News and Analysis

How Americans Shop Today

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All industries—apparel, grocery, electronics—are affected differently by the move to e-commerce, and consumers are turning to new options, including social marketplaces, disrupting what we typically think of as digital shopping. Here are some insights on major market changes, including the key to Amazon’s dominance, the industries flouting the turn to e-commerce, and a curious preference among millennials, from a recent survey of 1,000 consumers by Signs.com.

6 Companies Reimagining Last-Mile Delivery

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There’s a renewed push in Silicon Valley to tackle last-mile delivery. The use of autonomous vehicles, drones, and artificial intelligence is what more and more vendors are pushing for. Last-mile delivery is the most expensive part of shipping, and increasing fees mean prices are only going higher. The company that can get goods from a transportation hub to the customer’s doorstep in the shortest amount of time will win the retail game, and technology firms are hoping that their innovative solutions will be the answer that retailers are looking for.

Here are six examples of companies that are working to innovate in the last-mile delivery space.

Offline Retailers See Huge Boost From Prime Day’s Online Sales

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Amazon wasn’t the only retailer to see high purchase intent during its two-day event. Competing retailers saw similar successes piggybacking on Amazon’s newest shopping holiday with their own discounts and limited-time deals. This year’s Prime Day event drove a 14% spike in U.S. traffic on its first day, compared to baseline traffic from the month of June.

According to data collected by Constructor.io, an AI-first SaaS provider for ecommerce sites, among the non-Amazon companies having sales during Prime Day, search volume increased an average of more than 500%.

Commentary

Will Social AR Be the Next Local Battlefield?

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We saw it with Pokemon Go and of course Snapchat. But the real glimpse of the mobile AR future came during Facebook’s recent AR-studded F8 conference keynote. The central message repeated by Mark Zuckerberg was that the smartphone camera is the new AR platform.

Report: Social Media Continues to Be a Top Marketing Tactic for Local Merchants

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The fourth edition of Street Fight’s Local Merchant Report shows a continued movement to social media as a preferred marketing tactic among local merchants. They deem it their most effective tactic, so they’re increasing their spending. Analysis of the survey suggests that would-be marketing suppliers can help them integrate social with their own site and email campaigns, as well as assisting them with reputation management and reviews.

Location Data for Brands: ‘Alternative Facts’ No Longer

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As the proximity industry grows, it’s important for brands investing in location and proximity to understand the differences between the various data points and technologies on the market. These differentiators can greatly affect how the proximity and location data is applied towards a brand’s marketing goals.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Google’s Mobile Update, Facebook’s Influence on the News

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google’s Mobile-Friendly Algorithm Boost Has Rolled Out… Facebook and the News: Trends, Filter Bubbles and Algorithmic Bias…

A Need to Survive Keeps Feuding Newspapers Together in New Marketing Venture

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A month ago, four major newspaper chains proudly announced the founding of Nucleus Marketing Solutions, a partnership that would help them compete with “the platforms.” Today, one of the chains, Tribune Publishing, is threatening another, Gannett, with a “poison pill” strategy to prevent a hostile takeover.

5 On-Demand Platforms to Connect Busy Parents With Local Services

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Uber-style apps for children face an uphill battle, in part because trust isn’t something the on-demand economy is known for and people aren’t as willing to entrust their children with a stranger as they are their laundry or their take-out. But creative solutions abound.

Street Fight Daily: Amazon Crushing Retail Competitors, McDonald’s Leads in QSR Foot Traffic

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google’s Answer to Amazon Echo is Named Chirp and is Coming Soon… Apple Pay Spreads Into a New Market… This Chart Shows How Amazon is Crushing Retail Competitors…

In Google/Facebook Duel, SMBs Are the Real Winners

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With Google’s recent changes, Facebook may now offer small business advertisers a better way to reach low-funnel shoppers — those currently in-market for a product or service, not just those vaguely searching for the category. Google’s move could drive many businesses into Facebook’s arms.

When It Comes To OpenTable, the Restaurant Industry Has Few Reservations

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Catherine Porter, the company’s SVP of strategy and business development, recently caught up with Street Fight with a sneak peek of what’s on the menu for OpenTable this year, and how simplifying the reservation process is bringing more patrons to local businesses.

Street Fight Daily: Jet.com Pilots Grocery Delivery, OpenTable Battles New Competitors

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Jet.com is Piloting Grocery Delivery (But it May Take 2 Days to Arrive)… Reserve, Other Startups Fight OpenTable for a Seat… Uber Recognizes New York Drivers Group, Short of a Union…

Will an ‘Internet of People’ Threaten the On-Demand Heavies and Give Power to SMBs?

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Fermat wants to allow customers and small businesses (or people offering services) to talk directly to one another and pay for services using the likes of Bitcoin. As founder Luis Molina says: “Fermat aims to replace the ‘Sharing Economy,’ where powerful intermediaries extract significant value and information from every exchange.”

5 Platforms to Quickly Sell Overstocked Items

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When brick-and-mortar businesses have a surplus of inventory, they have a few options. For local merchants, deal-posting sites that use hyperlocal technology to target nearby consumers in real-time are becoming a popular solution.

Sponsored Post: How a Digital Agency is Key to SMB Marketing Success

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Sometimes local marketing moves to the back burner. The marketing industry moves quickly, and it’s often difficult to keep up with the shifts in consumer behavior, spending, technology, and effectiveness. Fifty-three percent of marketers admit that their primary challenge is the lack of resources and bandwidth needed to stay on top of localization strategies…