News and Analysis
QR Code Generators for Cannabis Businesses
If the California Bureau of Cannabis Control’s proposed regulations are passed, state-licensed cannabis businesses will be required to display unique QR code certificates in their store windows. They would need to have their QR codes handy when transporting cannabis as well. In the long term, lawmakers are hoping the regulation will help consumers avoid purchasing cannabis from unlicensed vendors. In the short term, though, the proposed regulation is forcing dispensaries and other cannabis businesses to search for ways to create compliant QR codes for their stores.
Retailers Succeed at Listings, Struggle on Rankings, Review Response
Retailers scored best on average on listings, suggesting that management is succeeding at getting multi-location stores to optimize the fundamentals of their online presence. The poorest average category score, rankings, indicates brands are failing to pop up when consumers search for unbranded items. At a time when consumers are increasingly searching for items “near me” instead of brand-name stores where they could find those items, businesses stand to gain if they invest in non-brand-specific keywords.
Street Fight’s February Theme: Beyond the Screen
Consumer touchpoints continue to fragment and atomize, disrupting conventional approaches to media and tech. Drivers of this trend include devices from smart speakers to cars. Accordingly, as we roll into February, the Street Fight editorial team is thinking outside the box — that is, beyond the rectangles that frame our typical screen interfaces.
We will provide deep coverage of emerging technologies including voice search, visual search, augmented reality, and 5G. How are tech providers innovating with these modalities? How are users adopting them? And how are local marketers tackling the opportunity?
Commentary
Where Will VR Fit Into Local Advertising?
How will advertising play out in (admittedly nascent) VR, especially in local? We’ll likely see the same early and ongoing misfires, such as banner ads. Or, as in video experiences, we’ll likely see a fair share of legacy formats — like pre-roll ads — ham-handedly shoehorned into VR.
The New ‘Location, Location, Location’ in Retail
“The new consumer (and search) paradigm favors small-scale, hyper-focused boutiques close to population centers as opposed to horizontal big box retailers on suburban commercial strips,” David Mihm says to Mike Blumenthal in their bi-weekly conversation.
The Shift in B2SMB: It’s All About Platforms
Major changes are coming to SMB marketing as the market shifts away from media towards cloud-based services, artificial intelligence, marketing automation and location marketing. This cluster of tech movements represent real opportunities to help SMBs target and engage customers, and become more efficient.
Latest Posts
Case Study: Sailing Company Leverages Online Reviews to Maximize Sales
Online reviews can make or break a business in the tourism industry, which is one of the reasons why Kai Kanani Sailing Charters is pulling out all the stops to drive a higher volume of reviews on third-party websites like Yelp, Facebook, and TripAdvisor..
Street Fight Daily: Verizon Acquires Yahoo, Retailers Leverage Instagram for Loyalty
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yahoo Cuts $4.8 Billion Deal to Sell Core Business to Verizon… How Retailers Like Michael Kors Are Turning Instagram Into a Customer-Loyalty Vehicle… Retail Emails Lead to Quick Sales…
Street Culture: Promoboxx Links Incentives to Achievements
CEO Ben Carcio said that it dawned on him one day that his employees would probably enjoy the perks of the job more if they were linked to company goals. One of the most recent incentives that the Promoboxx team earned was half day Fridays for the summer after hitting a revenue goal during the first week of June.
6 On-Demand Platforms for Pet Care
Pet care is a $62.75 billion industry, and premium services, like full-service pet hotels and in-home dog sitting, represent one of the largest areas for growth. Here are six examples of on-demand pet care startups catering to young, busy professionals and the animals they love.
LBMA Podcast: UberMedia, JC Penney, L’Oreal, and Localz
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: Pokemon Go, Yahoo! Japan + AdMax, Peerless-AV + Volta, NEC’s Neoface, SenionLab, PlaceIQ + Oracle, and IKEA Canada.
Street Fight Daily: Bots Boom on Facebook, Tinder-Like Interface Takes on Retail
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Bots Take Over Facebook… Twitter’s User Base to Grow by Double Digits This Year… Sephora is Driving Mobile Sales with Tinder-Like Features…
Could the ‘Smart Home’ Be the Next Big Opportunity in Local?
We can now make a taxi, a pizza, or a plumber appear with nothing more than clicking a button or speaking a phrase. And convenience-hungry consumers not only want more, they’re expecting it. Smart home technology is now on deck to deliver on that expectation.
Leader of Reuters Institute’s Bleak News Report: ‘We Can Do It’
A recent report had mixed emotions about the future of community news. So should publishers despair, or is there promise of sunlight behind the lowering clouds? We spoke with Nic Newman, digital strategist at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and author of the report, to find out more.
Sponsored Content: Enterprise Totally Trounces Hertz in a Battle for Local Marketing Presence
Vehicle rental companies Enterprise and Hertz battled their branding strategies in a Brand Battle that analyzed data accuracy, local search and advertising, reviews, and social engagement. In an industry where service can make all the difference to customers who are often stressed and rushed, Enterprise influenced its consumer base in positive ways, supporting loyalty and growth…
Street Fight Daily: The Location Data Sharing Boom, Google Enables Call Campaign Attribution
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Marketers Don’t Need Pokémon Go to Track You: Inside The Location Data Sharing Boom… Google Empowers Businesses to Establish Attribution for Call Campaigns… Uber Rival Gett Enjoys a Lift from Brand Filter on Hot App, Prisma…
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem