News and Analysis
Forget the Alexa-Powered Toilet. The Big Local News at CES is the Amazon Echo Auto
While it may be the Alexa-powered toilet dominating water-cooler conversation this week, the real device to look out for is Amazon’s Echo Auto, an Alexa-powered, voice-activated product that will provide all the utility of Alexa, and connections to other voice-activated devices, from the dashboard of buyers’ cars. The device, which can be requested for just $25 and is available to a limited number of consumers now, has already been requested a whopping one million times—and counting.
Big Data Helps Predict Which Brick-and-Mortar Locations Will Thrive and Fail
While the Gap says its decisions are being made based on traffic trends and profits—the brand saw a 7% decline in quarterly comparable sales—data scientists from top technology firms are working feverishly behind the scenes to use big data to predict which store closures could come next. Having a heads up on which retail locations have a high likelihood of closing could benefit those in the commercial real estate sector, as well as retail brands looking to decide on future store locations.
Latest Posts
LBMA Podcast: Walmart’s Simple Text Shopping Assistant, Walgreens Rewards Activity Tracking
On the show: Walmart’s Simple Text shopping assistant; Walgreens rewards customers for activity tracking; ordering pizza from the street courtesy of JCDeaux; LOCALīz from Bulzi; Droneports in Rwanda; Sunshine crowdsourced weather app; your opinion pays at Portland’s SamplingLab; using digital solutions to enhance the customer experience. Plus, news from RevTrax; Salvation Army; and eyeQ.
Street Fight Daily: IAB Accepts Blame for Rise of Ad Blockers, Analyzing Yahoo Gemini
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… The IAB Pivots on Ad Blocking and Issues a Mea Culpa: ‘We Messed Up’ (Adweek)… As Yahoo Gemini Ramps Up, How Well Is It Performing for Search Advertisers? (Search Engine Land)… First Data Slips in Trading Debut (Wall Street Journal)…
NinthDecimal Partners with TiVo to Measure TV Advertising’s Real-World Influence
In today’s digitally-focused advertising climate, overlooking TV’s influence is easy. It still accounts for the largest share of U.S. media spending, but with marketers increasingly focused on generating hard metrics-based ROI for every aspect of their campaigns, the challenge has been tying TV’s impact to real-world business results. With the launch today of a TV measurement solution in partnership with TiVo, NinthDecimal is banking on TV becoming a bigger piece of the ROI puzzle.
5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Negative Reviews
All business owners cringe at the sight of a one- or two-star review shown publicly on any review site. The immediate feeling is often disbelief, anger, and resentment toward both the customer and the review site. There is almost nothing that makes business owners more emotional than public criticism of their work. But emotions aside, negative reviews can actually be a good thing. Here are five ways they can help your business thrive.
Transfernation Tackles Food Waste and Hunger with a Local, On-Demand Twist
In New York City each week, up to 1,000 lbs. of food is rescued from lavish events, office functions, and charity fundraisers. Instead of being discarded, the extra food finds its way to soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and other service organizations through Transfernation, a New York City-based nonprofit that’s at the forefront of the food rescue movement.
INFOGRAPHIC: The Complex SMB Marketing Ecosystem 2.0
As the head of digital strategy for a broadcaster operating local TV stations, Lorren Elkins has been challenged to clearly understand the digital marketing space from an SMB perspective. In response, he developed an interactive chart, now in its second iteration, to both enhance his own understanding and assist SMBs in identifying potential suppliers.
Street Fight Daily: Starbucks Tests Delivery, Pinterest Adds Location Info to Place Pins
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Starbucks Is Testing Coffee Delivery to Office Workers in the Empire State Building (Adweek)… Pinterest Will Automatically Add Venue Information to Place Pins (TechCrunch)… Postmates Expands API to Power Delivery for More Merchants (Forbes)…
Patch’s St. John: People Crave an Understanding of What’s Happening Right Around Them
“We have about just under 70 full-time salaried editors. Compared to the old Patch, which had a newsroom the size of the New York Times, that may sound small, but when I talk to other digital publishers and I tell them we’ve got 70 full-time salaried reporters in the field, that sounds like a lot to them. Our goal is to add more as we grow. As we get revenue, we put it immediately into expanding because we need to be national to really fully realize Patch’s potential,” said editor-in-chief Warren St. John.
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels