News and Analysis

5 ‘Smart’ Shelf Solutions for Retailers

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So-called “smart” shelves are changing the way retailers interact with customers on the sales floor and offering added value to consumer-facing store apps. Here are five examples of smart shelving technologies being used by retailers right now.

SMB OS Operators: Part II: Slice

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Having raised $15 million in funding just last year, Slice is a prime example of what we call SMB OS operators: companies helping SMBs compete in today’s digital economy with a full suite of solutions beyond core advertising and marketing.

Street Fight Daily: Google Monetizes Product Searches, Amazon’s Next Whole Foods Move

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Partners with Retail Giants to Monetize Online Product Searches… Amazon Accidentally Revealed Its Next Plan for Whole Foods in a Job Posting… 10% Own an AI Device, 32% Plan to Get One, 58% Don’t Want Any…

Commentary

Getting Location Analytics Up to Speed for the Mobile Ad Revolution

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The inability to apply value to the key differentiator of mobile (location) is part of the reason why mobile CPMs are still at 20% of desktop CPMs. It’s critical that media buyers push mobile inventory sources to provide location analytics that enable them to make buying decisions based on the unique features associated with mobile…

How Mobile Is Transforming Local Marketing

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By using mobile-location data and predictive analytics, advertisers can reach users with deals based upon where they work, live and socialize. If a relevant ad is delivered and the transaction can be completed in one-or-two clicks, mobile advertising will provide what local merchants are willing to pay for – real sales results…

Ex-Patch EIC: Journatic Illustrates Cost/Quality Issue in Hyperlocal

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If I were to prescribe Journatic a fix for this recent ailment (beyond, you know, not faking bylines anymore), it would be to show a real investment in journalism, in all senses of that word. We get that you’re “-atic” — cost savvy and operationally slick. How bout showing everyone you can also be “Journo”, and slow down and do some meaningful work? It might be money well spent…

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Yahoo Reportedly Eyes Local, Apple CEO Fuels Rumors

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.
Buy AOL? A More Likely Scenario for Yahoo’s Mayer Is a Big Local Search Acquisition to Spur Growth. (Recode)… CEO Tim Cook Says Touch ID Was Part Of Apple’s Thinking Around Mobile Payments (TechCrunch)… Uber Sued Over Death of 6-Year-Old on San Francisco Street (Businessweek)…

What Obama’s 2012 Election Can Tell Us About Using Data to Build Communities

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The campaign’s technology team, comprised mostly of political newcomers, used data analytics to rethink the way television ads were bought, and where its army of volunteers were sent. One of the big breakthroughs, says Carol Davidsen, was in using data to navigate the twisted world of local television, finding audiences in unsuspecting — and often far less expensive — places…

6 Strategies to Encourage SMBs to Offer Same-Day Delivery

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Small businesses account for 54% of all sales in the U.S., and unlike their big box competitors, many SMBs don’t already have existing shipping networks or points of distribution. Here are six strategies for how same-day delivery vendors can successfully encourage local merchants to become a part of their programs…

Street Fight Daily: Apple Preps Mobile Payments, Starbucks Readies Order Ahead

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.Apple Pushes Deeper Into Mobile Payments (Wall Street Journal)… Starbucks is Getting Ready to Let You Order Coffee Before You Get to the Store (Quartz)… Care.com, The ‘Amazon Of Caregiving Services’ Popped 43% On Its IPO Day (Business Insider)…

How Patch’s New Owners Can Reverse Its Fortunes

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Patch doesn’t have to wind up in the “bone yard.” I believe the hyperlocal network recently unloaded by Aol can, within five years, be a seriously profitable venture. It will happen if the company’s new owners, Hale Global, go all out for engagement-worthy community journalism that’s responsibly budgeted. And it will happen if they adopt a revenue strategy that’s responsive to fast-evolving trends in ad spending…

LBMA Podcast: Nest Takes the Cash, WillCall Pays Your Tab

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On the show: Juice Mobile acquired Gauge Mobile; WillCall adds your bar tab at the club. Our mobile minute with Chuck Martin highlights the NFC-TV from NRF. And our special guest is Paul Madsen of Ping Identity, talking about the Internet of Things…

Street Fight Daily: Stripe’s Big Round, Rabois Resigns From Yelp’s Board

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.Stripe Bolsters its Mobile Payments Cred With $80M Funding Round (GigaOm)… Icahn Says He Is Prepared for eBay Proxy Fight (Wall Street Journal)… Keith Rabois Resigns From Yelp’s Board (Recode)…

Why Ecommerce Companies Are Eyeing Brick-and-Mortar Retail

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Over the past year, a string of ecommerce firms have invested in brick-and-mortar locations in an attempt to cash in on local markets that still account for over 90% of retail spending in the U.S. Manish Chandra, the founder the online fashion marketplace Poshmark, says physical locations will play an important part in ecommerce strategies moving forward…

5 Hyperlocal Scheduling Platforms for the Healthcare Industry

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Hyperlocal vendors are changing the way consumers navigate the healthcare industry, offering tools for finding local providers who are covered by specific insurance plans. Not only do these platforms benefit patients by providing a streamlined way to secure appointments with qualified local physicians, but they also benefit healthcare professionals by filling empty appointment slots and decreasing the percentage of no-show patients…

Street Fight Daily: Icahn Calls For PayPal Split, Groupon Boosts Hotel Product

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.Could Square be Collateral Damage in Carl Icahn’s War on Ebay? (Quartz)… Groupon Adds 20,000 Properties To Its Hotel Feature (Skift)… Tokyo Launches Cab-Calling Mobile App (Wall Street Journal)…