Expert Roundup: How Will Retail Transform in 2021? Part II

Share this:

In part II of our retail expert roundup, we cover mixed reality’s role in retail, data, and privacy compliance, and how retail can recover and rebound in 2021.

Contact Center Should Be the Marketing Engine

Expert Roundup: How Will Retail Transform in 2021?

Share this:

Retail transformation experts expound on Google and Amazon’s approaches to e-commerce, managing customer relationships, and targeting after cookies.

DISQO’s Case for Panel Data as the Post-Cookie Solution

Share this:

Audience insights firm DISQO thinks it has the solution that will fill the data holes the deprecation of third-party cookies will cause: panel data.

Google’s FLoCs: “Advertisers and Publishers Are Right to Be Wary”

Share this:

Google’s FLoCs is supposed to boost privacy in ad targeting. But the actual efficacy of the program and Google’s habit of boosting itself are fueling concerns.

What is Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoCs)?

Share this:

Federated Learning of Cohorts is a method Google has devised to track Internet users’ interests and serve them ads relevant to those interests. The method aims to be attentive to privacy by grouping thousands of users into these interest-based cohorts. Therefore, the thinking goes, users still see ads relevant to them, but ads less finely […]

3 Big Tech Predictions for 2021

Share this:

Welcome to 2021: another year where everything will change faster than ever. Speed will define the year, as it did in 2020. Consumer behavior is rapidly shifting, and the big tech firms that define the e-commerce landscape are becoming more agile as a result. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google aren’t going to slow down even […]

Google’s Ads Data Hub Should Be on Every Marketer’s Radar

Share this:

Ads Data Hub incorporates privacy by design and is first-party data-driven, which is crucial in today’s environment. It is built on a future-proof cloud architecture, meaning as technology continues to evolve, ADH will stay relevant. With all of its capabilities, ADH should be on every marketer’s radar.

Covid is Changing Search. Here’s How to Respond

Share this:

Advertisers, brands, and agencies are scrambling to deliver the highly tailored, localized search experiences that Covid-era consumers are increasingly looking for. In fact, 61% of marketers in a recent Forrester study said that improving the efficacy of their local marketing is a high priority for 2021.

So, how can advertisers and marketers navigate this evolving, more localized search landscape and get it right? Here are a few key items to keep in mind.

AWS Launches a Google Maps Rival

Share this:

In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers AWS launching Location Service, a Google Maps competitor, Mood Media being acquired by Vector Capital, Starbucks partnering with Pokemon Go in Asia, Bayern Munich using AR to connect with fans, and Gimbal being sued for patent infringement.

Why More Brands Are Asking for Local Search Data

Share this:

Google search ad traffic has dropped across all devices, with mobile taking the biggest hit. Mobile traffic has been down an average of 24% since the pandemic began in February. Brands have been adjusting their digital strategies to account for the shift, including changing up their search ads with enhanced location targeting and more relevant keywords.

But achieving that high level of optimization requires a type of local search data that isn’t easily accessible through Google alone. That’s created a hole in the marketplace that the intelligence platform Adthena is looking to fill.

local city location

The Most Important Local Search Updates of 2020

Share this:

This has been the most active year in the history of local search when it comes to the introduction of new features. Google recently announced that it had made nearly 250 updates to Google Maps since the start of the pandemic, and just about every other local publisher, including Yelp, Bing, Foursquare, TripAdvisor, and even Apple Maps, has been busy.

As we near the end of this unusual year, I thought it would be useful to take stock of these changes and note the ones that are the most significant.

Street Fight’s November Theme: Google’s World

Share this:

Google’s World is shorthand for the fully fleshed-out concept: “It’s Google’s world… we’re all just living in it.” The main thrust is that Google’s search dominance gives it enormous control in impacting the fate of businesses everywhere who rely on search for traffic and customer acquisition.

Google’s ongoing updates to the search algorithm, ranking factors, and SERPs continue to have ripple effects on marketers everywhere. It’s becoming more challenging to follow the moving target of SEO effectiveness. This game has its own set of rules when it comes to local search.

Social Media is Not Enough: 3 Reasons Why Websites are a Must for Businesses

Share this:

During the Covid era, the value of a website has increased exponentially. According to a recent survey, 82% of US small business owners find their website to be an essential part of their businesses’ success, and 54% reported a boost in website traffic since the beginning of quarantines.

Whether you’re a small business owner or someone with an idea, developing a website as your home base is beneficial to growing your customer base and online brand. Here’s why.

Google’s Latest Privacy Play Has Big Implications for the Open Web

Connecting the Dots on Google’s Visual Road Map

Share this:

Google continues to double down on visual search and navigation. Its latest move came last week with updates to its Live View visual navigation to help users identify and qualify local businesses. This follows soon after its Earth Cloud Anchors that will let users create digital content on physical places.

Both developments tell us something about what may well be the future of local search: augmented reality-enhanced visuals.

Identifying Content Opportunities from SEO Keyword Trends During Covid-19

Share this:

Keywords that were optimized to improve inbound sales aren’t doing their job because people are no longer inputting those search terms. Does that mean that your product or service isn’t needed? No, absolutely not. Your brand’s content is needed. But the keyword trends that you had been relying on have changed.

To be able to once again reach your audience, you need to study search trends as they stand now and determine how you can create content around those terms.

How To Get More Positive Google Business Reviews and Improve Your Google Rankings

Share this:

In this article, we’ll take a look at how Google reviews can make or break your customer acquisition and retention efforts, and secondly, what you can do to encourage more customers to write the sort of reviews that keep the almighty Google algorithm happy.

Making Local Content Work for Retailers

Share this:

Customers expect businesses to answer their questions and meet their demands in one easy-to-find, easy-to-navigate-to location. They want to know what a store carries, where the store is located, and if they can easily buy a product online instead. Increasingly, especially since the advent of Covid-19, they also want to know if they have access to services like curbside pickup or what safety provisions a business provides. This is why, now more than ever, marketers need to leverage local content strategies to our advantage.

Location Weekly: Education Apps Sell Location Data

Share this:

In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers InMarket acquiring NinthDecimal, Google Chrome announcing Orion WiFi, Burger King unveiling a COVID-friendly restaurant design, and education apps selling location data.

Triangulating Apple Maps: The Tech Angle

Share this:

Apple surprised the local search world last month when it announced local business reviews in Maps. Similar to its other search-based efforts, Apple formerly relied on partners like Yelp for local listings and reviews. But now, as part of its broader data-driven Maps overhaul, it will phase in original content.

Much has been written about this within the local search publishing world and analyst corps, including my colleague Stephanie Miles’ article on how brands can prepare for Apple Maps reviews here on Street Fight. So in the interest of treading new ground, what less-discussed clues lie in Apple’s recent mapping moves that can triangulate its direction?

Location Weekly: DoorDash Opening DashMart Stores

Share this:

In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Verizon deploying 2cm precision location tracking, DoorDash opening DashMart stores, and Google launching earthquake detection on Android devices. Rich Ventura of Sony Electronics joins as a guest.