News and Analysis
Big Brands, Local Perspectives: Tommy Bahama
CEO of Tommy Bahama Doug Wood cites systems that don’t talk to or easily integrate with one another as his company’s biggest technological challenge right now. The company, like many multi-store retailers, is investing in and focusing on tying its brick-and-mortar and online businesses together.
Commentary
How SMBs Can Take Advantage of Apple’s Passbook
Apple’s most recent app innovation, Passbook, allows users to aggregate coupons, gift card information, special offers and purchased deals in one convenient location. The app’s promise to drive retail business is so strong that more than 40 major brands and retailers including Macy’s, Barnes & Noble, LivingSocial, Fandango, and Starbucks have either launched or integrated their app with Passbook. But how can local businesses use this new marketing tool?
How Important Is an Exit Strategy for Hyperlocal News Startups?
“I don’t know a single startup business outside the indie news space that doesn’t articulate its exit strategy up front,” said Rusty Coats, who has created curricula for community news trainings in the Block by Block and Investigative News Network (INN) communities. “That sets the path for growth and helps set benchmarks for success.”
Can Businesses Use Hyperlocal to Leverage Customers’ Politics?
There has been significant coverage about the differences in Democrats and Republicans, but to date there hasn’t been any analysis on real world activities associated with political affiliation. From grocery stores to restaurants, from retailers to gas stations, voting Democrat or Republican plays a part in which establishments we step foot in and which ones we don’t…
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Amazon Tests Local Commerce, GrubHub Raises Pricing
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Report: Amazon to Expand Into Real-World Payments With New Amazon Local Commerce Business(Fierce Wireless)… GrubHub IPO Pricing Tops Estimate(Bloomberg)… Online Services Go Offline in China(Wall Street Journal)…
Case Study: Heineken Uses Foursquare Partnership to Reach Target Demo
Size matters for Heineken, which is why the global beverage brand took a close look at Foursquare’s 40 million users and 3.6 million check-ins at bars, restaurants, and nightlife venues when deciding whether to partner with the vendor on its 2014 mobile campaign. “As a brand, we are always investigating new and innovative ways to bring our programs to life,” Heineken brand manager Bram Reukers told Street Fight…
Alternative Press Expands Hyperlocal Network Into Suburban Philly
Mike Shapiro began his hyperlocal news network The Alternative Press in three suburban New Jersey communities — including his hometown of New Providence — in 2008. TAP has now expanded to 30 communities in the state and Shapiro has decided to cross over into Pennsylvania with a site in Lower Providence, in suburban Philadelphia’s Montgomery County….
Street Fight Daily: Just Eat Orders IPO, Lyft Raises $250M
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Just Eat Joins Parade of London Tech IPOs, with $2.44-Billion Market Cap (Wall Street Journal)… Lyft Raises $250 Million From Alibaba, Third Point and Others( New York Times)… Jim Brady will leave Digital First Media(Poynter)…
Walmart.com VP: For Consumers, The Digital Divide Does Not Exist
In the war to win the digital consumer, Walmart is betting that an all-of-the-above strategy will win out. During a speech at AdAge Digital in New York Tuesday, Brian Monahan, vice president of marketing at Walmart.com, said that world’s largest retailer remained committed to its brick-and-mortar stores and is focused on using technology to bridge the company’s digital and physical assets…
Street Fight Daily: Digital First’s Thunderdome Implodes, Mobile Payments Heats Up (Again)
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… The Newsonomics of Digital First Media’s Thunderdome Implosion (And Coming Sale) (Nieman Journalism Lab)… Tech Titans Are Vying to Be Your Pocketbook (New York Times)… TaskRabbit For Business Service Portal Quietly Disappears (TechCrunch)…
Hyperlocal Retail ROI: Identifying Low-Hanging Business Objectives
Understanding where, when, and why consumers visit a location is invaluable data when it comes to driving sales and improving customer experience. Identifying the most valuable metrics amongst the vast data that can be generated with indoor analytics is often an overlooked, but critical first step in implementing these solutions…
5 Platforms to Send Consumers Visit-Triggered Mobile Surveys
The customer satisfaction surveys that most people are used to seeing on tabletops and cash wraps are undergoing an upgrade as hyperlocal vendors add location-based features to aid in the data collection process. “Intercept-style” surveys can be sent to customers at key moments in the purchasing process, like when they arrive at a store or after they’ve made a purchase…
Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels