News and Analysis
In Fitness Industry, Vertical Platforms Cater to Specialized Operations
Online appointment booking platforms are a dime a dozen, used by businesses in a huge range of industries. But among fitness businesses, specifically, general use booking platforms aren’t very common. That’s because fitness businesses are more likely to use vertical-specific tools designed to meet the needs of specialized operations.
Perhaps more so than any other industry, health and wellness has shown a great desire for verticalized technology solutions. Although verticalization isn’t limited to the health and wellness industry, fitness studios and related businesses are much more likely to use technology platforms designed specifically for their industry.
Uber, Lyft, DoorDash Fight Gig Economy Law in California
Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft are teaming up with restaurant delivery service DoorDash to fight California’s AB 5, a law that would force gig-economy companies that survive on contractor labor to register their drivers (or dashers) as employees and offer them benefits, Vox reported.
The coalition, the Protect App-Based Drivers and Services campaign, is attempting to place a referendum on the 2020 California ballot that would give voters the choice to exempt ride-sharing services from the law. That would presumably include DoorDash, which is not a ride-hailing service but essentially iterated Uber’s business model, employing drivers to escort food instead of passengers from A to B on demand.
The Vertical Approach to Grocery Marketing
More than just a niche market inside the retail vertical, grocery marketing has grown to become an industry unto itself. According to eMarketer, grocery is the “least penetrated but fastest-growing category” in e-commerce. Explosive growth, fueled in part by the rising popularity of online grocers and on-demand delivery services, like Instacart, that deliver goods from brick-and-mortar stores, is behind the prediction that the grocery retail market will reach $12.24 trillion globally by 2020.
CPG brands and supermarket chains have been quick to adopt vertical-specific marketing platforms and tools. Although there are plenty of local retail marketing solutions that could be adaptable to the grocery industry, the supermarket itself is a unique environment and that makes verticalized solutions even more desirable in this arena.
Commentary
Report: Social Media Continues to Be a Top Marketing Tactic for Local Merchants
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
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.
Made for Each Other: Wallets, Loyalty, and Mobile Payments
It’s fair to say the local marketing industry has been a little disappointed by the adoption of mobile payments. The combination of a sluggish hardware upgrade cycle and consumer reluctance appears discouraging. But there are catalysts on the near horizon.
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Jet.com Pilots Grocery Delivery, OpenTable Battles New Competitors
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?
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
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
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…
Street Fight Daily: Uber Taking Bids for Its Cloud Business, Google Launches Local News Tag
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Launches Local Source Tag to Help You See More Local News… Amazon to Launch a Blue Apron-Like Recipe Delivery Service This Fall… Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Might Be Going to War Over Uber’s Cloud Business…
The Real Problem With Duplicate Data
Duplicate information — or information that is exactly like something else — isn’t the problem. The problem is publishing inconsistent data (or publishing two different listings) that are referencing the same location.
Case Study: Coffee Chain Tracks Service Levels with Mobile Messaging Tools
For Philz Coffee, a “third-wave” coffee chain with a focus on drip coffee, customer service has become a differentiating factor. For more than three years, Philz has been working with hyperlocal vendor OwnerListens to collect valuable feedback from customers.
Spring Brand Battle: Jackson Hewitt vs. Liberty Tax
Spring’s Brand Battle was the closest one yet with a spread of just four points overall. Local advertising and SEO strategies called the winner this month, and the losing contender would have had a better chance of overtaking its competition with more focus in those areas. Find out whether Jackson Hewitt or Liberty Tax Service earned a better return on local advertising effort!
Street Fight Daily: Groupon Sells Off Breadcrumb to Upserve, Google My Business API Updated
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Groupon Just Sold its Restaurant Software Business to Upserve… Google Updates the Google My Business API to Version 3.0… Uber and Lyft Threaten to Leave Austin After Prop 1 Loss…
Raise Report: New Funding for Via, Drivy, Home Chef
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 Bnbsitter, Passport and Trov.
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AI Won’t Fix Advertising – It May Scale Its Chaotic Nature