News and Analysis
How Brands Are Using AR to Generate Buzz, Promote Loyalty
The push into AR can be seen as a way for brand retailers to differentiate themselves from Amazon, bringing the in-store experience into the online world. It’s also a way for retailers to jumpstart word-of-mouth marketing, with the hope that using innovative technologies is new ways will have a viral effect and get people talking.
DoorDash Will Put an End to Old-School Delivery—And Smaller Rivals
What does the big money for DoorDash mean for the crowded on-demand delivery space? The market is growing as a whole, but there isn’t all that much growth share to go around. DoorDash CEO and founder Tony Xu has said as much. “If you look at where the U.S. is, there’s two players gaining share. It’s DoorDash and Uber. And DoorDash is growing 65% faster,” Xu said in a conversation with Recode editor-at-large and co-founder Kara Swisher earlier this year.
Alexa Has the Confidence of SMB Marketers. Should It?
Forty-eight percent of marketers surveyed by Uberall said they trust the e-commerce giant over its competition when it comes to marketing applications of voice technology in these early days of the medium. Google Assistant had the vote of 29% of the market, with Apple’s Siri scoring a surprisingly high 17% given the widespread consensus that voice is really a two-way race at the moment.
Commentary
How Badly Do Consumers Really Want Grocery Delivery?
Instacart is bumping up against the realities of the economy. There are two countervailing trends that are working against the idea of grocery delivery: frugality, and shopping-as-entertainment.
The Changing Role of Local Search Ranking
As mobile searches outpace desktop-based searches, proximity throws a wrench in the works of traditional rankings.
National-to-Local Marketers’ Top Pain Points Center on Integration
Nearly half of those who responded said they spend 1/3 or more of their digital marketing dollars to support their branch offices, franchises, and distributors — and 40% of them expect that budget mix to increase.
Latest Posts
Better Use of Data Could Dramatically Alter Local Digital Sales
Data is a core principle of digital marketing today, yet when it comes to local, big data has not penetrated very deeply where the sales process is concerned. All of that is about to change with the appearance of multiple companies trying to put data at the center of the way digital marketing is presented and sold to local businesses.
Street Fight Daily: Groupon Will Cut 1,100 Jobs, LivingSocial is Planning a Comeback
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Groupon to Cut 1,100 Jobs, Pull Out of 7 Countries (Chicago Tribune)… The Resurrection of LivingSocial (DCInno)… The Commoditization of Ad Tech — How the Cross-Device Landscape is Going to Get Worse Before It Gets Better (Medium)…
5 Tools for Measuring Social Marketing Results
Social media has become an essential part of the local marketer’s playbook. But with so many platforms and networks to choose from, and so many metrics to measure, it’s challenging for small business owners to know what they’re getting in return for their budgets. Here are six platforms with advanced tools for measuring results on social spending.
Report: Breaking into the Inbox with Successful Pitches to Local Merchants
A new report from Street Fight Insights found that when being pitched a new product or service, local merchants want information on costs, a clear explanation — backed up by case studies — of how the product or service will benefit their business, and all their questions or concerns addressed.
Street Fight Daily: Starbucks Launches Mobile Ordering, a Recap of Google’s Local Search Updates
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Never Wait in Line Again: Starbucks Rolls Out Mobile Ordering Nationwide (Mashable)… The New Google Local Search Display (Search Engine Land)… Postmates Unveils Revamped Platform, Announces 4 Million Deliveries (TechCrunch)…
Europe’s adsquare Unlocks More Data in New ‘Marketplace’ for Hyper-Contextual Advertising
For brands and retailers, it’s evident that the battle to win customers will be fought with data — lots of it. But more data could also be too much of a good thing. A new self-service offering from Berlin-based adsquare aims to help advertisers “navigate the data deluge.”
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)…
Raise Report: Lightspeed, Chef, CartoDB Land Big Rounds
Every two weeks we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. In this edition, new investments include rounds for Lightspeed, Chef, CartoDB, and Fundera.
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.
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