News and Analysis
Who Owns What in the MULO World?
Darden recently made a huge acquisition in the MULO (multi-location) food world, gobbling up Chuy’s fast-casual Mexican locations (100+) in a $605M deal. According to FSR Magazine, the holding company has also made some major acquisitions over the last decade. “Chuy’s marks Darden’s sixth acquisition in 15 years. In 2007, the company acquired RARE Hospitality […]
Mobility Data Optimizes Marketing for Retailers Amid New Lunch Trends
The working crowd still eats lunch. They just don’t do so at restaurants and take-out near their offices as much. Instead, they are saving their money to splurge on lunch out and drinks with friends on the weekends. A story on NBC.com went so far as to declare that “the lunch rush is dead,” citing […]
The MULO Dozen: July Brands in Review
Given the M&A activity that’s been going on in the MULO (multi-location) world these days, we’ve added a new section to our monthly dozen — DEALS. The reality of MULO is that unless brands listen to consumer voices, have strong leaders, and do the right deals, they may go BUST. The keys to BOOMING in […]
Commentary
TikTok Jumps into Local Events
For multi-location marketers, TikTok’s foray into events, and its increasing role as a destination for local discovery, portend that the platform is joining Facebook and other forums as a key place to connect online with local shoppers. TikTok can’t be ignored as an online-to-offline marketing channel.
Location-Based Marketing Association: Amazon’s New Delivery Strategy
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers OneScreen.ai launching a public directory of OOH advertising inventory, Tim Hortons wanting to settle its location targeting lawsuit with free coffee, Sweetgreen gamifying its loyalty program with rewards and challenges, and Amazon planning to start deliveries from PacSun and Diesel stores.
Latest Posts
FAT Brands Serves Up a Charitable Venture
Charitable giving is on the upswing, and consumer shopping behavior and multi-location brands can sway perception via charity-related campaigns. But “doing good can go bad” when companies launch charity efforts without being thoughtful and transparent. That’s why multi-location FAT Brands put significant thought and effort into creating its newly-launched FAT Brands Foundation. Philanthropy tied to a […]
Survey: Retailer Apps Are Embraced by 78% of Consumers Worldwide
Retailer apps are having a moment, one that will likely get even bigger. According to a survey of 11,000 consumer respondents conducted by Airship, a mobile-app management platform that has worked with brands including the BBC, GameStop, McDonald’s, and Vodaphone, 78 percent of respondents said they use retail mobile apps for shopping. The percentage of […]
Report: Requests to Protect Personal Data Up 72%
While Congress debates TikTok’s future, U.S. consumers are beginning to ask some uncomfortable questions about why businesses are collecting their personal data and how their information is really being used. According to the newly-released Privacy Trends 2023 Report by DataGrail, the privacy management firm, concern over data privacy is reaching a fever pitch. Eighty-five percent […]
How Multi-Location Brands Can Improve Customer Experience
According to recent reports, 43.5% of brands agreed that positive CX is a critical differentiator when it comes to getting an edge on the competition. Creating positive customer experiences seems like a no-brainer, but in reality bridging the CX perception gap between customer service, marketing, and sales teams and potentially 10s or 100s of store […]
Cooler Screens Targets In-Store Ads Based on Real-Time Events
A new ad format from the in-store digital media and merchandising platform Cooler Screens is giving CPG brands a way to capture consumer attention and drive engagement during real-time events. Dubbed “Own the Moment,” the new ad format combines many elements of a traditional homepage takeover with Cooler Screens’ network of in-store display screens. It […]
OOH Advertising Coming to EV Charging Stations
Broadsign, a platform that helps companies manage the buying and selling of out-of-home media, is ready to get brand OOH advertising in front of eco-conscious consumers. It’s technology is being used by a German firm to power a network of OOH ad inventory at charging stations for electric vehicles such as cars, e-bikes, and scooters. […]
The Retail Employee of the Future: Human, Robot, or Combo?
Among the many challenges multi-location retail brands face are two common ones. Finding and retaining the best people and the role of automation in their businesses are top-of-mind across all retail categories. These two are closely related, as retailers incorporate self-serve technologies into their operations and AI into their marketing strategies and execution. The human […]
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