News and Analysis
Why Commercial Banks Are Turning to Proximity Technology
That location intelligence firms are able to use foot traffic patterns to predict the financial performance of businesses is nothing new. But a new report released shines a light on the ways commercial banks and investment companies are upping the ante by using location data to get the most out of the market.
How Thanksgiving Day Store Closures Impact Black Friday Sales
Shoppers say they don’t want retailers opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day, but research from Foursquare tells a different story. Analyzing proprietary foot traffic data at major retailers, Foursquare found that stores that open earlier on Thanksgiving Day drive more visits and steal share from their competitors.
Latest Posts
Upcoming Webinar Puts Spotlight on SMB Adoption of Mobile
It’s no secret that SMBs lag behind all marketers in digital adoption. But the mobile chasm between consumers and these businesses is staggering: 10% of media consumption is spent on mobile; while just 1% of marketers’ budgets are dedicated to that platform. An upcoming webinar will discuss SMB optimization on mobile for business owners and marketing services professionals alike.
How Long Will Local Web Video Be Held Hostage by the ’30-Second Spot’?
The 30-second spot will be the ruin of those in local media who shift this old television workhorse to the Web. Local media companies rarely run anything less than 30 seconds, because that’s what advertisers want to buy, but this is a grave error — it spits in the face of the one who has clicked through to watch a short video…
How Marketers Can Help Merchants and Consumers Win With Local Search
For the sake of local businesses and local searchers, marketers need to come to the rescue. vSplash estimates that there is a $3.2 billion opportunity for local marketers to help clean up local search and help local businesses with their digital marketing efforts. And in that number there is some low-hanging fruit — especially for marketers that already have a foothold in local markets…
Street Fight Daily: Square Unveils New Hardware, PayPal Offers Cash for Registers
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.… Square Unveils Hardware for iPad Registers (New York Times)… PayPal’s Cash For Registers Tries To Outdo Square And Groupon With Its Own Bid To Rule The Register (TechCrunch)… Facebook, Waze at Odds Over Liquidation (Business Insider)…
Facebook, Waze and the Falling Cost of Mapping Technology
A lot of digital ink has been spilled about why Facebook would want to snap up Waze — namely, the company’s 40 million mobile users. But the discussions also verify the once-unthinkable reality that a startup could scale a navigation and mapping service into a billion-dollar business in five years. A number of technological trends have set the stage for Waze and other mapping and navigation startups to compete. Here’s a look at a few of them…
8 Reputation Management Platforms for Merchants
As customer review sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and TripAdvisor proliferate, reputation management platforms are becoming an increasingly important tool in the local merchant’s arsenal. Nearly a quarter of small businesses now monitor their online reputations, according to BIA/Kelsey. Here are eight platforms that each tackle online reputation management in a slightly different way…
New Report Examines Hyperlocal Targeting on Mobile
With 133.7 million consumers, a full 52.5% of the U.S. population, owning a smartphone, it’s safe to say that the mobile platform is here to stay and growing. In a new report from Street Fight Insights, we survey the burgeoning industry of vendors that target individuals based on where they are, taking a deep dive into the technologies and strategies available for marketers…
6 Strategies for Building a Local Online Marketplace
Local marketplaces are notoriously difficult to build, and yet the rewards are significant for publishers who are successful. When done right, local marketplaces can create additional streams of revenue, and they can serve as page-view generators for the hyperlocal news sites they’re associated with. We spoke with several folks who have built marketplace products for local to get some insight…
‘Enhanced’ Local Listings Could Be Even More Important on Mobile
Enhanced listing services appeal to many SMBs and local brands because they are a holistic advertising medium that goes beyond the basic banner or text ad — not only do they stand out against free listings and hold the user’s attention, but they also drive conversion and social interaction at higher rates. But most sites currently lack unique enhanced listing features specific to mobile…
AI Is Changing Customer Discovery Forever. Who Wins?