News and Analysis
Retailers Use Visual Channels to Attract Last-Minute Mother’s Day Shoppers
Spending on Mother’s Day is expected to reach $25 billion this year, with consumers flocking to department stores and florists in search of the perfect gifts for Mom. The bulk of that spending will happen in the next few days, as foot traffic data from the location platform GroundTruth reveals that Americans tend to wait until the very last minute to shop for Mother’s Day gifts.
What are retailers around the country doing to prepare for the onslaught of last-minute shoppers? More than ever before, retailers are leaning on visual marketing opportunities to drive last-minute sales.
Report: Websites and GMB Profiles Both Essential for Local Businesses
A whopping 64% of respondents indicated relying on Google My Business to find contact information for local business, suggesting it’s an indispensable platform. Yet consumers still trust local business websites most of all, and only 8% say they never consult a business’ website when making shopping decisions.
Brands Push Forward with Automation, But Privacy and Creepiness Concerns Remain
“Marketing automation is all the rage. Everyone feels like they need to ‘do it’ or they’ll be left behind. That rush to do the latest ‘new thing’ without thoughtful planning often leads to failure,” says Winston Lord, co-founder of Venga, a guest management platform that uses automation to enhance customer experiences. “It’s critical to build a 360 degree view of your client and your strategy before implementing marketing automation.”
Commentary
How ‘Moment-based’ Targeting Will Impact Local Advertising
We are now onto the second phase of moment-based targeting, focusing on the combination of multiple factors in a moment to determine when a consumer will be most receptive. To find these receptive moments, an advertiser can identify and tap into many signals that will provide info about the end recipient’s state of mind.
New Report Identifies Enterprise Customer Types & Needs
In our latest analysis, we discovered that the integration needs of enterprise marketers reveal some clear correlations in terms of attitude, behavior and installed technologies. For example, the companies that found local store sites to be most effective were also doing well with local print, and planned to increase their social, mobile, and digital display advertising.
Why Local Businesses Should Treat Their Store Locator Like a Shopping Cart
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.
Latest Posts
4 Ways You Can Use Google’s Search Analytics Report
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Sponsored Content: Unclaimed Social Media Local Listings Bring This Clothing Chain Down
This month’s Brand Battle, in conjunction with Brandify, compares the local digital marketing footprint of two popular apparel chains: Forever 21 and H&M. The Swedish clothing giant was the runaway victor in this contest, besting its rival in five of the six categories evaluated and tying Forever 21 in the sixth category.
5 Ways Merchants Can Use Hyperlocal Tech to Improve Service This Holiday Season
With the holiday season upon us, local merchants are pulling out all the stops to entice shoppers into their stores and away from their computers, with many focusing on customer service as their differentiator. Here are five ways local merchants can improve customer service this holiday season by implementing hyperlocal technology.
Street Fight Daily: LivingSocial and ‘Unicorpses,’ Airbnb Raises $100 Million
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… LivingSocial Offers a Cautionary Tale to Today’s Unicorns (New York Times)… Airbnb Raises $100 Million Only Months After Last Funding Round (Fortune)… Detour App Shows the Promises and Challenges of GeoLocation Travel Tech (Skift)…
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