News and Analysis
Google and Amazon Escalate Voice ‘Platform Wars’
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
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
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
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
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.
Street Fight Daily: Groupon’s Food Delivery Service, The Missing Online-Offline Link in Retail
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Groupon Challenges GrubHub and Yelp With 10% Off All Delivered Orders (Adweek)… The Missing Link Between Shopper Marketing And E-Commerce (Marketing Land)… A Fragile Moment for Big Media (Recode)…
6 Ways Wearables Will Enhance the Shopping Experience
In order to take full advantage of the data that wearables provide, businesses need to give consumers a reason to share. Here are six examples of ways that wearables can be leveraged to enhance the shopping experience for customers at brick-and-mortar stores.
A Deeper Look at ‘Michele’s List’ of Independent Local News Sites Reveals a Gloomier Picture
After taking a second, closer look at “Michele’s List,” I’m more worried about independent community news sites. I was surprised to see that more than half of them generate only $50,000 or less in revenue, hardly enough to run a “Ramen-noodle”-type operation.
Street Fight Daily: Google Tests Home Services Ads, StubHub and Uber Pair Up
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Home Services Ads For Locksmiths, Plumbers Hit San Francisco Market (Search Engine Land)… StubHub Now Lets You Request an Uber Ride So You’re Never Late to an Event (The Next Web)… How Apple’s Embrace of Ad Blocking Will Change Native Advertising (Digiday)…
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