News and Analysis
The Future of Advertising in an Autonomous Vehicle Landscape
When autonomous vehicles begin to replace traditional cars, the local business advertising market will shift alongside. But SMB advertising might not actually look dramatically different than it does today; instead, today’s location-based, personalized marketing will reach new customizable extremes.
As Boomers Warm to Mobile, Brands Look to Capitalize
Millennials have been shopping on their smartphones for years, but a shift toward mobile-direct shopping among consumers in the boomer generation is creating excitement for retailers and brand marketers this holiday season.
Innovation Pays Off for Nation’s Biggest Retailer
Walmart posted strong sales in Q3, suggesting that its determination to compete with Amazon by investing in cutting-edge, tech-driven approaches to retail is paying dividends. Read on for some of the top trends Walmart is capitalizing on.
Commentary
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.
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.
The Future of Retail: ‘In-Store Mode’ and In-Aisle Payments
Wouldn’t it stand to reason that higher receptivity to promotional messaging comes when consumers are truly in buying mode. And wouldn’t the probability of that mode be greatest when someone is in-store, as opposed to browsing Instagram on their couch?
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: New Google Search Ads, Pinterest Adds Buy Button
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Search Ads Get A Lot Sexier With Sharp, Gorgeous Photos (Mashable)… Pinterest Launches the Buy Button (Recode)… Instagram to Open Its Photo Feed to Ads (New York Times)…
#SFSW15: How Partnerships are Driving the Next Generation of Delivery
During a session at Street Fight Summit West in San Francisco Tuesday, executives from grocery ordering firm Instacart, food delivery startup DoorDash, and local logistics play Postmates came together to discuss the future of delivery.
#SFSW15: Inside the Local Services Land Grab
The local service industry has exploded in recent years as investors pour billion into companies creating new ways for consumer to transact with plumbers, painters and other service professionals. But even today, service professionals still rely mostly on word of mouth to find leads and get new jobs.
#SFSW15: How Pinterest, Twitter and Nextdoor Think About SMBs
A new generation of social media giants are betting big on Main Street. During the morning session of Street Fight Summit West in San Francisco, representatives from Twitter, Pinterest, and Nextdoor discussed programs designed to engage small businesses within local communities for future generations of the web.
Why Cross-Device Matching Will Transform the Mobile Advertising Industry
Soon, the mobile ad industry will face one of the realities of maturity: integrating with the rest of the digital advertising world. One of the drivers leading that convergence is cross-device matching where a company can identify multiple devices own by a single person.
Street Fight Daily: Facebook Replaces Local TV, Small Retailers Ignore Search
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Pew Study: When It Comes to Political News, Facebook has Become Local TV for Millennials (Nieman Lab)… SMB Retailers Love Digital Media, But Have Disconnects With Paid Search (MediaPost)… Urbanspoon Folds Into Zomato Following Acquisition (TechCrunch)…
With New ‘Deep Linking’ Integration, You Can Now Order an Uber via Foursquare
Local recommendations platform Foursquare is debuting a fresh set of these so-called “deep links,” with an integration through smart-connection platform Button that will allow users that develop intent to visit a nearby venue to seamlessly order an Uber cab to take them there…
How to Assess Demand for a Hyperlocal Platform
Here are five examples of ways that hyperlocal vendors have assessed demand for their products or services and used that information to better refine the platforms they developed…
Street Fight Daily: Apple’s Mystery Mapping Vans, Google’s Other Payment Play
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Mystery Solved: Apple Vans gathering Next-Gen Maps Data, Grabbing Street View Storefronts and 3D images (9to5 Mac)… Google’s Other Mobile Payments Service: Hands Free at McDonald’s (Wall Street Journal)… Dave Morin Sells Path’s Social Networking And Messaging Services To Prevent The Rest Of The Path Ship From Sinking (Pando)…
Studies Find More SMBs Want to Manage Their Own Social Media
There is compelling evidence that SMBs’ understanding and aptitude for social media is growing. More importantly, it seems that a significant number of SMBs want and may be ready to take the reins of their social media marketing.
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