News and Analysis

Shirking the Tech Giants’ Mobile Wallets, Kroger Unveils One of Its Own

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Kroger is flexing on Apple and Google this week, passing on the opportunity to accept Apple Pay or Google Pay at its stores and choosing instead to launch its own mobile wallet that doubles as a loyalty card, WCPO reported in Columbus.

food

How Online Grocers Are Using AI to Cut Food Prices

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The distinction between real-world supermarkets and online-only grocers has come down to price. The introduction of a new technology to lower prices for consumers may be what the industry needs to finally push it past the tipping point.

Local Search Association Announces New President, Bill Dinan

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The Local Search Association, which brings together over 300 companies intent on connecting enterprises and small businesses alike with consumers, announced on Wednesday morning Bill Dinan as its new president. The announcement follows the retirement of its previous president Neg Norton, who held the role for 15 years.

Commentary

Why Local Businesses Should Treat Their Store Locator Like a Shopping Cart

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For businesses that operate multiple store fronts, store locators are critical revenue-generating assets. But too often, the locators are treated like a forgotten tool sitting on the shelf, collecting dust and rust. Instead, they need to make the discovery process and conversion to offline visits as easy and personal as Amazon does.

Survey: Demand for Multichannel Programmatic Is Promising

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Nearly one-third of the respondents in Street Fight’s survey who also said that local media and content was important for their marketing were thinking about such cross-channel programmatic. Interest appeared highest for marketers who found local TV effective, but also played strongly with radio and print fans.

The New Proximity: A Second Phase in Mobile Brings Here and Now to Life

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The first phase of mobile software relied on us to express a desire and thereby to enable a service. Our actions initiated services that capitalized on the phone’s ability to maximize proximity. Now we’re entering a second phase where, for many of us, connectivity and location awareness will be active for longer stretches of our days.

Latest Posts

Holiday Weekend a Big Win for Mobile

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If U.S. consumers proved reluctant to spend their Thanksgiving holiday in stores, they demonstrated few qualms about shopping online. Digital commerce was up significantly from 2014 levels. The momentum continued into Black Friday, which also saw brick-and-mortar spending reach its highest totals since 2012. The biggest winner over the holiday weekend was mobile: Its share of website traffic and online sales reached record highs.

LBMA Podcast: Western Union and WeChat Partner for Money Transfers, Carvana to Sell Cars in Vending Machines

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On the show: Western Union partners with WeChat for money transfers; Carvana to sell cars through vending machines; Millennial Media working with Rentrak to match TV ad viewing with mobile; RedBox offers free movie rentals for “America’s Movie Night;” National Geographic launches “Find Your Park, Love Your Park.” Plus, news from SenionLab; Gravy + ROIchecker; RoamingAround; Google + Virgin America; and Oxfam America + xAd.

Street Fight Daily: Mobile Payment Transactions to Reach $27B by 2016, How to Sell on Social Media

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… U.S. Proximity Mobile Payment Transactions to Reach $8.71 Billion in 2015 (eMarketer)… The New Wave of Selling on Mobile and Social (TechCrunch)… Amazon Books Should Be the Future of Brick-and-Mortar Retail Chains (Gigaom)…

4 Ways You Can Use Google’s Search Analytics Report

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Life has not been easy for SEO specialists and webmasters the past few years. Despite Google’s obvious good intentions, the updates it has rolled out, starting with Panda and continuing through to the more recent “mobilegeddon,” have made optimization more difficult for digital marketers. Google’s Search Analytics Report (SAR) is an important step in mending this relationship. Here are four tips to help you get the most out of the new SAR.

Holiday Shopping Data Roundup: $39 Billion to Be Spent Locally This Year

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The holiday season isn’t just a big time of year for retail spending; it’s also a big time of year for retail spending data. The stats indicate one common trend: Purchasing is going to be more omnichannel than ever. Here’s a rundown on some key data points for this holiday shopping season.

Street Fight Daily: Google Bug Buries Search Results from Yelp and Other Competitors, Jet Raises $350M

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Says Local Search Result That Buried Rivals Yelp, TripAdvisor Is Just a Bug (Recode)… Amazon Rival Jet.com Raises $350M Series B (USA Today)… Twitter’s Head of Retail Predicts Five Holiday Trends for His Platform (Adweek)…

Beacons to Shine a Light on Consumers’ Murky Path to Purchase

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Retail activity this holiday season promises to be more omnichannel than ever, courtesy of the ever-present smartphone. That raises the stakes for retailers in terms of their preparedness and complicates their attribution metrics. With online-to-offline shopping dynamics in focus, this may be the long-awaited breakout year for beacon technology.

Classroom as Incubator: University of Florida Produces National Health Site for Young Adults

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Every institution of higher learning has myriad news sources, from official newspapers to social media platforms. Some college publications have ambitions and appeal that transcend the campus boundaries. One such example is The Student Body, which emerged from a class at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications in Gainesville and now aims to reach a national audience.

Street Fight Daily: The Food Delivery Obsession, How Holiday Shopping Could Boost Beacon Tech

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… In ‘Overcrowded’ Food Delivery Market, Venture Capitalists Are Still Hungry for More (Bloomberg)… This Is How Macy’s Will Target Its Facebook and Instagram Ads for the Holidays (Adweek)… Events: Delivering 30-50 Percent Margins for Media Companies (LinkedIn Pulse),,,

RetailMeNot’s Hoyt: This Will Be the Most Personalized Holiday Season We’ve Ever Had

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Today marks the beginning of a crucial week and month for retailers, as shoppers clamor for deals and steals on presents for family, friends, and coworkers. Whether in-store, online, or a mobile device, an astounding amount of retail business will be transacted in the next five weeks. RetailMeNot vice president of communications Brian Hoyt said to expect a more personalized, more omnichannel holiday shopping season this year, courtesy of the ever-present smartphone.