News and Analysis
Amazon’s Dash Buttons Have Met Their End. Does Their Demise Truly Signal Failure?
Dash buttons were met with detractors right from the get go. Some called out the “hideous” design, while others lambasted Amazon for creating $5 buttons that would inevitably end up in landfills. But at Amazon, the Dash button initiative isn’t considered a failure. Rather, the project was designed to get consumers more comfortable with the “connected home” concept and the idea of shopping through devices other than desktop computers and smartphones.
Commentary
Apps Continue to Battle, But the Mobile Web May Be Catching Up
With a shift to mobile websites, most mobile marketing dynamics will remain, although implementation for sites versus apps will be more than nuanced. Mobile search is already undergoing shifts, and listings management must take into account the role of the mobile platforms, maps, and, probably, Amazon.
Can Google Shift Its Revenue Model From Advertising to Products?
“Google rolling out integrated hardware and software is a big change,” Mike Blumenthal says to David Mihm. “They have tried their hand at manufacturing many times and failed, but this feels more strategic. Clearly their AI assistant effort is central and it seems that AI is table stakes for the coming battles.”
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Street Fight Daily: Ford Launching Commuter App, the Benefits of Retail Subscription Models
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Ford Plans Commuter App, Ford Car Not Required (USA Today)… How Subscriptions Are Creating Winners and Losers in Retail (Harvard Business Review)… Challenging Uber, Lyft Bets on a Road Wide Enough for Two (New York Times)…
Street Fight Daily: Google’s 3D Mapping Coming to Smartphones, Apple’s Potential Impact on Search
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Tangoes with Lenovo to Bring 3D Mapping to Smartphones (Wall Street Journal)… How Apple Could Play Spoiler for the Search Ad Business (Search Engine Land)… 50% of Consumers in Mature Markets To Use Phones, Smartwatches for Mobile Payments by 2018 (BizReport)…
Street Fight Daily: Yahoo Faces Major Layoffs, Inside Uber’s ‘God Mode’ Privacy Battles
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yahoo Is Prepping to Lay Off 10% or More of Its Workforce (Business Insider)… Uber Settles with New York Attorney General Over ‘God View’ Tracking Program (BuzzFeed)… GoButler, the Messaging-Based Personal Assistant, ‘Pauses’ Operations in Germany to Focus on U.S. (TechCrunch)…
Facebook Continues to Experiment in Local — But Its Focus Is Long-Term
The company isn’t trying to build a unified local search portal at all. Instead, they’re launching trial balloons, turning developers loose to experiment with the company’s local data in order to surface features and nuances that might eventually be useful as subtle additions to the Newsfeed…
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Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels