News and Analysis
Crack-of-Dawn Black Friday Lines Are Already a Thing of the Past, Data Shows
How is the increasing appeal of e-commerce and other digital options such as BOPIS—buy online, pick up in-store—affecting retail’s biggest day of the year? One consequence, data from Reveal Mobile indicates, is the end of the notoriously colossal lines that used to mark the beginning of Black Friday.
Commentary
In Local Marketing, ‘Obsolete’ Is All Relative
The pace of innovation is such that many new technologies are deemed “obsolete” before small business owners get the chance to fully understand them, let alone implement them in their business. Many feel left behind the curve as a result. But obsolete is not an absolute condition when it comes to marketing techniques. Where marketing tactics and technologies are underutilized, potential for competitive gains still exists.
Do You Bing? If Not, It’s Time to Start
Microsoft recently announced that Bing turned its first profit since being launched in 2009. The company continues to extend its reach, grow its share of the search market, and add features that make it a stronger commerce tool. The question businesses should be asking is not whether Bing will catch up to Google, but whether they view Bing as a critical publisher to improve the reach of their location data.
The Privatization of Local Search
Local search takes place across services that are proprietary and dedicated, even if indirectly, toward earning revenue for the companies that run them. But that doesn’t preclude us from thinking of local search as a kind of public utility whose objective is to provide accurate and consistent information. That means treating local listings primarily as a public good, not a business.
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Square IPO Looms, Amazon Plans Drive-Up Grocery Stores
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Square’s Filing Turns Talk to Dorsey’s Juggling Skills (New York Times)… Amazon Planning Drive-Up Grocery Stores (Silicon Valley Business Journal)… Instagram Mobile Ad Revenues to Reach $2.81 Billion Worldwide in 2017 (eMarketer)…
LBMA Podcast: Google Gets Into Beacons, Amazon Turns 20
On the show: Spotify’s musical map of the world; Enplug’s digital signage app marketplace; CrispMedia partners with Taste Of Home for hyperlocal content in grocery stores; Swrve and Plot Projects partner; NTT DoCoMo helps us shop with our eyes. Special guest is Ian Dallimore, Director of Innovation and Digital Strategy for Lamar.
Sponsored Content: Duplicate Listings Are Killing Your Business
Duplicate listings are one of the most common data problems plaguing small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike. They can confuse potential customers, and cause your clients to lose business. But many marketers are uncertain about how duplicates are created, the problem they cause, and how best to address them.
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