News and Analysis

Word of Mouth Remains Vital for Loyalty in Digital Age

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Pundits have speculated that loyalty is becoming less and less important as mobile and especially voice search drive the consumer toward the most convenient purchasing options. That may be true, but the report indicates loyalty remains a powerful factor, with 53% of consumers saying they are more likely to buy from a retailer they know and trust.

Retail Insights: Inside The Vitamin Shoppe’s Omnichannel Strategy

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The data that The Vitamin Shoppe collects in its CRM is used to create 360-degree views of each customer so that in-store associates can see in real time when customers have earned new awards and offer more personalized product recommendations based on previous purchases.

Consumers Still Do Not Understand How Companies Use Their Data

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More than one year after the implementation of GDPR in Europe and with CCPA looming, consumers still have no idea how and why companies like Google and Facebook collect their data. That’s according to a global survey by mobile marketing firm Ogury, the largest of its kind to ask consumers about their understanding of marketing and privacy.

Nearly 40% of respondents in both Europe and the US were ignorant of what GDPR is. But more significant is that 52% of consumers report not understanding how their data is used.

Commentary

Why It’s Too Early to Go All In on Virtual Assistants

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As the so-called customer journey takes new twists and turns, tech companies and agencies should help local businesses and brands differentiate themselves via user experience. Catering to virtual assistants might seem to be the path towards that goal. But it’s probably too early to make huge bets on these technologies.

Google’s Pragmatic Approach to the Truth, and Its Pitfalls

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If enough people believe something, should Google consider it to be true? In a world where questionable news is very popular, it’s not so surprising that Google’s logical assumptions might sometimes produce unexpected results. After all, trustworthiness at root is a matter of how many people are willing to trust you.

Why Google Is Becoming the ‘New Homepage’ for SMBs

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“So many things are happening right on Google; clicks to call, driving directions, etc., and even more so than a website,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm. “For a business to do well there, things like photos, reviews (everywhere) and other visuals are becoming ever more important.”

Latest Posts

5 On-Demand Apps for Emergency Services

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While dialing 911 is the correct response when major emergencies occur, it isn’t always appropriate for lesser events, like flat tires or minor medical injuries. For events that are urgent but not life-threatening, a host of specialty on-demand apps are looking to fill the void.

Street Fight Daily: Amazon Could Buy Stake in HERE, New Subscription Service from Postmates

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon In Talks to Buy Stake in Mapping Company HERE (Yahoo Finance)… Postmates Launches Subscription Service, Hits 1M Monthly Deliveries (TechCrunch)… More Brands Mean Many More Buttons for Amazon Service (New York Times)…

‘Indie’ Pureplays Capitalize on Newspaper Turmoil in Big SoCal Markets

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As founder of the independent pureplays Times of San Diego and My News LA, Chris Jennewein is going up against Tribune Publishing, owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, both once-reigning print dailies that are trying to make a comeback in the crowded digital space.

Case Study: Using Digital Coupons to Generate Calls

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In today’s competitive landscape, digital marketing firms are honing their sales pitches and investing in innovative new technologies to stand out from the pack. But when Don Fuller’s Appliance Repair co-owner Lisa Fuller evaluates a vendor, she looks at something that’s harder to quantify — sincerity.

Street Fight Daily: Tim Armstrong’s AOL Goals, Square Launches New Payments Tools

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… AOL’s Tim Armstrong Aims to Build Digital-Ad Empire at Verizon (Wall Street Journal)… Square Has a New Growth Hack to Increase Its Payment Processing Volume (Recode)… Car-Pooling Helps Uber Go the Extra Mile (New York Times)…

Why Retailers Like McDonald’s Should Take Note of Starbucks’ Loyalty Program Misstep

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There has been a lot of backlash from Starbucks customers after the company changed the mechanism of its My Starbucks Rewards program last month from frequency-based rewards to dollars spent. The switch is informative for other retail brands, and indicates that personalization is key.

Grocery Delivery Options Reach Further Into Local Communities

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Matt Hatoun, founder of online buying club Wholeshare, believes that the delivery space is burning itself out by offering its services to mostly high-end customers who can afford to pay fees on top of the price of high end products.

Street Fight Daily: Google Will Offer Home Phone Service, Lyft Introduces New Carpooling Feature

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Fiber’s Latest Innovation Is a Landline (TechCrunch)… Lyft Wants to Make ‘Casual Carpooling’ a Thing Again (The Verge)… Digital Neck-and-Neck with TV Ad Spend in the U.S. (eMarketer)…

Case Study: Law Firm Uses Social Channels to Amplify Messaging to Prospects

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“Marketing for law firms generally is something that not even 20 years ago was considered somewhat taboo,” Mike Mellor says. “The folks in law firms have had some catching up to do in regards to driving cultural change and getting attorneys comfortable with the concept of marketing and new business development.”

Augmenting the Local Shopping Reality

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“I believe we are now at the tipping point where both AR and VR are set to become accepted into the mainstream and in a few years will play an integral part in all our lives,” says Amplified Robot’s Steve Dann.