News and Analysis

Visual Search Moves Beyond Experimentation and Into Prime Time

Share this:

After years of experimentation and broad discussions about how visual search would someday take hold, it’s clear that the future has arrived. Visual search has moved into the mainstream, and companies like Pinterest, Instagram, and even Google are paving the way for consumers to engage more deeply with the products they find online.

As visual search moves into the mainstream, questions are intensifying over what impact the medium will have on SEO and traditional search metrics.

Google Integrates Food Delivery into Search, Maps, Assistant

Share this:

More or less following the model of Reserve with Google, which has seamlessly integrated the process of reserving a table at a nearby restaurant into SERPs, Google is now integrating food delivery into search, Maps, and Assistant, keeping consumers on Google properties for the entire journey as they make transactions via third-party couriers.

As GDPR’s One-Year Anniversary Approaches, Where Are We Now?

Share this:

One year in, it’s clear that the full impact of GDPR still hasn’t been felt. The regulation is structured in a way that puts less pressure on large companies than smaller businesses, and that’s something that regulators will have to continue sorting out. But the changes Europe’s law portends are undeniable: Privacy legislation is coming to the United States, and the data collection practices that made many Silicon Valley pioneers rich will never be quite so unbridled again.

Commentary

Apple Gets Into Position for the Voice Search Revolution

Share this:

As voice search becomes more prevalent, Apple will “retain an advantage over Amazon in ‘on-the-go’ searches, since our phones are always with us,” David Mihm tells Mike Blumenthal. “Unfortunately for Apple, people overwhelmingly conduct voice searches at home. “

Three Ways Location Marketing Is Changing in 2017

Share this:

People are searching differently. They’re using emoji, voice commands, and social media to find what they want on demand through a variety of channels and devices. As a result, businesses need to be more nimble and imaginative in the way they convert online searches into offline sales.

Google Maps Holiday Controversy Reflects Deeper Issues in Local Search

Share this:

In cases where community values are not unanimous, public companies are faced with an ethical question, and their answers can help to shape perceptions among users. For many, the removal of a Confederate holidays from Google Maps signals that it is truly a thing of the past.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Groupon’s New Merchant App, Google Announces ‘Analytics 360’ Ad Products

Share this:

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Groupon Launches New Merchant App That Puts the Daily Deal Front and Center (TechCrunch)… Google Introduces Products That Will Sharpen Its Ad Focus (New York Times)… Yelp’s Founder Once Thought No One Would Want to Post Opinions on the Internet (Chicago Tribune)…

The Changing Role of Local Search Ranking

Share this:

As mobile searches outpace desktop-based searches, proximity throws a wrench in the works of traditional rankings.

5 Online-to-Offline Attribution Tools for Merchants

Share this:

Seventy-nine percent of consumers say they research prices online before making purchases in person. Without the ability to identify which digital channels are most effective, merchants have no opportunity to optimize their strategies or understand the growth opportunities within online channels.

National-to-Local Marketers’ Top Pain Points Center on Integration

Share this:

Nearly half of those who responded said they spend 1/3 or more of their digital marketing dollars to support their branch offices, franchises, and distributors — and 40% of them expect that budget mix to increase.

It’s Valuable, But Is It Accurate? LBMA Report Shines Light On Marketers’ Location Data Issues

Share this:

According to a new survey, while 77 percent of marketers think that location based data is valuable, only 66 percent of them feel that it is accurate. This is a troubling discrepancy indicating that there is a lot of work to be done in standardization and verification.

5 Tools for Brands Looking to Harness Predictive Social Intelligence

Share this:

Predictive social intelligence platforms use big data to organize, pattern, and predict which online conversations will be happening tomorrow. By contextualizing future online chatter, brands can better target specific audiences on social channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Street Fight Daily: The Longevity of Online Grocery Delivery, How Foursquare is Winning SXSW

Share this:

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Is Online Grocery Actually the Future? (Business Insider)… The Winner of This Year’s SXSW Interactive Is… (Forbes)… You Hate Paying Instacart Delivery Fees, So Pepsi Is Footing the Bill (Crain’s Chicago Business)

Borrell on Local Dailies and Their Tiny Digital Ad Share: They Need a New Story

Share this:

Local digital ad revenue will grow from $48 billion in 2015 to $66 billion in 2016, Borrell Associates projects in its new benchmarking report covering 10,395 sites in all media. That’s an eye-popping increase of 37.5%. But newspapers will see only a 6% to 7% revenue increase,

Openings and New Hires at xAd, Placed, Upserve, and Schedulicity

Share this:

Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. This week’s edition includes moves and new openings at Xaxis, Signpost, and Buzzfeed.

Raise Report: Blippar, AppCard, Ninjacart Reel in Fresh Rounds

Share this:

Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes new cash infusions for ICX Media, Staff Finder, and Mariana.