question how the update will impact local search and discovery.

Commentary

Who’s Using Local AR? And How Often?

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

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.

Square’s Acquisition of Weebly and The Battle for the Modern Merchant

Square’s acquisition of Weebly, its largest to date, signals the beginning of a consolidation wave that we have been expecting at SurePath for some time. It also suggests the beginning of a competition to see which tech company can become the first all-in-one small-business solution.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Make Gains Online, Twitter Shutters App Aimed at Brands

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Brick-and-Mortar Retailers See Online Sales Jump as In-Store Purchases Decline… Twitter Shutters Dashboard, App Aimed at Brands… Voice Search is On the Rise, and Brands Must Prepare…

Waze Says Its Crowdsourced Navigation Data Brings Clarity for Marketers

Tapping into geolocation data has become essential for hyperlocal marketing strategies — but according to the folks at navigation app Waze, understanding what consumers are really up to when they travel around is a crucial next step. It can be easy for brands to make presumptions based solely on the fact that a specific person […]

Why Location-Based Machine Learning Is the Smart Path to Personalization

With the right data, a brand can keep the relationship with the customer warm while they’re off-property, out-of-town or on a budget. Offering the right deals and communications that are relevant to real interests means that the relationship between man and machine is getting better all the time.

Street Fight Daily: Deliveroo Faces Potential Lawsuit, GrubMarket Charts Profitable E-Grocery Path

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Deliveroo Couriers May Take Company to Court Over ‘Absurd’ Business Model… Online Grocery GrubMarket Breaks Even, Defying Trend of Difficulties for E-Grocery Field… Millenial Holiday Shoppers Did Their Research Online Before Buying In-Store…

Local’s Next Battleground: In-Car Media

A few recent moves have begun to triangulate how Uber might build out auxiliary revenue channels. It will be all about enhancing your ride, then, down the road, an ad model. And it won’t involve in-car signage or digital displays.

7 Startups Vying to Become the Uber of Pot

So-called “Uber for pot” startups are in high demand, not just among consumers but investors, as well. Marijuana-focused private equity firms and VC firms are diving in headfirst, paving the way for growth in the industry. Here are seven examples of on-demand cannabis vendors serving the market right now.

Street Fight Daily: Uber to Disclose Traffic Data, Waymo Creates Its Own Sensor Unit

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Extends an Olive Branch to Local Governments: Its Data… Waymo Creates Its Own Sensor Unit… Despite New FCC Rules, Verizon Plans ‘Aggressive Path’ on Ad Targeting…

Street Culture: Year-Old JumpCrew Builds for Scale, Eschews ‘Startup Culture’

“There has to be a process around the strategy to support the goals of others,” says founder David Pachter. “The people driving innovation are the ones on the front lines, working with clients and products. That groundswell of direction and changes, they don’t happen if you don’t have open channels of communication.”

3 Mobile Changes That Will Affect Marketers in 2017

In 2017, the total number of worldwide mobile users is expected to surpass 6 billion across 11 billion mobile devices. So, what does the future of mobile look like for marketers? More specifically, what data-related trends will dominate in the coming year?

Street Fight Daily: Voice Assistant-Enabled Cars Steal Show at CES, AR’s Retail Potential

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Auto Makers Showcase Cars Equipped with Virtual Assistants… Can Augmented Reality Bolster Retail Sales?… Chefs+Tech: The Restaurant Bubble Inches Closer to Bursting…