Commentary
One Last Round of 2012 Predictions: Deals, Photo-Sharing, and Google Killers
In the coming year, the big names in mobile local usage (i.e. Yelp, Foursquare) will start to monetize their apps for the first time; U.S. mobile ad revenues will grow 50 percent over 2011, reaching $1.6 billion in 2012; and better targeting and personalization will replace deep discounts as the user “hook” for deals companies…
How Groupon Will Expand in 2012
As Groupon matures, its path will doubtless expand beyond its core product. Perhaps that’s why I have such a hard time keeping a straight face when people say that Groupon’s model for daily deals is fundamentally broken. It’s not. If anything, their second act has the potential to be even bigger than their first…
Latest Posts
Could Healthcare Be Local Tech’s Next Big Opportunity?
The botched launch of the Healthcare.gov has brought the healthcare industry — and its dysfunction — to center stage. But in the private sector, startups like ZocDoc and iCouch.me are quietly reinventing the ways patients are discovering and buying healthcare services locally, building a familar feature set that navigates the complex network of insurance companies, doctors and healthcare providers. Street Fight recently caught up with Sam Zebarjadi, Medicast’s co-founder and CEO, to find out more about how digital healthcare tools are being shaped for local markets…
6 Mobile Payment Solutions for Restaurants and Bars
When it comes to mobile payment processing, the restaurant industry is in a league of its own. Mobile platforms that are designed for a wide cross-section of businesses don’t always have the features that restaurants need, like menu integrations and add-on tipping tools. As restaurant owners look for ways to streamline the payment process and improve table turnover rates, an increasing number are utilizing mobile payment solutions built specifically for their industry…
Street Fight Daily: Square’s New Reader, Layoffs At Clinkle
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.… New Square Reader Offers Better Performance, Thinner Design (PCMag)… 6 Mobile Payment Solutions for Restaurants and Bars (Street Fight)… Uber’s CEO Hints That It Could Branch Out Into Other On-Demand Transport And Delivery Services (TheNextWeb)…
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…
6 Strategies For Helping SMBs Understand the Importance of Mobile
According to a Manta survey, 67% of small business owners don’t expect mobile to impact them this holiday season. Only 8% of the 1,003 SMBs surveyed said they expect mobile to drive shoppers to their brick-and-mortar locations. This presents a challenge for hyperlocal vendors looking to sell their mobile products and services, however it’s something that can be overcome through a combination of education and original thinking…
Street Fight Daily: Apple Expands iBeacon, The Hack That Saved Foursuare
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.… Apple Launching iBeacons To Guide Store Visitors (Associated Press)… The Brilliant Hack That Brought Foursquare Back From the Dead (Wired)… Twitter’s Dorsey Vies With SoftBank’s Son for Japan Shops (Bloomberg)…
Street Fight Daily: Foursquare’s Redesigned App, HomeJoy Raises $38M
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.… Foursquare 7.0 Brings Passive Location Technology To All (GigaOm)… Homejoy Raises $38M As It Looks To Expand Beyond Home Cleaning (TechCrunch)… EBay, PayPal Pinpoint Stores For Mobile Shopping (USA Today)…
New Borrell SMB Report: ‘The Deer Have the Guns’
The 903 small business owners surveyed in a new study from Borrell Associates said they expected to spend only 12% of their digital advertising budgets in 2013 on banner advertising, sponsorships, and classifieds. Meanwhile they expected to spend more than half of their marketing budgets on owned channels, investing heavily in managing their website (35%), running email marketing campaigns (13%), and social media (14)%.
The Road Ahead: What Autonomous Cars Teach Us About Marketing Automation