News and Analysis

Retail as a Service: Amazon Tips its Hand

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Amazon has a knack for moving into new vertical segments and then applying its logistical mastery and economies of scale to carve out margins and undercut incumbents. Then, it doubles down by scaling things up to its signature high-volume/low-margin approach. As Jeff Bezos ruthlessly admits, “Your margin is my opportunity.”

The latest place for this to unfold is retail. No, we’re not talking about Whole Foods, though that’s part it (more on that in a bit). We’re talking about Amazon’s transformation of the in-store experience — upending and streamlining logistics just like it’s done in shipping and cloud computing.

Here are some predictions for how Amazon’s disruption of retail via licensing of its Go technology will upend the industry.

Olo Deal Helps Restaurants Access Traffic From Google’s Platforms

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Ninety percent of consumers research restaurants online before dining—more than any other business type—and the vast majority of those web searches start on Google. The search giant plays an important role in the success of restaurant marketing online, making it a desirable partner for any digital platform serving the restaurant industry.

Partnering with Google often means increased search traffic and a strengthened position within the restaurant vertical, which helps to explain the enthusiasm coming from Olo’s recent announcement that it will be working with Google to allow its restaurant partners to receive orders directly from Google Search, Maps, and Google Assistant.

6 Scheduling Platforms for Fitness Studios

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One of the most exciting verticals right now is the fitness space, where the number of boutique gyms and studios is on the rise. Scheduling software has become an absolute necessity for fitness studios, giving clients a way to quickly book classes, pay for memberships, and even check in from their smartphones.

Here are six scheduling platforms serving the fitness vertical.

Commentary

How Big Is the Promise of Local AR (And When Can We Expect It)?

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Real execution will require an extensive value chain. And that’s why location data will be increasingly valuable in an AR-driven world. Specifically, location data will be a key element in displaying the right business or product information graphically.

Why Premium Media Is the Gold Standard for Brand Marketers

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There are media companies and then there are the media companies that deserve brands’ business — the ones that represent a positive baseline. High-quality premium publishers and advertisers know what high-quality environments look like. Consumers know it, too.

Enterprise Local Marketers Treat AI Hype as Means to an End

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Our research suggests that big brands and retailers don’t have AI high on their list of local marketing priorities. But it appears that if brands are very email- and direct mail-focused, and that’s where they’re thinking of applying AI.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Twitter Offers Brands Its Audience API, AirBnB Testing Local Commerce Bots

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Twitter Offers Audience API to All Brands… AirBnB is Working on Bots to Catalyze its Travelers’ Local Spending… Poking Around the Location Data Potential of Pokémon Go…

PlaceIQ Expands Location Data Network, Joining Oracle’s BlueKai Marketplace

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The company will make its audience targeting data available to Oracle’s brand and agency customers, allowing them to combine it with other first- and third-party data streams to build custom audiences to increase cross-channel marketing effectiveness.

Gimbal Launches Proximity Data Platform for Mobile App Publishers

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While more consumers own smartphones than ever before, they also face an unprecedented number of options when it comes to mobile apps. For app publishers, it can be hard to stand out in the crowd — even if your service is perfect for a a specific kind of user. As a way to help publishers […]

Street Fight Daily: Google Launches Retail Ad Update, Pokémon Go to Host Local Ads

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Courts Retail and Hotel Marketers with New Features… Ads for Specific Locations Are Coming to Pokémon Go… Why Location Isn’t Enough for Mobile Advertising…

6 Ways That Local Merchants Are Using Pokémon Go to Drive Business

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With interest in the augmented reality game reaching a fever pitch this week, savvy local merchants and national retailers are using social media and targeted rewards to lure in Pokémon Go players and turn them into paying customers. Here are six examples of ways that merchants are doing that right now.

Foursquare President: ‘Huge’ Industry Developing Around Location Intelligence

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As the company maps consumers’ digital actions to where they are and what they do in the real-world, it is looking to become the “Nielsen of the real-world.” Street Fight recently spoke with Foursquare president Steven Rosenblatt about the explosion of location data, and why there is a big opportunity in connecting the dots between ads and store visits.

7 Platforms National Brands Can Use to Run Local Campaigns

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The biggest challenge for national marketers targeting local markets has traditionally been scale, but new hyperlocal solutions are making it easier for major brands to reach hundreds, or even thousands, of markets with individualized campaigns that can be generated with the click of a button.

Street Fight Daily: Pokémon Go and Local Commerce, Millennials and Retail

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Foursquare President: ‘Huge’ Industry Developing Around Location Intelligence… Pokémon Go Gets Consumers Back to the Mall, But Will They Shop?… Lyft and GM Expand Express Drive Driver Rental Program…

Thanx CEO: Loyalty Programs Using Data to Better Identify ROI

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“You don’t want to spend money to collect data if it doesn’t change your revenue, and you want your revenue to deliver value,” says Thanx CEO Zach Goldstein. “A negative ROI on your marketing would say, ‘I should stop doing that,’ and a positive ROI should say, ‘I should do more of that.'”

Street Fight Kicks Off 2nd Annual Local Visionary Awards

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Have you got the goods to take home a belt? For five-plus years, we have tracked the evolution of local, from the trendy daily deals then to the trendy chatbots today. Local is continuously inventing and innovating, and for the second year in a row, we’re honoring the best of these developments with our Local Visionary Awards.