News and Analysis

5 Retail Tech Solutions Keeping Shoppers Safe During Covid-19

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Beacons, sensors, security cameras, and touchless payment solutions are all being used in ways they haven’t been before. Technology vendors are even changing up their offerings, or in some cases pivoting altogether, to better serve the retail market during this ongoing pandemic.

Here are five examples of technology providers offering innovative solutions for enhanced social distancing and improved shopper safety during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Curbside Pickup Moves Into Primetime, But Retailers Struggle With Implementation

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Petsmart and Kohl’s have it. So do Best Buy, GameStop, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and dozens of other national retailers. With social distancing orders in place across most of the country, curbside pickup is becoming an increasingly popular checkout option for retailers. Integrating curbside technology into existing ecommerce fulfillment programs hasn’t been without its challenges, though, especially given how hastily many of these programs have been rolled out.

Ad Tech Execs Weigh in on Coronavirus Ads, Google and Twitter, and Misinformation

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I turned to a number of ad tech execs for their expert perspectives on the risks and rewards of digital advertising on this extraordinarily high-stakes issue. While expectedly optimistic about the benefits of coronavirus-related messaging for savvy brands, the business leaders diverged on the responsibility and capability of Google and Twitter to monitor the veracity of the content they host. They also made distinct cases for advertising at a time when brand messaging requires extra sensitivity, arguing that both brands and their customers have something to gain if businesses provide accurate information, focus on customers’ needs, and showcase the ways they are adapting in a time of crisis.

Commentary

Localized Insights Mean More Precise Campaigns and Better ROI

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While creating at scale makes economic and operational sense, the danger in going with a one-size-fits-all approach is not insignificant. Evidence suggests over half of such “national” initiatives fail.

How Publishers Can Survive Facebook Churn: Top Expert Weighs In — Part I

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To help make sense of this sometimes-chaotic state of affairs and find solutions for local news publishers, I went to an expert who I think would be on just about any short list of Facebook demystifiers, Grzegorz Piechota.

Momentum Builds for Third-Party Location Data; Brands See Correlation with Marketing Effectiveness

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Third-party customer location data isn’t used widely by multi-location brands, but those that use it appear to have better success with local digital marketing.

Latest Posts

Is Black Friday’s Importance Waning for Brick-and-Mortar Retailers?

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As consumers do more of their holiday shopping online, brick-and-mortar retailers are working harder than ever to capitalize on evolving foot traffic patterns. Data scientists at Foursquare analyzed foot traffic trails from U.S. users to try and predict what next weekend’s sales numbers might look like.

Street Fight Daily: Lyft Launches Ride Request SDK for iOS, Verizon Acquires SocialRadar

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Verizon Requires SocialRadar to Buff Up Mapquest’s Location Data… Lyft Launches Ride Request SDK for iOS… AOL Lays Off 500 Employees in Restructuring with Eyes on Mobile, Data, and Video…

Unacast, JUICE Mobile Partner to Provide Proximity Data at Scale

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JUICE Mobile will license Unacast’s beacon and proximity data for advertisers to use in attribution and retargeting campaigns. The partnership is one of the first that allows advertisers to use beacon and proximity data at scale in retargeting and attribution.

What Happens When SMBs Get Social?

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Social networks are transformative, and are the most disruptive when they provide a market segment with opportunities previously unavailable. If you look at the history of how selling has traditionally been done, it’s evident that social will transform sales as well.

Street Fight Daily: Snap Files for IPO, Belly CEO Steps Down

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Intel is Investing $250 Million in Self-Driving Cars… Snapchat Files for One of the Biggest Tech IPOs in Years… Simpli.Fi Extends Mobile Geo-Fencing Solution With Event Targeting Feature…

Why Social Media Is a Battleground for Prompted Search

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In a world of omnichannel search, a business’s social media spaces are places where consumers can find what brands have to offer at a local level. As consumers search across a larger palette of devices and channels such as social, a brand needs to view its social spaces as battlegrounds for prompted search.

How Physical Retailers Can Improve Conversion Rates on Black Friday

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Sales forecasts for this upcoming holiday season haven’t been as optimistic as many hoped, but there are some highlights that retailers shouldn’t ignore. Here are seven strategies that retailers can use to increase conversion rates on Black Friday and throughout the holiday season.

Street Fight Daily: Snapchat Taps Foursquare For Sharper Location Data, xAd Raises Additional $42.5M

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Snapchat Signs Data Deal with Foursquare for Better Targeted Geofilters… Verizon Invests Further in Location Data, Ad Capabilities, Buying LQD Wifi to Expand IoT Strategy… Samsung Buys Harman International for $8 Billion in Bet on Connected Cars…

Which Apple Will Show Up For Local’s Next Revolution?

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Apple’s relative inaction on VR/AR thus far could either indicate that the company is missing this next tech shift (which I’ve speculated), or that it’s playing the long game. The latter could involve a deliberately late entrance to VR and AR, just as it did with previous technologies.

How Should SMBs Track ROI From Local Search?

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It’s likely that many local merchants misunderstand the importance of using tracking metrics to inform their marketing practices, or they feel overwhelmed at the thought of adding yet another task to their overcrowded plates. To find out how these business owners could be doing a better job of tracking local search metrics, we asked top experts in the field.