News and Analysis
Kroger CEO Offers Closer Look at Grocery Giant’s Tech Innovation at NRF 2019
Among Kroger’s latest innovation is a partnership with online grocer Ocado. Kroger is licensing Ocado’s technology—the only grocer in the United States to do so—in order to benefit from its digital-native mastery of automated warehouse operations and on-demand delivery. The company will be expanding its number of warehouses powered by Ocado’s technology in 2019.
Google Appears to Test Netflix-Like Personalization Score for Local Businesses
Just as Netflix displays match scores in the arena of entertainment, showing users a percentage indicating how likely they are to enjoy a new film or TV show, Google appears to be testing a feature that shows searchers how likely they are to enjoy a local business.
How Savvy Brands Are Getting Mobile Offers Into the Hands of Consumers
“For brick-and-mortar businesses, the focus on driving foot traffic through mobile couponing is even more important due to the convenience of online shopping. We see mobile coupon platforms becoming ubiquitous and affordable for even small businesses to create, design, and distribute their own coupons,” Katie Wilson, CEO of TapOnIt and a digital advertising veteran, tells our senior editor Stephanie Miles.
Commentary
Is the Humble Phone Call Actually the Killer App for Local Businesses?
It turns out reports of voice calling’s death are greatly exaggerated. Despite an explosion in data usage and mobile messaging, voice calling — facilitated by search and virtual assistants — remains a popular activity among mobile users. A lot of those calls are going to local businesses, where they are more likely to convert to revenue than web forms or emails.
6 Reasons Why Hyperlocal Tech Initiatives Continue to Elude Consumers
Hyperlocal is a totally logical concept in the minds of technologists, analysts, and investors, but many hyperlocal tech initiatives have yet to catch fire with consumers. Part of the challenge is people are creatures of habit. Here are six reasons why hyperlocal tech will continue to elude consumers’ grasp in 2016.
5 Reasons Why Local Marketing Will Mature in 2016
The past few years have seen the introduction of a whole universe of new tools designed to address individual aspects of digital marketing. In 2016, we will see a shift away from many of these discreet, single-purpose tools toward more comprehensive marketing solutions, DataSphere’s Gary Cowan predicts. Here’s a look at five ways SMB local marketing will mature in the coming year.
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: The Evolution of Groupon, Target Tests Beacons
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… The Rise, Fall, and Improbable Comeback Strategy of Groupon (Eater)… Target Testing Beacons to Provide In-Store Shoppers Coupons, Recommendations (Minneapolis StarTribune)… Instacart Makes Its First Acquisition With “Acqui-hire” Of App Maker Wedding Party (TechCrunch)…
INFOGRAPHIC: A Quick, Deep Dive Into Local Optometrists
Local optometrists in the U.S. number some 33,000 businesses and generate an estimated $15B in annual sales at an average of $450k per year. The industry is growing at 5% annually, but it’s under considerable pressure from the likes of Amazon and Warby Parker.
6 Strategies for Growing a Business Using App Analytics
Advertisers are spending $20.7 billion to reach consumers through mobile apps, and they’re looking for ways to measure ROI. We connected with a few industry insiders to ask how marketers should use app analytics to measure the value of their mobile properties.
Street Fight Daily: Google Beacons Could Transform Local Biz, Instagram’s New API
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… How Google Beacons Could Transform Local Business (Search Engine Land)… You’re About To See More Instagram Ads Thanks To Its New API (The Next Web)… The Agency View on Vox Media: ‘The Modern-Day Condé Nast’ (Digiday)…
5 Name-Your-Price Platforms for Local Merchants
Rather than running storewide sales and discounting more products than necessary, some businesses are taking advantage of name-your-price platforms to sell their goods at whatever price customers are willing to pay.
As McClatchy Goes All In on Digital, Stock Price Sags Further
In the past several weeks, McClatchy stock has hit record lows — falling from about $5 a year ago to around 80 cents per share now. Why is there such a mismatch between the smart steps the company is taking in digital and its financial performance?
Street Fight Daily: Yahoo Acquires Polyvore, Microsoft Invests $100 Million in Uber
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yahoo Snags Social Commerce Site Polyvore (Wired)… Microsoft to Invest $100 Million in Uber (Seattle Times)… Attention, Shoppers: Shopping With a Store App Means You’ll Visit More and Stay Longer (Venture Beat)…
What Do the Death of Flash and the Rise of HTML5 Mean for SMB Advertisers?
HTML5 allows marketers to do more with online display ads than they were able to do before. They can add functionality and interactivity, filling their ads with content and creating something akin to a mini-website delivered across the web.
Openings and New Hires at Yelp, HubSpot and NOMi
Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s column, Google scoops up a bunch of Homejoy staffers, a biz dev job at Vistar Media, and Gannett is looking for a VP of sales.
LBMA Podcast: UberMedia’s Location Visit Optimization, Carmakers Buy Nokia’s HERE
On the show: The world’s first virtual reality theme park; the world’s first artificially intelligent ad; MotorMood’s emoticons for drivers; xAd’s Global Location Snapshot; Nordstrom’s rooftoop Instagram installation, and more.
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