News and Analysis

Google and Amazon Escalate Voice ‘Platform Wars’

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Mike Boland: Any entity competing for local commerce—publishers, brands, ad-tech players—has a looming platform choice for voice. Like the platform wars between iOS and Android, it’s a matter of deciding where to apply finite resources and development muscle. Maybe the answer is “both” Google and Amazon. But for now, Google appears to have the lead.

Doddle Launches in US, Pushing Click-and-Collect Forward for American Retail

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Touting the fact that 70% of U.S. shoppers have leveraged click-and-collect options at their disposal in the last six months, Doddle, which has been active in the UK, will be helping major retail partners such as Amazon create smoother buying experiences for customers who want to take advantage of one-click online ordering while avoiding the process of delivery.

In On-Demand Economy, Brand Partnerships Could Mean Big Paydays

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Partnerships between on-demand technology providers and global restaurant brands are generating big bucks and creating buzz about what’s possible for the ever-evolving on-demand delivery industry. Tech companies allow retailers and QSRs to keep up with the latest standards for convenience, and partnering with a brand name like Starbucks or McDonald’s can expand the audience of potential users for a growing on-demand startup.

Commentary

Location Data Management 101: Seeing the Bigger Picture

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Many brands make the mistake of viewing location data as nothing more than plumbing for their local listings — or a component of a listing management strategy. But location data management is much bigger than listing management and data syndication.

Inside Facebook’s Push to Make Pages the Dominant Mobile Tool for SMBs

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Sheryl Sandberg says SMB advertising remains one of Facebook’s “biggest opportunities,” and the company plans to use its Pages product to help corner that market. Street Fight spoke recently with top Facebook execs about driving value for SMBs.

Lesson From Yodle’s Acquisition: Scaling SMB Performance Marketing Isn’t So Easy

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While the acquisition is likely welcome news for Yodle’s backers and Web.com’s shareholders, the resounding message for SMB performance marketing vendors is one of caution. The real problem facing large performance marketing vendors like Yodle is that of customer retention.

Latest Posts

ShopKeep’s Richelson: You Have to Specialize, Then Grow

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“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

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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

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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)…

Getting Real: What SMBs Can Realistically Expect from Social Media

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Small business owners don’t sign up with digital agencies for mediocre results. When SMBs pay for hyperlocal services like social media management, they expect to be wowed. For hyperlocal vendors working with SMB clients, failing to set clear expectations is a recipe for disaster.

Locable Zeroes in on Marketing Solutions for Digitally Challenged Merchants

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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

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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

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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)…

Estimote’s Cheney: Beacons Will Solve Online-to-Offline Attribution

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There’s never been a good way to attribute the actions consumers take in the physical world to what they do online. Beacons are the answer to the attribution loop problem, said Estimote co-founder Steve Cheney.

How the Marketing of SMB Marketing Services is Evolving

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The marketing of digital marketing services was once built on guarantees of leads, new customers, clicks, and the like. But when it comes to promoting small and medium-sized business (SMB) marketing products and solutions, the rhetoric and tactics have shifted. The new direction is more consultative and driven by content.

Street Fight Daily: Postmates’ Walgreens Partnership, Twitter and Square’s Election Collab

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… You Can Now Get Your Prescriptions Delivered to You Within an Hour from Walgreens (Business Insider)… Twitter Courts U.S. Presidential Campaigns with New Donations Service (Wall Street Journal)… Why Ad Blocking Is Good News for Almost Everyone (Ad Age)…