Increasingly, brands are updating co-op programs to encourage use of digital media among their local retailers. LSA’s co-op database shows hundreds of programs with digital funds. Some brands are being more aggressive in this than others, but it appears the majority aren’t shifting dollars to digital fast enough. A new report from Brandmuscle found that…
Between technology advances and increasingly savvy consumers, conversion paths are no longer linear. They’ve become much more complex with numerous stops, starts and touchpoints along the way. It’s critical to understand this new more convoluted behavior in order to reach potential customers at the right time with the right message. During a webinar this week,…
Placed is launching a free location data tool called “Placed Insights.” There’s also a paid version, which offers more customized views of the data. But the free version seeks to educate agencies, retailers and brands about the many uses of location intelligence. Mobile location data was originally discussed in the limited context of real-time geofencing. Over the past several…
With increasing store closures and e-commerce growth, there are a lot of unknowns about the future of brick and mortar retail. Although 80% of purchases are still expected to happen in-store by 2020, there’s growing uncertainty among retailers large and small about how to keep up with consumers in an increasingly digital shopping environment. A…
Customer experience (CX) is a marketing buzzword, but it’s also a real thing. Often CMOs hype their CX, but the experience “on the ground” fails to live up to the ambitious rhetoric. One such example is my experience in 2016 with Hilton’s app-based room entry. Another example lies in the fact that retailers, despite years of discussion, analysis and hand-wringing, have as…
According to a new analysis from Harvard Business School, location and local business data from digital platforms, like Yelp, offer powerful insights when it comes to “shedding light on the evolution of neighborhoods.” The authors argue location data can complement Census Bureau data, which takes a long time to collect and has limited information about…
Yesterday we released the first of what we intend to be a series of Market Landscape reports on different technology tools and services. The first is on location intelligence providers. The intention of these reports is to offer LSA members and the broader local ecosystem audience an overview of the market segment, profile the major vendors and offer questions…
A number of years ago Andrew Shotland and I tried to calculate the cost of bad location data (name, address, phone number) across the industry. We came up with a big number. It was based on a mix of consumer survey data, a set of assumptions and a formula about the frequency of incorrect listings in search…
No lines, no checkouts, no registers. That’s the consumer pitch for Amazon Go, which is now open on 7th near Blanchard in downtown Seattle. It was supposed to open to the public in early 2017 but is coming to market roughly a year later, presumably because of some challenges with getting the technology and experience right. For…
Much has been written about the decline of traditional retailers, although they reportedly had a good Xmas. And while store closings are definitely still happening, the death of traditional retail has been greatly exaggerated. What is very clear is that retailers need to focus on an improved in-store experience, as well as online + offline synergies…
