News and Analysis
Holidays 2024 Installment 3: Mike Debnar Predicts the Spending Future
As we continue with our Holiday 2024 trends and forecast countdown, we asked Mike Debnar what stars will be shining bright this season. Debnar is the VP Retail Executive Advisor at Medallia. He focuses on creating innovative customer experience programs for brands utilizing his extensive background in CRM and CX. Mike holds a degree in management information […]
Will the Election Affect Holiday Shopping?
Presidential election years tend to boost holiday-season spending, regardless of who wins the most votes, according to Experian plc, a global data analytics and consumer credit reporting company. Experian has released its 2024 Holiday Spending Trends and Insights report, and with it, the launch of contextually-Indexed Audiences. Advertisers can use this new offering to blend […]
The MULO Dozen: October in Review
As is always the case in the MULO (multi-location) world, the ecosystem in October was a blend of tricks and treats. The big news for November is the re-launch of Street Fight LIVE, but here are some highlights from the past month that are almost as exciting. Chipotle opens in Dubai. It joins the many MULO […]
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.
Maximizing Brand Growth via OOH amid a Downturn
The channel as a whole has evolved from the last time the country went through a recession in 2008, opening up many more opportunities for brands looking to remain front and center for consumers during economic turmoil. Here are five strategic ways to maximize brand growth via OOH during a recession.
Branded Apps Are Connecting with Local Consumers
We’ve solidly entered the era of the branded app as the central platform for successful local loyalty programs. Branded apps, because they encourage and reward repeat business, can be seen as the central hub of a successful localized marketing strategy for many multi-location brands, especially in certain verticals where repeat business is relatively easy to win.
Latest Posts
KNIME Helps Improve Margins, Effectiveness for Brands
Retail and CPG leaders strategically use data to drive profitability. KNIME, an open-source data analytics platform, has helped numerous retailers to forecast inventory and stock requirements to optimize SKUs and reduce costs. Its data science set of tools has an interface easy enough for beginners and powerful enough for experienced users. It has also enabled […]
Where’s the Beef? Multi-Location Steakhouses Moove Forward
Despite the popularity of plant-based meat alternatives, the steakhouse category is far from dead. This week, Olive Garden owner Darden dropped a sizzling $715M to buy the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse chain, comprising 150 locations and generating $505M last year. It joins multi-location steakhouses Eddie V’s (29 locations) and the Capital Grill (65 locations) in Darden’s […]
Direct Mail is Having a Moment. Incorporate it Into Your Mix
Snail mail never really died. It just went back into its shell during the digital advertising boom. During the pandemic, letter-writing and sending cards became popular. Beyond that, however, multi-location brands are seeing that the good old-fashioned postcard or direct mail may have value. In fact, 58% of marketers have more marketing budget allocated to […]
Pop Goes the Pop-Up Shop — For Big Brands and Mom & Pops
The Pop-up shop has long been part of the retail and restaurant landscape. They are temporary locations. Multi-location brands may take their products into small footprints or new configurations and venues and small brands may start with a limited-run concept and then expand it. 5 Pop-Up Models Some are seasonal. For example, Bryant Park in […]
The Home Depot’s Melanie Babcock on the Rise of Retail Media Networks
Melanie Babcock joined The Home Depot in 2013 as Senior Director of Social Media and rose through the ranks to become Vice President of Retail Media+ and Monetization in February of this year. RM+ is the largest home improvement retail media network. StreetFight sat down with the Ann Arbor, Mich., native to get her insights […]
Groceries Have Opportunities to Build Customer Loyalty
Global consumers, feeling cautious in an uncertain economic climate, are going on fewer holidays and eating out less frequently, according to data analysis from Eagle Eye. This SaaS company powers real-time customer loyalty programs and promotions for grocers and retailers in the U.S. and abroad. In a report, “Grocery’s Great Loyalty Opportunity,” the findings suggest […]
Criteo Expands Shopify Integration, Giving Merchants Greater Access to High-Intent Buyer Audiences
The commerce media company Criteo expanded its Shopify integration this week, making it easier for merchants to access its app through new self-registration capabilities and integrate their Shopify storefronts with Criteo’s network. The expansion to Criteo’s Shopify integration is the latest in a string of recent updates designed to make it easier for merchants on […]
Direct-From-Consumer Data (DFC): Anatomy Of A Future-Proof Brand
Third-party cookies have crumbled. The IDFA is DOA. GDPR stopped being generous. In just a few short years, marketers have seen the tables turn nearly 180° — from an age where black box data ran amok and digital fingerprints littered the web to a point where consumers emerged victorious in a quest to have their […]
Boom & Bust: Learnings from Multi-location Brands
What do Brooks Brothers, White Castle, and 7-Eleven have in common? They are among the multi-location retailers, restaurants, and convenience stores founded 50+ years ago and are still operating today. Restructuring, downsizing, and a move to omnichannel sales are inevitable. When you read about brands that have survived and even thrived over the decades, many […]
Lauren Niehaus Shares 7 Things Retailers Can Learn from the Cannabis Industry
On 4/20, now considered the “national holiday” for cannabis retailers and consumers, I spoke with Lauren Niehaus, Executive Director of Government Relations at Trulieve.Trulieve has the largest retail footprint of cannabis dispensaries today, spanning 185 locations across 10 states — and growing. Growing is an aspect of what Trulieve currently does. Cultivation is part of […]
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