News and Analysis
MULO Brands With Soul August Pick: Sheetz
C-stores are a MULO (multi-location) brand category that often doesn’t get enough attention. Also known as convenience stores, the industry encompasses roadside retailers and neighborhood chains that we frequently rely on for last-minute grocery purchases, emergency items, and snacks/beverages. Given the transactional nature of these businesses, we don’t often consider them to have a “culture.” But Sheetz […]
Ad Costs and Spending are Both on the Rise, According to Skai Study
Omnichannel advertising platform Skai recently published its Q2 2024 Digital Marketing Quarterly Trends Report. It reveals topline growth numbers in retail media, paid search, and paid social were all positive, maintaining similar levels to those reported by Skai last quarter. The analysis found that advertisers paid more for clicks and impressions in Q2 2024, but […]
Commentary
Location-Based Marketing Association: Panera Bread Tests CarPlay in the Drive-Thru
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers REVLAB Technology rolling out its Campus Safe panic button, the Minnesota Twins partnering with ARound for virtual experiences, Panera Bread testing CarPlay in the drive-thru, and Cerence launching a new solution to make any car smart.
Latest Posts
BOOM: Multi-location Target from 1902 to the Future
We have no shortage of companies that go BUST. Just in the past few days, we covered the demise of Bed Bath & Beyond and Jenny Craig. The failure of multi-location brands cannot be attributed just to digital options, consumer trend shifts, and bad hires or financial bets. More complex factors seem to go into […]
Survey – Consumer Buying Behavior Heavily Influenced by In-Store Digital Ads
Is the digitization of physical stores the next mega-trend in retail? That’s certainly the hope of Cooler Screens, the software technology company that powers in-store digital media and merchandising for retail. On the heels of an Insider Intelligence report showing that in-store retail media audiences are an average of 70% larger than digital audiences […]
Sleep on This! Mattress Firm sells for $4B
In a cash ($2.7B) and stock ($1.3B) transaction, Tempur Sealy International, Inc. just bought Mattress Firm, the largest multi-location retailer in the U.S. Despite massive changes in the sleep category, Mattress Firm still operates 2,300 brick-and-mortar locations in the U.S. According to a press statement, “[The acquisition will result in] 3,000 retail stores, 30 e-commerce […]
Adobe Survey: 53% of SMBs Plan to Revamp Websites in 2023
Digital marketing can provide small businesses with access to desirable buyers, and potentially level the playing field with larger competitors — but it comes at a price. The average small business spends 8% of its total revenue on marketing, which means that for every $100 in revenue the business brings in, $8 goes right back […]
Brick & Mortar vs Flesh & Blood: An Interview with Ryan Serhant
Even if you’ve never seen “Million Dollar Listing,” you should know who Ryan Serhant is, especially if you’re involved with a multi-location brand. Serhant is the high-energy and visionary media personality successfully breaking almost every real estate marketing and sales rule. Serhant launched his brokerage company (called SERHANT, of course) in 2020. The company now […]
4 Ways Brand Marketers Should Harness ChatGPT — Or Risk Being Left Behind
Generative AI has taken the world of marketing, advertising, and technology by storm. In industries where speed and accuracy are essential, brand marketers are finding creative ways to use tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard to interact with consumers in conversational dialogue and personalize messaging at scale. According to a recent survey by Chief […]
How Retailers Can Improve Inventory Management in Real Time
Among other things, SymphonyAI is a SaaS company that enables retailers and convenience stores to see through the eyes of the customer regarding in-store products on shelves and improve inventory management. Using image capture from employee mobile devices, whether mobile phones, tablets, shelf cameras, ceiling cameras, or robots, both retailers and CPG companies use SymphonyAI’s […]
BUST: Walk-In Weight Loss Jenny Craig Trims Down (and Disappears?)
Jenny Craig once had more than 600 locations and nearly $500M in revenue. But, like many industries, digital communications have been part of its downfall. The company announced this week that, after 40 years, they are shuttering all their locations. What are the factors that precipitated the massive change? New solutions for weight loss are […]
Data Waste Is Putting Retail Loyalty at Risk — Here’s Why
Retail marketers are grappling with plenty of challenges in 2023. Data waste isn’t one of them. For most marketers, data wastage is at the bottom of the list in terms of global importance, far below issues like evolving privacy regulations and the looming death of third-party cookies. Treasure Data’s Zack Wenthe thinks that’s a mistake. […]
Consumers Continue to Spend with Department Store Brands
When Commerce Signals, a TransUnion company that provides credit and debit card insights for retail, restaurants, and entertainment, discovered that department store brands TJ Maxx, Kohls, Nordstrom, and Bergdorf Goodman took market share from the likes of Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, and Saks, Nick Mangiapane was not surprised. “That’s exactly the kind of question that Commerce […]
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