Behind the Counter: Why a New Coffee House Picked (and Stayed With) Square

Share this:

When Bien Nguyen and her husband Yen decided to open a coffee shop in Atlanta a few months ago, they had a clear vision of what they wanted their business to look like. But they knew little about the technology needed to turn that vision into a reality…

Yelp Learns the Hard Way: Small Talk Matters When Selling to SMBs

Share this:

Yelp is off to a rocky start in 2015. Sluggish user growth and a botched sales reorganizations led to a massive sell-off Wednesday evening.

GrubHub CEO Thinks Data — Not Content — Is the Future of Restaurant Discovery

Share this:

Investors sold off shares of GrubHub Thursday on slimmer profits, but the rest of the metrics look solid. Meanwhile, CEO Matt Maloney says the company wants to put its data about hundreds of millions of orders to work to help pick your next meal.

5 Predictive Analytics Tools for SMBs

Share this:

The idea of using predictive analytics for small business marketing is still in its infancy. But the market is growing as small business owners become more comfortable integrating these technologies into their business practices. Here are five vendors with predictive analytics tools that SMBs can use…

How Vendors Can Persuade SMBs to Adopt Mobile Payments

Share this:

If hyperlocal vendors are going to continue growing their networks of merchants willing to accept mobile payments, they’re going to have to find ways to get small business owners excited about the concept. Here are nine strategies for doing just that…

7 Strategies for Hyperlocal Companies Looking for Funding

Share this:

In order to overcome those challenges and secure funding as a hyperlocal, founders must think strategically—and sometimes get creative, as well. Here are seven strategies for hyperlocals seeking funding, from executives who’ve been there before…

Here’s What Small Businesses Really Want From Marketing Tech

Share this:

Street Fight recently caught up with the National Small Business Association’s Molly Day to talk about small business owners’ still-mixed relationship with the tech industry and what they are looking for in marketing products…

5 Reasons Retailers Should Implement Dual Mobile Web and App Strategies

Share this:

Having a mobile-optimized or responsively designed website is only one piece of the puzzle for keeping mobile users engaged. Here are five reasons why businesses should consider implementing dual mobile web and app strategies, from leaders in the hyperlocal sphere…

First Data Wants to Turn Its Payment Empire Into a Local Marketing Juggernaut

Share this:

First Data, the payment processing giant, wants to be more than just a black box on the counter. We caught up with Peter Karpas, global head of SMB product, to talk about moving beyond the payment business, the company’s acquisition strategy, and where the world’s largest payment process fits into the future of small business…

6 Hyperlocal Platforms That Transform Social Media Into Data

Share this:

The sheer volume of messages being posted across social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can be overwhelming for marketers. Here are six examples of hyperlocal platforms with location-specific features that businesses can use to turn social media postings into actionable data…

Like Other Local Services Marketplaces, Amazon Will Have to Balance Competing Interests

Share this:

Anyone in the local services industry could be forgiven for worrying about Amazon as an intimidating competitor. But for all of Amazon’s Goliath brand dominance in retail, it faces the same complex challenges that the rest of us face when it comes to the services industry…

Survey: Small Businesses Still Not Sold on Apple Pay

Share this:

There’s no shortage of hype around mobile payments. Since the release of Apple Pay, pundits have claimed that your smartphone will soon replace your wallet. But a recent survey of small business owners suggests that it may some time before credit cards are threatened.

6 Hyperlocal Services For Booking a Babysitter

Share this:

Given the rise in on-demand marketplaces, it makes sense that the “Uber-ification” of everything would extend to babysitting services. Parents are using local marketplaces to find childcare providers in their neighborhoods — taking advantage of the ease of online scheduling and payments to make last minute bookings…

Square Wants to Become a Platform — Here’s Why that Matters For Small Businesses

Share this:

With millions of small businesses already using its application to process payments, Square needs to navigate through a complex and crowded small business software market to build a platform from which merchants can run their business…

7 Strategies for Growing Online-to-Offline Conversions

Share this:

It’s no secret that mobile activities are driving traffic to brick-and-mortar businesses. However, the majority of national retailers, brands, and even local merchants still have no idea how well their digital marketing initiates convert…

#LDS15 VIDEO: How Big Data is Transforming Small Business

Share this:

In a panel at Street Fight’s Local Data Summit in Denver earlier this month, companies discussed their approaches to helping small and medium-sized businesses analyze and use their own data…

5 Tools for Location-Based Audience Profiling

Share this:

With location-based audience profiling, marketers have the opportunity to connect online metrics to in-store sales. This allows for smarter media planning and results in a higher ROI on digital campaigns…

7 Online Booking Platforms for Independent Businesses

Share this:

online booking platforms are providing a way for independent businesses to meet a rising demand from consumers who want to schedule, confirm, and in some cases even pay for local services through their mobile devices…

Small Businesses and the Impact of Mobile Optimization

Share this:

Rather than competing with the big directories for search ranking, small businesses need to fit themselves within the dominant mobile search paradigm and ensure their profiles on third party sites are optimized for the needs of mobile consumers…

7 Ways Hyperlocal Vendors Benefit From Self-Serve Sales Models

Share this:

By doing away with expensive sales teams and giving local merchants a way to buy ads or services through automated systems, vendors can keep acquisition costs low and also reduce churn…