News and Analysis
A View From the Stage: 10 Takeaways from StreetFight LIVE
I had the pleasure of chairing the re-boot of StreetFight LIVE, the first gathering of its kind since 2018. StreetFight Live events are back! And, as one of our panels reinforced, people today are looking for inspiring, fun, and memorable experiences that engage them and keep them coming back. More than 30 professionals — across […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 3: Mike Debnar Predicts the Spending Future
As we continue with our Holiday 2024 trends and forecast countdown, we asked Mike Debnar what stars will be shining bright this season. Debnar is the VP Retail Executive Advisor at Medallia. He focuses on creating innovative customer experience programs for brands utilizing his extensive background in CRM and CX. Mike holds a degree in management information […]
Will the Election Affect Holiday Shopping?
Presidential election years tend to boost holiday-season spending, regardless of who wins the most votes, according to Experian plc, a global data analytics and consumer credit reporting company. Experian has released its 2024 Holiday Spending Trends and Insights report, and with it, the launch of contextually-Indexed Audiences. Advertisers can use this new offering to blend […]
Latest Posts
Report: Gen Z Welcomes Ad Tracking
When Gen Z goes on a voyage of product discovery, they usually do so via social media, and boy, do they like to be tracked—much more so than their older cohorts. According to findings released today and titled, “From A to (Gen) Z: How and Where Young Consumers Are Shopping,” by Tinuiti, the largest independent performance […]
Basis Announces FreeWheel Partnership to Democratize CTV Advertising
As more TV watchers cut the cord and shift to streaming services, connected TV advertising is seeing a surge in popularity. CTV advertising spend hit a record-breaking $1 billion in June, and now more programmatic firms are looking at partnerships with companies specializing in CTV as a hedge against the evolving landscape. Just this week, […]
Intango Grows U.S. Footprint with REIGNN Acquisition
Intango is a contextual and search advertising technology company that designs and executes tailored marketing and monetization solutions. Despite being in business for more than a decade, and working with some of the world’s largest brands, the Tel Aviv-based company has managed to fly under the radar in the U.S. market — until now. As […]
Report: 74% of Businesses Interested in Using AI and Automation
Was the last email newsletter from your favorite jewelry boutique generated by AI? What about the Facebook and Instagram posts from your local coffee shop? Years after big brands first started using AI and marketing automation to generate better ROI from their digital campaigns, small and mid-size businesses have finally jumped on board en masse. […]
Back-to-School 2023 by the Numbers
Although Halloween treats are already appearing on MULO (multi-location) retail shelves, let’s not forget that back-to-school shopping is still in season. Depending on where in the U.S. they live, students can return to academics as early as July these days. Although many schools still start after Labor Day, summer vacation ends early in many regions. […]
The ‘Last Mile’ Looms Large as Q4 approaches
As much as everyone loves Amazon, we must admit, they ruined it for other businesses in terms of raising customer expectations, particularly when it comes to the last mile. Amazon Prime. Next day. Same day. Drones. Amazon does it all, and other shipping providers have had to meet those standards to stay competitive. AxleHire, a […]
Forecasting Frenzy: Inside the Strategies Retailers Are Using to Predict Holiday Trends in 2023
Holiday forecasting is presenting a challenge for retailers in 2023, with multiple layers of economic uncertainty. After years of supply chain woes and logistics challenges, followed by a 2022 holiday season marked by the effects of inflation, retailers are looking at the 2023 holidays as an intricate puzzle. Behind the scenes, many retail executives say […]
It’s Time to Plan for Data Signal Sustainability
If you’re a publisher or advertiser, and especially if you’re operating in the mobile space, you’re probably getting a little tired of being told about new forthcoming privacy changes that are sure to upend your monetization and marketing plans. The simple fact is that change is the only constant in today’s digital landscape; if you’re […]
Audio Advertisers Sidestep Privacy Issues by Targeting Segments, Rather Than Individuals
One of the oldest broadcasting mediums is finding new life in the digital era — and advertisers are taking notice. More than a hundred years after the voices of radio personalities like Orson Welles became household names, and decades after transistor radios made audio content portable and widely-accessible for the first time, audio news is […]
Shuttered Forever or Transformed? 12 Storefront Businesses That Went Poof!
Is this about nostalgia or a MULO (multi-location) business lesson? Probably a bit of both. In our ongoing BOOM and BUST series, we talk about MULO retailers, restaurants, and service businesses that declared bankruptcy or became obsolete because of management issues or blindness to consumer trends and technologies. Let’s walk down memory lane and reflect […]
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