News and Analysis

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.

AT&T Says It Will Stop Selling Location Data as Practice Comes Under Greater Scrutiny

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AT&T announced late last week that it will stop selling location data, following an investigation from multimedia publication Motherboard indicating that a bounty hunter (yes, bounty hunter) equipped with a few hundred bucks and a phone number can track down the phone’s owner within a couple blocks’ radius. Verizon and T-Mobile joined AT&T in saying they would soon wind down any remaining location-data sharing deals.

Commentary

The Physical Web: How a New Type of Beacon Is Disrupting Proximity Marketing

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The newer Eddystone-URL is truly disruptive. This web approach, also called the Physical Web, follows the unstoppable trend toward lessening friction, and will ultimately be the dominant beacon technology. Marketers should be aware of this trend.

Is Apple Quietly Assembling an SMB Trojan Horse?

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Apple is co-promoting Square’s NFC reader for SMBs. and selling the readers in Apple Stores. The $49 reader accepts Apple Pay, which significantly lowers the barrier for SMBs to get in the game. The move should boost Apple Pay, but there also may be much bigger ambitions to lock in market share in new areas.

How the SMB/Local Advertising Community Can Avoid ‘Bad Ads’

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Google’s recent “Better Ads” report demonstrates that while digital is a great channel for reaching consumers, a positive experience is perhaps the most crucial component of a successful ad campaign, especially for advertisers using programmatic to buy and serve their ads.

Latest Posts

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)…

Executive Survey: What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Connected Local Economy

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Preliminary results from our forthcoming executive survey suggest that industry players are investing the most in mobile, followed by data and analytics. Respondents indicated that mobile marketing and managing company websites were the biggest challenges for local merchants, along with SEO and listings management. More complete survey results will be revealed at our upcoming Street Fight Summit in New York City.

Case Study: Virginia Plumber Records Calls for Improved Customer Service

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Social media, search engines, and local review sites can all generate attention for businesses in the home services industry, but when it comes to actually making sales and closing deals, nothing beats the effectiveness of a good old-fashioned telephone call. “Listening to how my associates communicate with clients is important,” says All Plumbing’s Kabir Shafi.

Street Fight Daily: Stripe’s New Mobile Commerce Tool, Can Google Keep Up With Changes in Search?

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Stripe Introduces New Tools to Simplify Mobile Shopping (New York Times)… Google Gears Up for Search Shift to Mobile and Vertical (Ad Age)… Etsy Opens To Manufacturing (TechCrunch)…

With iOS 9 Release, Local Businesses Should Care ‘Deeply’ About Apple Maps

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Most local businesses and search marketers have focused primarily on their visibility within Google Maps. With Apple’s iOS 9 now available, it’s time they focused their attention on Apple Maps as well. Businesses that don’t may soon fall behind competitors.

How SMBs Can Boost Their Online Reviews Without Breaking the Bank

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Online reviews play an increasingly important role in helping local businesses stand out from the competition. But getting that strong rating on Yelp – or TripAdvisor, Google Plus, or Foursquare – requires a concerted effort on the part of the local business and its marketing partners. Here are some steps that can help earn a few more five-star votes.

Street Fight Daily: Facebook’s Sandberg on SMBs, Etsy Will Try Same-Day Delivery

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Sheryl Sandberg: Facebook Pages Are Mobile Presence for Small Businesses (Wall Street Journal)… Etsy Will Test Same-Day Delivery Option in New York City (Recode)… Google, Twitter, and Publishers Seek Faster Web (New York Times)…

Openings and New Hires at Angie’s List, Yext, and Retailigence

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Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s column, Angie’s List names a new CEO, Retailigence gets a new CRO, and Dallas Morning News nabs a managing editor from Pew Research Center.

With 8 Sites in Brooklyn, ‘Indie’ Corner Media Reports Doubling of Ad Revenue

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Brooklyn is home to scores of fast-changing neighborhoods that are reshaping New York City’s largest borough. Seven of these neighborhoods are the turf of Corner Media Group, the independent mini-network that entrepreneur Liena Zagare has assembled over the past several years.