News and Analysis

Amazon Rolls Out Free Whole Foods Deliveries for Prime Members in San Francisco & Atlanta

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Further encroaching on one of hyperlocal’s oldest verticals, Amazon sent shivers down the spines of grocers in San Francisco and Atlanta on Tuesday, announcing it would begin delivering Whole Foods orders for free to Prime members in those cities.

SMB Index: Local Stocks Take a Hit in February

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In a turbulent February, which saw stocks give back gains from January over 2 days (Feb 7–9), the SCP SMB Index retreated 2% during the month.

SMB OS Operators, Part I: Upserve

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The first in our series of interviews on SMB OS is Upserve founder and CEO Angus Davis. Formerly Swipely, UpServe had been living out the principles of SMB OS long before we started calling it that.

Commentary

History’s 3 Hints for the Future of Daily Deals

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The CEO of Tippr thinks Groupon’s success will legitimize the daily industry, encourage other players to stay in the game, and open an opportunity for a top deal commerce technology provider to take the market lead…

What Publishing History Tells Us About Sustainable Hyperlocal News

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The consistent market opportunity to provide relevant information at a community level dates back thousands of years, and it grows with each technological innovation. Yes, the tools have changed, but with each level of innovation a feasible business opportunity exists…

The Environmental Upside of Hyperlocal E-Commerce

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Operators of hyperlocal e-commerce platforms provide small businesses an online distribution channel so consumers can shop locally and reduce the carbon footprint of what they consume…

Latest Posts

What Programmatic Buying Means for the Small Business Market

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Search has dominated digital spend for years, overshadowing a display market that has struggled to overcome surging inventory and lackluster targeting capabilities. But that’s starting to change. Street Fight caught up with Acquisio co-founder Marc Poirier to discuss how the growth of programmatic buying, and the emergence of Facebook Exchange, may make the display market more appealing for small businesses in the coming years…

Street Fight Daily: Yext Launches Pages, Square Buys Photo App

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.Square Buys Photo-Sharing App Viewfinder (PCMag)… Newly Internationalized Yext Launches “Pages” To Help Businesses Sync Their Website Data (TechCrunch)… RetailNext Buys Eric Schmidt-backed Nearbuy Systems (Silicon Valley Business Journal)

Bezos Might Get His Delivery Drones Sooner Than You’d Think

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If Amazon really wanted to get unmanned delivery aircraft into our skies by the end of the decade, maybe Jeff Bezos could set up a series of challenges, working with DARPA. They could perhaps use U. S. government facilities like simulated urban environments on bases as contest venues. The FAA could chip in with providing specific guidance on how to make drones urban airspace legal for commercial purposes. Bezos could underwrite the contest. All IP created would remain the property of the participants…

What Local Causes and Businesses Can Learn From #GivingTuesday

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Building the advocate network for #GivingTuesday simply entails authorizing and amplifying the social media feeds of #GivingTuesday partners, who were receptive, and often enthusiastic to act as local voices for the movement. The same methodology would be used to develop advocate networks for any cause, by providing a simple means to give local influencers and organizations a way to reach their constituents…

Street Fight Daily: Applebee’s Serves Tablets, Digital Wallets Still Lackluster

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.Applebee’s To Serve Tablets At Every Table (USA Today)… Many Consumers Aware Of Digital Wallets, Fewer Use Option (Media Post)… Main Street Sees $5.7B In Sales On ‘Small Business Saturday’ (New York Post)…

As Digital Ascends, Is Legacy Media Becoming a ‘Sinkhole’ for Marketers?

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One of the most insightful studies released this year by Boston Consulting Group found that the 23 million small businesses in the U.S. allocate only 3% of their advertising spend to digital. Larger companies spend more, but digital still comprises only 15% of their marketing budgets. Meanwhile, it’s clear that the effectiveness of digital media has surpassed that of legacy — and it’s no longer even close. So marketers are spending the vast majority of their budgets on media that consumers are no longer engaging with…

10 Strategies for Choosing the Right Loyalty Incentives

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Although there are no right and wrong answers when it comes to structuring rewards in a loyalty program, there are some overarching guidelines that merchants should follow to ensure their programs remain profitable. Here are 10 tips from experts in the space on how merchants can ensure they aren’t giving away too much (or too little) in their loyalty programs…

Street Fight Daily: Amazon’s Drone Delivery, Online And Offline Retail Face Off

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.Amazon’s Drones for Deliveries (Wall Street Journal)… Online and Offline Stores Duke It Out This Week (New York Times)… Cyber Mundane: Why Online Shopping Is Overhyped, And What Brands Should Focus On Instead (TheNextWeb)…

Will ‘Indie’ Hyperlocals Go for National Marketers’ Goodies?

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Most publishers of independent hyperlocal news sites steer clear of national ads. They think messages from national brands can be a jarring presence on a page with neighborhood news or ads for the local yoga center and pizza parlor. They also don’t like the low rates that have often come with national ads. But fast-developing changes in national digital ad marketing have buyers dangling premium rates for high-value placements…

#SFSNYC VIDEO: The Next Billion-Dollar Exit in Hyperlocal

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With Google’s acquisition of Waze earlier this year, local tech is back in the limelight. During a panel at Street Fight Summit in New York last month, Matt Turck of First Mark Capital, Ben Siscovick of IA Ventures, and Jason Klein from OnGrid Ventures discussed where the best investing opportunities are these days in the local…