News and Analysis
How AI Bots, Voice Assistants Are Changing Shopper Behaviors
Rapid changes in the way people communicate aren’t just impacting personal relationships, they’re also hitting the retail market as consumer preferences evolve. In a new report released just this morning, the post-purchase solutions provider Narvar uncovers generational differences in how consumers prefer interacting with retailers.
Street Fight Daily: Google Appeases Antitrust Regulators on Shopping, Brands Turn to Influencers
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Offers to Treat Shopping Rivals Equally Via Auction… Why More Brands Are Adding Young Influencers to Their Creative and Marketing Teams… The Luxe Lab at Neiman Marcus Signals a Shift in Focus for Department Stores…
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Street Fight Daily: Urban Airship Acquires Tello, Locu Snags Google Exec
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.… Urban Airship Acquires Tello, Maker Of PassTools For Apple’s Passbook, Because Not All Brands Need Fully Featured Apps (TechCrunch)… Locu snags Google Now exec Keir Mierle to head engineering (Pandodaily)… As Mobile Maps Competition Heats Up, Google Fine Tunes Maps API for Android (GigaOm)…
5 Analytics Platforms SMBs Can Use to Parse Customer Data
A number of platforms are making it easier for local merchants to track consumer behavior on mobile devices, allowing retailers to analyze the influence that check-ins, mobile apps usage, and foot traffic patterns have on their bottom lines. Here are five platforms that give businesses ways to utilize online data for better consumer targeting…
How Important Is an Exit Strategy for Hyperlocal News Startups?
“I don’t know a single startup business outside the indie news space that doesn’t articulate its exit strategy up front,” said Rusty Coats, who has created curricula for community news trainings in the Block by Block and Investigative News Network (INN) communities. “That sets the path for growth and helps set benchmarks for success.”
Seeking to Connect With Restaurants, Foodspotting Launches ‘Rewards’
While a number of apps allow users to rate restaurants, leave comments, and create a map of what’s nearby, San Francisco-based Foodspotting focuses its attention on the food itself — and on helping food seekers find the specific dish they want nearby. Street Fight recently spoke with Foodspotting founder and CEO Alexa Andrzejewski about the company’s push into local marketing…
Riding Shotgun in Consumers’ Cars, Apple Could Close the Loop
Earlier this week, General Motors announced plans to integrate iOS devices into its on-dash infotainment system, bringing Apple’s virtual assistant Siri to a handful of its smaller vehicles early next year. Siri integration mixed with maps and a rumored radio product could provide Apple with the necessary footing to make a dent in local advertising and finally turn around its inert iAd network…
Openings & New Hires at Patch, MapQuest, Local.com, and More
At JiWire, another departure; Patch brings on a few new department heads; UBL and Delivery.com continue to add to their teams. Plus, longtime Borrell Associates executive Peter Conti makes the jump to Local Media Association, and JT Batson becomes chief revenue officer at Cumulus Media. Looking for a new gig? Openings at Local.com, Patch, Microsoft, Google and more…
PODCAST: This Week in Location-Based Marketing — Esquire, GetGlue
In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan look at jeans that check-in for you; Esquire jumps the gap between magazine and digital; and is Foursquare’s new valuation too high? Plus news from GetGlue, a new Apple patent on location and a clip from the archives with Holger Luedorf, VP mobile and international at Foursquare…
Memo to Hyperlocal Editors: You Too Can Be a Nate Silver
As I watched Nate Silver achieve such success analyzing numbers during the election, I asked myself: Can hyperlocal news sites learn anything from FiveThirtyEight? The question is pertinent because numbers of all kind — far beyond those from polling and elections — are gushing from local governments, but not many of them are showing up in meaningful ways on community sites…
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