News and Analysis
Hard Data on the Choices that Make or Break Loyalty Programs
A new report from loyalty marketing firm Kobie Marketing provides cutting-edge insight on the habits and preferences of consumers vis-à-vis the loyalty programs brands are trotting out to capture customers’ attention at a time when retail giants with vast digital resources loom large. We have the highlights.
Commentary
Yext’s New ‘Pages’ and the Future of One-Stop Solutions for Small Businesses
The first large-scale technology company that can service small businesses in all of the following four industries will have the best opportunity to be the next leading hyperlocal superstar: 1) Website building, 2) email/loyalty marketing, 3) hyperlocal technology and 4) Online advertising, promotion and deal solutions…
As Digital Ascends, Is Legacy Media Becoming a ‘Sinkhole’ for Marketers?
One of the most insightful studies released this year by Boston Consulting Group found that the 23 million small businesses in the U.S. allocate only 3% of their advertising spend to digital. Larger companies spend more, but digital still comprises only 15% of their marketing budgets. Meanwhile, it’s clear that the effectiveness of digital media has surpassed that of legacy — and it’s no longer even close. So marketers are spending the vast majority of their budgets on media that consumers are no longer engaging with…
Latest Posts
In Frozen Yogurt Wars, A Battle for Digital Domination
In a new regular series, a deep-dive analysis of local presence pits Yogurtland against rival Pinkberry, finding that Yogurtland outperformed its smaller counterpart across Google, Facebook, Foursquare and a number of other local search sites. The study shows that Pinkberry has done slightly better on social media, but still struggles among some of the more fundamental elements of local search and discovery…
Mobile Payments Still Facing the Same Big Obstacles
This year has been a turning point in mobile payments, as Square, Paypal, along with Apple and others like SoftCard (formerly ISIS) have all made strides in their digital payment offerings. But three years after starting a now-defunct mobile payments company, I’ve identified three big reasons why we will not be paying with our phone in everyday retail stores for a long time to come…
5 Geo-Location Tools for Social Media Posts
As social media usage takes off among SMBs, geo-location is an increasingly relevant topic. When businesses listen primarily to the opinions of consumers in their direct marketing areas, they’re better able to streamline their listening strategies and optimize their social media marketing programs. Here are five tools that businesses can use to geo-target their social media strategies…
Street Fight Daily: LivingSocial Losses Grow, Yelp’s European Push
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… LivingSocial Losses Grow To $32M In Third Quarter (Washington Business Journal)… Yelp’s European Push Continues As It Snaps Up French Review Site Cityvox (TechCrunch)… Apple Pay Registered One Million Credit Cards in First 72 Hours (Recode)…
Street Fight Daily: Retailers Disable Apple Pay, Yelp Buys German Competitor
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Apple Pay Is Disabled by Rite Aid and CVS as a Rival Makes Plans (New York Times)… Yelp Buys Restaurant-Kritik To Expand Its Presence In Germany (TechCrunch)… Why NFC In The iPad Air 2 Is A Big Deal For Small Businesses (GigaOm)…
The Power of Visual Appeal in Local Search
Images are more compelling to the average user than any other medium of communication. Though users may visit local search sites and apps with the conscious intent of seeking out text-based information such as phone numbers, hours, and addresses, visual content encountered along the way may have a greater influence than textual information on deciding which businesses to visit…
In New App Marketplace, Signs of the Square’s Future
The company launched its Square App Marketplace yesterday to allow third-parties to develop applications that integrate directly into its point-of-sale product. The move marks an important step in Square’s evolution as it shifts focus from consumer-facing payments to an arguably much larger business software market…
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