News and Analysis
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.
The Secret to Alibaba’s Singles Day Success? Brick-and-Mortar
We’ve all heard by now that Alibaba’s Singles Day—think of it as the Chinese Prime Day—shattered sales volume records, recording over $30 billion in revenue for Jack Ma’s retail giant. What you haven’t heard is that brick-and-mortar retail played a key role in that windfall.
Infographic: Cyber Monday Goes Mobile
Smartphones are gaining momentum as the preferred platform for Cyber Monday shoppers. Consumers have their smartphones with them everywhere they go, including work, making it essential for retailers to have a winning mobile marketing strategy.
Commentary
On-Demand Services: Lessons Learned From the Rise and Fall of Homejoy
The news that on-demand home cleaning service Homejoy is shutting down at the end of the month wasn’t a big surprise. Here are a few key lessons that stick out in thinking about the company’s trajectory.
Local Publishers: Take Back Control of Your Brand
The announcement of the Digital News Initiative partnership with Google is yet another step backwards for publishers. If they would just consider how they operated their own platforms before the 1990’s they will realize that Google, Facebook and other current tech platforms owe them nothing.
Local Tech Businesses Diversify to Serve a Wider Range of SMB Needs — But Do They Really Know Their Customers?
In the rush to diversify their offerings, single-product local tech companies either move horizontally (reaching out to all the markets that could remotely utilize their product) or, more often, vertically (seeking to cater to all the nuanced needs of a niche market).
Latest Posts
Local Media Consortium’s ‘Legacy’ Members Make Big Moves in Content and Revenue
The LMC recently agreed to two deals that will give the 1,600 digital operations of its 61 members more tools and better opportunities to assemble audiences that are bigger and more engaged and can be served up to advertisers in a variety of pick-and-choose consumer profiles…
Street Fight Daily: Tech ‘Bubble’ Speculation, Uber Looks to Go Driverless
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…
Overvalued in Silicon Valley, but Don’t Say ‘Tech Bubble’ (New York Times)…
Uber Hard at Work on Effort to Replace Drivers With Machines (Pando)… How Everyone Gets the ‘Sharing’ Economy Wrong (Wall Street Journal)…
Conference Notebook: As Brands Warm to Mobile, Conversations Turn to Cross-Device
“As a marketer, we want to hit people at the right time at the right place,” said Ajay Kapoor, head of brand function at Procter & Gamble. “But when I think of active versus passive understanding … mobile is great, but you have to be engaged.”
Openings and New Hires at Square, Google, Foursquare, Nextdoor and UpSnap
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 eLocal, Convirza, Web.com, Soleo, Gannett, and many more…
LBMA Podcast: SocialRadar’s LocationKit, Geoconquesting in Real Life
On the show: Fujitsu’s Ubiquitouswear; Domino’s order by tweeting an Emoji; Tunity App; JCDecaux punks Belgium Marketing Directors; Auto-cue’s car movie scenes re-enacted with augmented reality; The Doghouse Virtual Reality movie; ooVootique; Dunlopillo’s connected mattress…
Street Fight Daily: Amazon Adds Local Stores, Retail Beacons Still Have a Way to Go
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon Prime Now Adds Local Stores in Manhattan (TechCrunch)… Why Retail Beacons Still Have A Long Way To Go (ReadWrite)… PayPal’s Instant Checkout “One Touch” Now Works With Bigcommerce, No Longer Requires PayPal’s App (TechCrunch)
5 Remote Store Management Tools for Merchants
Using the latest in mobile and location-based technologies, merchants are beginning to look at real-time traffic patterns and other in-store data points to manage operations, merchandising, and marketing programs…
Why the Home Services Market Suddenly Exploded in Startup Land
Few things can be as tedious, time consuming and expensive as home improvement. Seattle’s Pro.com connects people with local home improvement professionals in a way that’s similar to ordering food or making dinner reservations…
Street Fight Daily: Handy Eyes Homejoy, Amazon Delivers From Local Stores
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Handy In Talks To Acquire Homejoy As Home Service Startups Consolidate (TechCrunch)… Amazon Now Delivers Food From Local Stores In Under One Hour As Prime Now Expands (GeekWire)… Mobilegeddon A Month Later: Small Business Study Shows…. Nothing Happened (Search Engine Land)…
Delivery.com CEO: Google’s Entry Into Food Ordering Was a Matter of When — Not If
Street Fight recently caught up with Jed Kleckner, chief executive at Delivery.com, to talk about Google’s recent moves and handicap which of the other big tech companies may be interested in food delivery (hint: Amazon.)
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Reviews Are Now a Growth System for Multi-Location Brands