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.
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Foursquare Eyes Funding, SEC Presses Groupon
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.… Foursquare Looks Into A Fourth Round At An Over $700M Valuation, Investors Skeptical (TechCrunch)… SEC Asked Groupon for Financial Disclosures (The Wall Street Journal)… Yelp’s Flaws Become Apple Maps Flaws in iOS 6 (GigaOm)…
As Paywalls Evolve, So Does the Perception of Paywalls
It’s time to acknowledge that, overall, people are starting to get used to paying for content online — especially on smartphones and tablets. It will be interesting to see how the various paywall models play out over time, but I have become more confident that paywalls (in some form or fashion) are a piece of the puzzle to running a profitable hyperlocal or regional news website…
Openings & New Hires at Patch, Yelp, Supermedia, HopStop, Square & More
Executives moving on up and over lately in sales, product, marketing, business development and more. Plus, who’s hiring? Yext, Yelp, Yodle, Restaurant.com, LivingSocial, DealHeaven, Apple and HopStop. Hyperlocal is expanding fast, and these openings are just one indication. Listings include links on where to apply. Get started now!
PODCAST: This Week in Location Based Marketing — McDonalds, Mondelez
In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan talk about how McDonalds is taking aim with Rovio’s Angry birds in China; Square makes its way north to Canada; Plus news from Gigwalk, Yelp and Yahoo + special guest Ed Kaczmarek, Director of Innovation and Emerging Technology at Mondelez International…
Street FIght Daily: Yelp Dismisses Google’s Local Content, Google Expands Wallet
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.… Yelp Not Worried About Google’s “Struggling” Local Content Play (PandoDaily)… Google Wallet Expands To Mobile Web (TechCrunch)… Coupons Boost Starbucks (The Wall Street Journal)…
Does Hyperlocal ‘Engagement’ Work — And Can it Be Monetized?
In 2002, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jan Schaffer founded J-Lab to help the news media use technology to engage citizens on big public issues. There’s a lot of talk about hyperlocal news sites using technology and social media to take civic journalism to a new level where the community is an equal player, but how much is wishful thinking and how much reality? I went to Schaffer for answers…
Pirq Closes $1.2 Million Funding Round, Launches New Version of App
Instant-deals and loyalty provider Pirq released version 2.0 of its mobile real-time deals app this morning, offering consumers digital punch cards to accumulate rewards in four new verticals. The Washington-based company also announced it’s closed a $1.2 million round in venture financing…
Lucky Ant Waives Fees, Opens Crowdfunding to SMBs in Wake of Sandy
Many small businesses affected by the wrath of the hurricane will require working capital to make repairs, and the Brooklyn-based Lucky Ant wants to help them raise that money from their communities. The company has waived its fee, allowing any business (in New York or elsewhere) to raise funds for recovery free of charge…
Survey: 91% of Brands to Maintain or Increase Local Spend in 2013
The study also found that while SEO and social media marketing dominated in 2012, more and more brands are looking to invest in new tactics in 2013. While mobile leads the way in terms of new types of marketing, over a third of brands surveyed said they wanted to use online customer reviews (31%) and local blogs (31.5%) in the coming year…






































Authentic Storytelling: Real-Life Scenarios Showcase Brand Values and Build Trust