News and Analysis
Google Testing Restaurant Booking, Foreshadowing Ever Tighter Grip on Local Commerce
The news is an important signal that local-commerce options like Reserve with Google will get sleeker and more dominant in the years to come. And it calls to mind a crucial local-search debate: Will Google SERPs and the many options for engagement with local brick-and-mortars on them effectively supplant the local business website as the crucial interface for interacting with customers?
Commentary
What the C-Suite Needs to Think About When It Comes to Delivering On-Demand
Today over 2 billion local deliveries are made annually in the U.S. And every delivery company that wants to remain competitive in this space must be able to offer an on-demand experience to their customers — whether it has its own fleet of drivers or uses independent contractors to provide its service. In a complicated […]
Latest Posts
Did Apple Just Solve Deep Linking?
One of the coolest things to come out Apple’s September product event was 3D Touch, which lets users indicate levels of intent based on how hard they press apps and links. Beyond the gadgetry of 3D Touch, one thing hasn’t been said: This is essentially deep linking, an area that will be a key battleground in local. 3D Touch could preempt the deep linking dilemma by peeking deep within other apps — a lighter and more elegant solution I’m calling “deep previewing.”
Street Fight Daily: Understanding the Decline of Search, Ad Blocking App Creator’s Second Thoughts
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google’s Search Business Might Not Be as Water-Tight as People Think (Business Insider)…The Creator of the iPhone’s Top-Selling Ad Blocker Pulled His App off the Market (AdWeek)… Target Wants to Turn Minneapolis into a Mini-Silicon Valley (Fortune)…
ShopKeep’s Richelson: You Have to Specialize, Then Grow
“There is no way a company can start with a holistic service. You have to specialize then grow. But I will say because of the cloud it’s very easy to bolt on other providers to create a holistic service,” said ShopKeep founder Jason Richelson about branching out beyond his company’s initial focus on SMB point-of-sale software.
LBMA Podcast: Didi Kuaidi’s Massive Funding Round, Estimote’s Nearables, New Research from Zebra
On the show: Didi Kuaidi raises $3B, rebrands, and invests in Lyft; CartoDB raises $23m; Toshiba moves into wearables; “Drive Smart” in New York and get rewarded; Refugees Welcome helps find homes for refugees; new research from Zebra. Plus, news from Estimote, BP, Auntie Anne’s and Postmates, Marriott, and Proxama and Ubiquitous.
Street Fight Daily: Shopify Seizes on Facebook Updates, 56% of Millennials Expect Same-Day Shipping
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Shopify Opens Door for More Shopping on Facebook (Marketing Land)… If You Don’t Offer Same-Day Shipping, You’re Pissing Off 56 Percent of Millennials (Recode)… The Web-Tracking Tipping Point (TechCrunch)…
Locable Zeroes in on Marketing Solutions for Digitally Challenged Merchants
There are 28 million small businesses in America, and Locable considers all of them candidates for its expanded “Main Street for the 21st Century” marketing services. Now Locable is reaching out to those millions of small businesses through its IMPACT Marketing Suite. We caught up with Locable founder and CEO Brian Ostrovsky to talk about his new initiative.
Sponsored Content: With Banks, There’s a Brand Battle on Every Corner
This month’s Brand Battle, in conjunction with Brandify, compares the local-social engagement strategies of two of the U.S.’ largest banks: Bank of America and Chase. The contest was close on several counts, but Chase emerged as the winner, with social engagement the determining factor in this matchup.
Street Fight Daily: Google Goes After Robocallers in SEO Lawsuit, Apple Acquires Mapsense
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Files Suit Against SEO Firm Accused of Robocalling, Launches Complaint Center for Users (Search Engine Land)… Apple Acquires Mapsense, a Mapping Visualization Startup (Recode)… Amazon’s Prime Now Expands to L.A., Ramps Up for SoCal Grocery Deliveries (TechCrunch)…
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