News and Analysis
BOOM: Brands & Concepts On the Rise in 2025
Who would have ever guessed that the bookstore would make a comeback? Barnes & Noble plans to open 60 new stores this year. Once considered a dying retail category, the bookstore is back and on the rise, selling more than just reading materials. Although physical books remain the brand’s main revenue source, stores have tapped […]
Stanley Tucci Hosts Allbirds New Series
It might be common knowledge by now that Allbirds, a footwear brand favored in Silicon Valley (and elsewhere), has launched an unscripted series in collaboration with actor Stanley Tucci, who hosts, and production company OBB Pictures and Salt Productions. It isn’t hard to find and stream the 20-minute episodes: They’re running all month on Rolling […]
Local Businesses: Social-First, Tech-Driven, and Highly Adaptable
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, a new breed of businesses is emerging. These businesses are rewriting the playbook by prioritizing social media, embracing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), and maintaining agility in the face of uncertainty. Constant Contact’s latest Small Business Now report sheds light on these trends, offering valuable insights for multi-location […]
Commentary
Shuttered Forever or Transformed? 12 Storefront Businesses That Went Poof!
Is this about nostalgia or a MULO (multi-location) business lesson? Probably a bit of both. In our ongoing BOOM and BUST series, we talk about MULO retailers, restaurants, and service businesses that declared bankruptcy or became obsolete because of management issues or blindness to consumer trends and technologies. Let’s walk down memory lane and reflect […]
As DMPs Face Extinction, It’s Time for Marketers to Adapt to the New Advertising Landscape
There’s a seismic shift happening in the advertising landscape as privacy takes center stage and the era of cookies slowly fades away. Yet, somehow, there are still those who cling to cookies as their primary means of audience targeting and measurement in online advertising. Despite roughly 60% of industry leaders foreseeing the consequences of losing […]
The Branding Implications of SEO: Why Franchise Brands are Embracing CMS
In the dynamic world of brand marketing, the digital experience is paramount. Historically, the speed of a website’s load time was not just a technical metric, but a reflection of franchise brands promises to consumers. Today, with the advent of Core Web Vitals (CWV), the narrative has evolved. It’s no longer just about speed; it’s […]
Latest Posts
Vericast Introduces nCountR Platform and Market Experience Center for Retail Advertising Innovation
Despite the rise of e-commerce, in-store experiences remain crucial for retailers. Recent studies indicate that a significant portion of consumers still prefer to make their purchases in physical stores, underscoring the importance of effective in-store advertising strategies. Against this backdrop, Vericast has unveiled the name of its advanced retail media platform: nCountR. Alongside this announcement […]
Yelp Report Measures Consumer Interest in Regional Brands
Cava, Scooter’s Coffee, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Habit Burger Grill, and Wawa are all regional retail brands that have higher consumer interest in some parts of the country than in others. And they’re gaining traction in those markets. According to the first-ever Yelp Fastest Growing Brands report, these “challenger” brands, while not industry leaders, are disrupting […]
AI and the Drive-Thru
The drive-thru was an innovation when it first appeared in 1921 at a place called The Pig Stand. Fast-forward to 1947, when the two-way speaker box debuted at In-N Out Burger. Car culture has always been popular in the U.S., and the pandemic accelerated the desire for consumers to stay in their cars while picking […]
Peak-a-Boo: Retail Apps See You
Do branded apps usage peak, after holidays, tentpole events, or other special occasions, for you? Airship, which helps brands optimize their mobile app experiences for customers, released research this month that shows the struggle is real for retailers trying to capture and sustain long-term value from app downloads during “peak” times of the year. Airship […]
This Brand Isn’t Snoozing on Earth Day
Snooze A.M. Eatery is a Colorado-based breakfast brand with 71 locations. Founded in 2006, they have long been committed to sustainable practices and community involvement. This year, they will continue their traditions around Earth Day (April 22nd) but reinforce their belief that every day should be an earth-friendly moment. Although many brands view sustainability as […]
BUST: When 99 Cents Goes to Zero
Making change takes on a whole new meaning, as 99 Cents Only stores, a MULO (multi-location) business with close to 400 stores in four Southwestern states, will close down all its locations and liquidate its inventory. The brand, founded in 1982, was known for pricing all its goods at under $1, a novelty at the […]
Why the Annual Planning Process is Behind Before it Starts
From advancements in campaign measurement to performance and optimization, the digital advertising industry has consolidated decades worth of transformation to a matter of years. And while the pace of advertising investments has shifted and performance data becomes available more regularly across channels, the annual planning process for all media expenditures has remained, well, annual. In […]
Free Food
As sophisticated as marketing and technology have become among MULO (multi-location) brands, one thing remains true and timeless: People love free stuff — especially free food … stuff to eat. That has been evidenced over the past months by the number of fast-casual restaurants that have incorporated “sampling” into their marketing and customer acquisition strategies. […]
The Rise of Ad-Supported Streaming: Insights from LG Ad Solutions
With the growth of streaming services, consumers are making their preferences clear: they want their content free and supported by ads. The third wave of LG Ad Solutions’ annual study, titled “The Big Shift: Wave III,” sheds light on the evolving habits and preferences of Connected TV (CTV) users. With data collected from over 1,100 […]
MULO Brands Launch Their Own Media
You’ve most likely heard of Netflix, CNBC, and Sirius. Now, welcome to the Walmart network! MULO (multi-location) retailers are entering the broadcast and digital content arena with the launch and ongoing production of their own retail media channels. A retail media network is “a retailer-owned advertising service that allows marketers to purchase advertising space across […]
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