News and Analysis
BILI Social Partners with NHLAA
Social-media and commerce company BecauseILoveIt.com (BILI Social), has entered an exclusive three-year partnership with the NHL Alumni Association (NHLAA). The goal is to help brands tap into the communities of former professional athletes through revenue-sharing opportunities. Players can promote products through social media and earn commissions through BILI Social. Adrian Capobianco, Co-Founder and CEO of […]
Mother Nature + AI = MULO Sales, According to Zoomd
Sagi Weinberg, Sales Director of Zoomd, a digital marketing powerhouse, believes that many MULO (multi-location) retailers, restaurants, and service businesses are missing out on one key data point that can help them attract customers and sales. The answer lies in the skies — our weather! Whether brands are dealing with frigid or oven-like temps, snow […]
BUST: John Hunewill Performs an “Autopsy” on Forever 21
Forever 21 is one of the latest major MULO (multi-location) retailers to declare bankruptcy. A discount fashion brand, it was founded in 1984 and was heralded as one of the best discount fashion retailers. But “Forever” turned out to be a stretch. John Hunewill, Partner at Allen Austin, has spent nearly three decades in retail, […]
Commentary
Marketers, Time To Tame Your Data For Good
As marketers, you already know the value of data. It’s a powerful tool for any organization to understand its customers, guide its strategy, and make informed business decisions. But, just like any powerful tool, if you don’t tame your data, it will do more harm than good. The conversation around marketing data tends to focus […]
Career Moves: Craveworthy Brands, GM and Botify
In this biweekly roundup of career moves, we look at new faces at Craveworthy Brands, GM and Botify and more, anniversaries at Spectrio, Audigy and beyond and numerous opportunities at companies including Vendasta, Birdeye and Scorpion The one and only Lisa Crowder just made the move from AVP, Mobile Apps – Product Management & Development […]
BOOM: Hair Care for Men…Beyond Shaves and Haircuts
Hair care post-pandemic is a rapidly-growing multi-location (MULO) category. As we reported recently, the industry was up 17 percent in 2022 and is expected to hit $41B by 2026. Women still spend more on hair care than men. They invest an average of $228 yearly on haircuts and $24 per month on hair products versus […]
Latest Posts
More Evidence Online Advertising Finished Strong
When Tinuiti released its Digital Ads Benchmark Report for Q4 2023 on Jan. 25, the findings offered still more proof that the year finished strong, at least for online advertising. “While we did expect stronger growth in Q4 2023 as the ad market continues to recover from 2022, there were still questions heading into the […]
How Many Storefronts Do You Need? MULO Logic
The mattress company Purple became a huge success on Shopify when it first launched. It then expanded into retail locations. Last year, the company took a close look at its brick-and-mortar retail storefronts and saw that a third of its physical stores were struggling. Like many brick-and-mortar MULO (multi-location) businesses, expanding from online sales to retail […]
Online Retail Did Well in 2023
In hindsight, 2023 may not have been as gloomy an economic year as first thought. At least not for online retail in certain global regions. According to findings from data and insights company Consumer Edge, many online retailers and those in the pet products/services, discount/club stores, ground transportation, health products/services grocery and limited-service restaurants saw […]
BOOM: Mini Golf Goes Maxi
Even if you may never be a star on an international golf tour, you can beat your friends and family to a rousing game at indoor mini golf. Puttshack, which opened two mini golf locations in 2021 has rapidly grown to 11 nationally in: Nashville Boston Chicago Dallas Houston St. Louis Pittsburgh Miami Denver Scottsdale […]
This Channel Could be Bowling Brands Over
Move over, Ralph Kramden. Bowling is becoming one of the most popular activities in the United States. According to data released last year from Ipsos, it was among the most “played” sports in 2022. Right after Cornhole, which 20% of Americans played, bowling drew 19%. Swimming was third at 18%. Statista posits that about 45 […]
BOOM: The Skinny on FAT Brands
FAT Brands sends us regular news announcements about their growth, menu updates, and company strategies. We’re wowed by their speed of franchise innovation. We reached out to their executive team to get insights into the FAT philosophy and forward-looking path. As a MULO (multi-location) brand, they are clearly one of the gentle yet powerful giants. […]
Technology MULO Brands Need Today, According to RizePoint
Paul Damaren is the Chief Revenue Officer at RizePoint. The company develops technology for the restaurant, hospitality, retail, and processing industries. Although their tool suite helps these MULO brands with compliance, they are also designed to “help brands create a culture of excellence and ensure that every customer experience is as good (and safe) as […]
Beware the “Brobot?” The Women of AI
At CES (where AI was the buzzword this year), a group of women gathered to discuss the role of women in technology, and specifically in artificial intelligence. AI is already having an impact on all aspects of the MULO (multi-location) retail and restaurant ecosystem — from real-time analytics to inventory management and security. According to […]
An Infusion of Franchise Savvy from Dana Kupper of PrimeIV
Dana Kupper was inspired by her husband (a brand ambassador for PrimeIV since 2019) to become the owner/operator of an IV franchise. (She also has a corporate job at American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts.) We’ve written about the BOOM of the needle and how MULO (multi-location) businesses that provide health-related infusions are on the […]
Get in the Game: Jeff Michaels of Mobivity Talks Mobile Gaming
Mobivity is a provider of technology connecting mobile gaming audiences to real-world brands and products. While mobile gaming includes casual games (like Solitaire, Candy Crush, etc.), gamification traditionally means turning regular tasks into games to increase fun and enjoyment. Mobile gaming (Mobivity’s focus) has become an effective tool for customer acquisition and engagement. MULO (multi-location) […]
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