News and Analysis

June Retail Sales See Moderate Growth Amid Solid Economy Street Fight

June Retail Sales See Moderate Growth Amid Solid Economy

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Retail sales in June demonstrated moderate growth, reflecting the stability of the current economy and near-zero inflation for retail goods, according to the latest CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions. This report, by the National Retail Federation (NRF), provides a detailed overview of retail sales trends and consumer spending behaviors. Economic Overview Despite facing […]

"Coupon Clippers" are Now "Coupon Clickers and Viewers" Street Fight

“Coupon Clippers” are Now “Coupon Clickers and Viewers”

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The concept of discount coupons for grocery items originated in the 1800’s. After all, who doesn’t want a deal? But we’ve come a long way from paper envelopes filled with individual pieces of paper. Although local “circulars” still fill our mailboxes, automation and precise consumer targeting have taken the concept to a whole new level. […]

Big MULO Moments: Amazon Day 2024 Recap & Insights Street Fight

Big MULO Moments: Amazon Day 2024 Recap & Insights

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Amazon Prime Day has passed. In the MULO (multi-location) retail and restaurant worlds, analysts and the media use certain major moments to” temperature-check” consumer spending behavior, marketing tactics, and economic trends. Super Bowl Christmas Back-to-School (which we’ll soon be covering) Valentine’s Day Mother’s and Father’s Days Wedding season (which seems to be year-round these days) […]

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Three Common Martech Myths Debunked

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I believe there are a few common martech myths and misconceptions that need to be debunked so your organization can better scale customer loyalty and stand out in a highly saturated environment.

Location-Based Marketing Association: Snap Map Launches Restaurant Recommendations

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In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Snap Map launching restaurant recommendations, Twitter opening access to its “location spotlight” module, Yext partnering with What3Words, and Harris Teeter stores piloting SocialShelf.

Can Apple’s Room Plan Bring Visual Commerce to Local Businesses?

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The AR world’s disappointment about smart glasses in the wake of WWDC has overshadowed the fact that there were notable AR developments at the event. Besides subtle signals throughout, Apple announced a new mobile room-scanning tool known as RoomPlan that could democratize AR creation.

Latest Posts

Agencies Are Embracing ChatGPT. Is That a Mistake?

Agencies Are Embracing ChatGPT. Is That a Mistake?

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In SEO expert Andrew Shotland’s view, most agencies aren’t saving as much time using AI to develop creative content as they might think. Tools like ChatGPT are fast, but they aren’t particularly accurate. That’s a major problem, especially for agencies trying to create hundreds or thousands of local pages for national brand clients.

How Brands Can Use Apple Business Connect to Reach Local Customers

How Brands Can Use Apple Business Connect to Reach Local Customers

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With access to Apple Maps Insights, multi-location brands should have a much better sense of which locations are performing well, which ones need attention, and how performance is trending over time.

Super Bowl LVII Ad Landscape Shaped By Economic Uncertainty

Super Bowl LVII Ad Landscape Shaped By Economic Uncertainty

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With so much economic uncertainty in 2023 — including mounting layoffs at tech giants like Microsoft and Google — Sol Marketing CEO Deb Gabor believes advertisers may choose to focus on promoting small-ticket items during this year’s game, like snack foods and beverages, while brands selling big-ticket items are largely out. 

Why It Matters that Home Depot Reportedly Gave Meta Shopper Data Without Consent

Why It Matters that Home Depot Reportedly Gave Meta Shopper Data Without Consent

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The Home Depot-Meta incident imparts a broader lesson about the limitations of basing a data privacy strategy on the collection of first- or zero-party data.

Is Sustainability the Latest Retail Marketing Fad?

Is Sustainability the Latest Retail Marketing Fad?

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While countries like France are laying down the law regarding sustainability in fashion, retailers across the U.S. are preparing to capitalize on consumer interest in eco-friendliness as a marketing tactic.

Why the US Government's Google Lawsuit Matters

Why the US Government’s Google Lawsuit Matters

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For marketers, the big question here is whether Google’s tools are more useful or harmful — are the convenience and scalable audiences they enable worth the cut Google takes out of the digital ad market, raising prices? This is among the questions Google will have to answer.

With AI for Shelf Checking, Google Gives Retailers What They Want

With AI for Shelf Checking, Google Gives Retailers What They Want

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Google’s announcement that it would be enhancing Google Cloud for Retailers with shelf checking got people talking at the National Retail Federation’s conference in New York earlier this month, but the push to turn physical stores into digital assets has been underway for years.

How Brands Are Using Interactivity to Shorten the Purchase Cycle

How Brands Are Using Interactivity to Shorten the Purchase Cycle

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With brands expected to pull back on media spending during the first half of the year, media buyers are looking at stretching their ad budgets to activate in more meaningful ways. 

Why and How Retailers Are Dropping Very Generous Return Policies

Why and How Retailers Are Dropping Very Generous Return Policies

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COVID ushered in a period of free and limitless returns as retailers scrambled to keep shoppers at a time when stores were closed. But the worst days of COVID are in the rearview mirror, and the 2023 macroeconomic environment provides no succor for overly generous policies.

OpenFortune Cuts Through Digital Clutter with a Physical Media Format

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The biggest action in brand marketing is happening online in 2023, but as digital channels proliferate, one agency is moving in the opposite direction. OpenFortune, a New York-based agency, is leveraging ​​fortune cookies to bring branded content to restaurant customers across the U.S.