News and Analysis
TripAdvisor Buys Listings, Menu Management Company SinglePlatform
As SinglePlatform’s name suggests, the acquisition is a sign of changing and challenging times for search-related internet businesses. Facing pressure from a Google juggernaut that is increasingly mapping out any imaginable search experience on its own properties, digital services that connect consumers with restaurants or places to visit when traveling are consolidating, aiming to offer holistic information that keeps searchers coming back.
Mobile Drives Sales on Black Friday
Data from ShopperTrak showed a 3% decline in traffic at physical stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday even though sales were up overall. That’s because retailers with strong online shopping programs saw significant gains, with a reported $9.2 billion spent on Cyber Monday alone.
In an analysis of holiday shopping campaigns, the people-based marketing platform LiveIntent found that brands had a “robust” performance on Black Friday weekend. Total conversions during Black Friday weekend stood at 36% higher than that typical time period. Retailers that pushed mobile shopping saw the greatest gains, as LiveIntent’s analysis found that mobile drove the most traffic.
5 Seed-to-Sale Platforms for Cannabis Businesses
That trend has led to a significant uptick in the number of cannabis businesses using seed-to-sale ERP software. Seed-to-sale platforms give cannabis businesses a way to track and regulate inventory. Although older seed-to-sale systems were challenging for growers to use, updated versions of the most popular platforms have been re-designed to allow growers to more easily track inventory, run smarter operations, and identify crop hazards in a way that still meets current regulations.
Here are five popular seed-to-sale platforms for cannabis businesses.
Commentary
So Long Local Search — Hello Machine-Directed Discovery
Whatever you thought you knew about getting your business found online and on mobile, or whatever you are currently learning, is already obsolete. The way consumers interact with search technology today is on its way out. Why? Autonomous cars, artificial intelligence and voice commands are all transforming search into something we can only begin to imagine.
The New Local Ecosystem: An Interview With Darren Shaw
As of this year, the task of updating the Local Search Ecosystem has been handed to Darren Shaw of Whitespark, who also inherited David Mihm’s other well-known brainchild, the Local Search Ranking Factors report. Last week, Darren released Local Search Ecosystem 2017, a bold departure in visual design and a much-needed update to the last edition, from 2014.
Google Elevates Local Marketing to Prime Time
Many industry watchers and practitioners correctly perceived the GMB API as a sign of how important it is for businesses to manage their location data properly. But the progression of the API represents something even bigger: empowering businesses to elevate and measure the value of local search marketing.
Latest Posts
After the Brand Battle: The Final Score
The nine Brand Battles demonstrated true commitment to local branding by nearly all of the companies that competed – but fights over best data quality, superior customer engagement and reviews were intense, and the scores were close. Out of the five areas where Brandify collected data, the point of attack in local SEO and advertising proved that a clear strategy equals clear winners…
Street Fight Daily: Lyft Disputes Sale Report, OpenStreetMap Debuts Crowdsourced Street View
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Factual’s Rob Jonas: Location Tech Still Has Some Big Problems to Solve… Lyft President Says Company Was Never Looking for a Buyer… Many Businesses Can’t Assess the Digital Customer’s Experience…
New Data Shows National Marketers Want to Place Dollars in Local Media
National marketers care an awful lot about local media, and they put stock in some of the traditional channels such as radio and print, but they’re shifting dollars and interest toward digital innovations. Local media have a big opportunity to leverage their local context and relationships, and lead national marketers into digital waters. In other words, they can take the dollars for local media, plus capture the continued expansion of budget for online initiatives…
Street Fight Daily: Lyft Seeks a Buyer Without Success, Google Expands Local Business Cards
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Lyft is Said to Be Seeking a Buyer, Without Success… Google Local Business Cards or Posts About to Roll Out to Thousands of SMBs… How the Wall Street Journal Plans to Reach 3 Million Subscribers…
Case Study: Harley-Davidson Dealers Push to Grow Mobile Database
When marketers discuss the effectiveness of email and SMS campaigns, the size of a company’s customer database can play just as significant a role in the success or failure of a given campaign. That was one of the challenges faced by Calculated Risk Motorcycle Group, a management company for six Harley-Davidson dealerships.
Give Placed Your Location, and the Company Will Give You Frequent Flyer Miles
Location analytics firm Placed today is launching a new app that allows consumers to share their location data in exchange for frequent flyer miles. The Frequent Flyer app, with its explicit value exchange for consumers, has the potential to show how effective mobile ads can be in driving in-store purchases.
LBMA Podcast: Jack Daniels + Facebook, Bloom for Publishers, Mastercard + PlaceIQ
Welcome to This Week in Location Based Marketing, a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: Dixons Carphone, ZoneTap, LinkNYC, Brightsign + MoodMedia for Costa Coffee, Swirl + Oracle Marketing Cloud, Comqi + Panasonic.
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The Road Ahead: What Autonomous Cars Teach Us About Marketing Automation