News and Analysis

As Retail Reopens, Voice Tech Takes Center Stage

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Voice technology has been on the verge of going mainstream for nearly a decade. Despite big players like Amazon and Google launching their own smart speakers, and millions of consumers using the devices in their homes, investors in the voice technology space have been patiently waiting for the spark that would set off a new touchless world.

That spark is Covid-19.

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Rakuten Ready Gives Merchants Access to Advanced Pickup Technology

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Industry-wide curbside pickup has surged 208%, but statistics alone do not tell the complete story. Although large retailers were quick to pivot to a pickup-only strategy, small and mid-size retailers were largely boxed out. That’s because the ordering technology used by many large retailers comes with a price tag that small retailers cannot afford, and implementing the most sophisticated programs requires a level of technological sophistication that SMBs don’t usually have.

Rakuten Ready believes it has the answer to this problem.

Social Conversion Rates Climb During Covid-19

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Covid-19 has changed the social media playbook, but brands who’ve been quick to adjust are seeing social conversion rates continuing to climb.

In an analysis of data pulled from more than 120 retail websites, the digital experience solutions company Episerver found that social conversion rates have increased steadily during Covid-19 shutdowns, from 1% in April 2019 to 1.2% in April 2020.

Commentary

SurePath Capital Breaks Down Last Year’s Money Moves in SMB Software

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Last week, my firm SurePath Capital Partners released its annual State of SMB Software Report, which looks at fundraising and exit activity in the SMB software space in North America. 

Taking Control of the Control Group: How to Collect Reliable Data

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Only when marketers account for the totality of their consumer data and account for it in an integrated way will the data actually offer visibility and control.

Turmoil in Local TV, But Brands Still Like It and New Tech Gains Momentum

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TV remains a popular and effective local marketing tactic for multi-location brands, and there are signs that technologies for more precise targeting, media planning, and buying are finally reaching critical mass.

Latest Posts

Street Fight: Amazon’s First Physical Grocery Store, Beacon Companies Pivot Toward Attribution

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon’s New Grocery Store Is Missing One of the Most Important Things About Its Business… Beacon Companies Pivot Toward Attribution As Acquirers Come A-Knocking… Mobile Ad Growth Propels Glispa, a Mobile Marketing / AdTech Company, to New Heights…

Survey of Mobile Marketers Highlights Growing Focus on Location Data, Social Media

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A new industry-sponsored study of mobile advertisers and agencies offers guidance for hyperlocal marketing providers. Big brands and their agencies are increasing their mobile marketing efforts, with a keen focus on location data and social media integration. The Mobile Marketing Association recently released a report sketching out the key findings from a survey it conducted this […]

How Local Publishers Can Use Email Newsletters to Monetize their Audiences

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The country’s largest publishers have teams of editors putting together their email newsletters, but local publishers can adopt many of their same strategies with just a little bit of creativity. Here are five strategies for local publishers looking to monetize their email newsletters right now.

Street Fight Daily: AMP Delivers on Ads, Agencies Try to Cash In on Voice Tech

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Says Faster Mobile Ads Are Boosting Clickthrough Rates Up To 200 Percent… What Advertising Companies Are Doing to Capitalize on Voice Tech… Quality, Transparency of Location Data Top Concerns for Marketers…

Openings and New Hires at Shopkick, OpenTable, WebsPlanet

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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 Verve, LMA, Propel Marketing, Search Influence and Navads.

Raise Report: New Funding for Stripe, Gett, OpenDoor

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Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Apptopia, Wynd, Civis Analytics, and Dashbot.

LBMA Podcast: SnapChat/Foursquare, SocialRadar Acquisition, Hero Digital

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This Week in Location Based Marketing is a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: Nadaam Cashmere + Cleanly, Hurd, Exponential Interactive, Bizly, PAI + MagTek, Skyhook & Verifone, Age UK with ClearChannel, and GeniCan.

Street Fight Daily: Apple Taps Drones to Improve Maps Data, Brands Leverage Apps for Loyalty

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Apple Said to Fly Drones to Improve Maps Data and Catch Google… How Brands Are Leveraging Their Apps to Provide Value, Maintain Loyalty… Instagram to Overtake Twitter as Marketing Channel…

Broadstreet CEO: ‘Value’ in Local Publishing Is More Than Scale

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Kenny Katzgrau talks with us about what he calls the “growing divide” between publishers, like local newspaper groups, who pitch advertisers with the scale of big numbers of pageviews, and independents, who emphasize value.

5 Tools For Evaluating Which Hyperlocal Ads Work Best

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There are a number of tools already available for marketers looking to decide which hyperlocal ads are working best, many of which go beyond basic click-through rates and engagement rates to generate a complete picture of advertising successes and misses.