News and Analysis

5 Big Takeaways from Black Friday 2018

As Cyber Monday gets underway, another Black Friday looms behind us. Below are the highlights of brick-and-mortar retail’s big day as we prepare for the windfall expected from its digital counterpart.

5 Hot Retail Strategies in Play This Thanksgiving Weekend

Top retailers aren’t leaving anything up to chance. In one of the biggest pushes we’ve seen in years, retailers around the country are embracing interactive technology and social channels in a play to capture a greater share of consumer holiday spending. Read on to learn about five innovative strategies.

Grocers Use AI, Voice Tech to Manage ‘Black Wednesday’ Crowds

Beyond managing the Black Wednesday chaos with extra staffers and longer hours, a growing number of supermarkets are using technology to improve the shopping experience and turn rushed shoppers in loyal customers who will return again once the holidays are through.

Commentary

A New Political Campaign Methodology Connects Supporters With Localized Social Media

It’s self-evident that campaigns should be promoted at local levels, where word-of-mouth buzz can truly happen within neighborhoods. As the 2016 national election approaches, campaigns have the opportunity to harness local social more directly than ever before.

Why Online Marketplaces Will Continue to Beat Word-of-Mouth Platforms in the Battle for Local Business

People seek the opinions of their friends. They care what they think, and they trust them to make recommendations on everything from a good meal to a good mechanic. It’s word of mouth marketing — the most prized of its kind since the Stone Age. And its staying power undeniably supports the rationale for a […]

What Local Marketers Can Learn From the Trials of Google Plus

With Google’s recent announcement that Google Plus will be decoupled from YouTube and other services, industry watchers are predicting that this may be the beginning of the end for the social network. Here are a few lessons a local marketer might learn from the social network’s challenges.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Apple’s New Software, Facebook Hands Out Beacons

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… With New Software, Apple Looks to Bring Together Local Search and Commerce (Street Fight)… Facebook Is Handing Out Free Beacons to Retailers (Recode)… Google Capital-Backed Thumbtack Hit With Manual Action For Unnatural Links (Search Engine Land)…

Can Home Services Really Be Uber-ed?

Homeowners don’t “Uber” a $15,000 window replacement job. They don’t contract for a new sunroom on their mobile phone. And they don’t sign on for a $30,000 kitchen remodel without spending hours of real time with a designer and salesperson…

5 Ways Mobile Is Improving the In-Store Shopping Experience

Hyperlocal tech has the power to revolutionize the in-store shopping experience, but whether those changes ever come to fruition will depend largely on retailer adoption. Here are five examples of ways that hyperlocal technology is being utilized in stores right now…

Street Fight Daily: Groupon Buys Booking Site, Delivery Hero Nears IPO

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Groupon Acquires Beauty Salon And Spa Booking Startup (Chicago Business Journal)… Takeout Giant Delivery Hero Raises Another $110M at Over $3.1B Valuation Ahead of IPO (TechCrunch)… Google Misses Out on Apple’s Slice of Mobile Transactions (Wall Street Journal)…

Tomorrowland: How AOL’s Digital City Foreshadowed More Than the Future of Local

Creating and operating city guides for all major U.S. markets turned out to be something of a cover. What we were really doing was running a skunkworks project with few boundaries on creativity — where success or “failing-fast” were not the goals…

Openings and New Hires at Gannett, Vendasta, Instacart, Microsoft & HTC

Every two weeks, Kelly Benish — who knows practically everyone in hyperlocal — covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s edition, new jobs and hires at SocialCentiv, PageLaunch, Comporium and Thrive Analytics.

LBMA Podcast: Apple Acquires Metaio, Interview With Kontakt.io’s Trevor Longino

On the show: The contagious billboard; Ubimo and Autograph raise rounds; Carrefour’s 2.5km of LED location lights; XploR smart cane with facial recognition; AdNear and Roy Morgan partner; Shazam everything; Tweeting potholes; Sell advertising in your home windows…

Street Fight Daily: Facebook Rethinks Location, Yahoo Kills Maps

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Facebook Messenger Updates Location Sharing. Is Uber Integration Next? (Recode)… Yahoo Maps Hits A Dead End, Shutting Down End Of This Month (Search Engine Land)… Google Says It May Unverify Inactive Local Business Listings (Search Engine Land)…

Where Does Local Search Fit in a World of Apps?

Where is Google’s place in a world where the browser is no longer the front door? On the desktop, trillions of web pages compel an index and a friendly entry point. But an app-heavy mobile environment — already siloed into neat little buckets — doesn’t beg for a core search engine…

#SFSW15: At McDonald’s, Digital is about ‘Fun and Convenience’ — Not Branding

At Street Fight Summit West in San Francisco Tuesday, Julia Vander Ploeg, US VP Digital at McDonald’s, sat down with Street Fight’s COO David Hirschman to talk about how her digital team is weaving technology into the fabric of one of the world’s largest franchise brands…