TikTok SMB Showdown: Chicken Wings & Llammas
Earlier this week, we examined a new TikTok feature that offers an easy-to-use sounds library for SMBs to add dimension to their creations. As part
Mike Boland
March 3, 2023
Mike Boland
Mike Boland, senior analyst with Localogy, was one of Silicon Valley’s first tech reporters of the internet age as a staff reporter for Forbes magazine starting in 2000. His comments have appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Meta and Snap Jump on the AI Chat Wagon
Snap and Meta both announced AI-fueled chat features this week. For Meta, that takes place within WhatsApp and Messenger. For Snap, it involves a new chatbot altogether. We dive into both.
Mike Boland
March 1, 2023
TikTok Adds Sound to the SMB Marketing Mix
The latest addition to TikTok’s SMB marketing mix is sound. Specifically, its new Sounds for Business program is a library of audio files that are available to SMBs to ease the process of content creation. We examine drivers & dynamics.
Mike Boland
February 28, 2023
To What Degree Do SMBs Adopt Digital Marketing Software?
Benchmark Bytes is a series that examines Localogy’s original data on SMB tech deployment. Based on its recent Small Business Trends report, each installment drills down on a data excerpt and draws out meaning for Localogy Insider readers.
Mike Boland
February 27, 2023
Stripe Brings Tap-to-Pay to Android Devices
Previously the first payment gateway to power Apple’s Tap-to-Pay function, Stripe is now repeating the role in the Android universe. Any SMB that uses Stripe Terminal can now accept payments on an NFC-enabled Android device.
Mike Boland
February 24, 2023
Subscriptions Take the Revenue Diversification Lead
Subscription revenue seems to be the new shiny thing in the tech and media worlds. This trend reached critical mass this week when Meta revealed that it will follow Twitter Blue’s footsteps with a paid tier for users to authenticate their profiles. We examine the landscape.
Mike Boland
February 23, 2023
Pinterest is Intent on Making Everything Shoppable
Pinterest has always been advantaged by context and user intent. By cultivating shopping and product discovery, it set itself up to monetize in natural ways. And it has slowly leaned into that over the past few years. We examine its latest moves.
Mike Boland
February 22, 2023
Yelp Study Confirms Pandemic Exodus
One of the common talking points when it comes to the pandemic’s impact on US culture is how remote work “new normals” empowered individuals to
Mike Boland
February 21, 2023
Video Vault: Otomisan Demonstrates the Power of SMB Reputation
Located in Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, Otomisan has been in the reputation management business for 66 years – LA’s longest-standing Japanese restaurant. Without spending
Mike Boland
February 17, 2023
Yext Launches GPT-3 Based Conversational AI
Taking inspiration from Chat GPT, Yext has launched an AI-powered chatbot. Known as Yext Chat, it lets enterprises integrate a chat function on their web properties for a variety of customer service use cases.
Mike Boland
February 16, 2023
Roku & Doordash Bring CTV Advertising to Local Restaurants
As part of its ongoing ad monetization play, Roku is leaning into CTV ads. The company has partnered with DoorDash to combine CTV advertising and local restaurant promotions – to our knowledge the first company to do so.
Mike Boland
February 14, 2023
What Flavors of eCommerce Resonate Most with SMBs?
Benchmark Bytes is a series that examines Localogy’s original data on SMB tech deployment. Based on its recent Small Business Trends report, each installment drills down on a data excerpt and draws out meaning for Localogy Insider readers.
Mike Boland
February 13, 2023
Yelp Reveals Strong Q4 Despite Ad Revenue Headwinds
Amidst an economic downturn that continues to fluctuate and show mixed signals, Yelp comes forward with some positive news. Its Q4 earnings highlight revenue growth
Mike Boland
February 10, 2023
Google Reminds Us It’s Primed for AI
In all the excitement around generative and conversational AI, the online punching bag seems to be Google. But the company may actually be best positioned for any AI, given the knowledge graph it’s been building for almost 25 years. We examine the evidence.
Mike Boland
February 8, 2023
Meta Spends $13.7 Billion in 2022 to Build the Metaverse
Beyond Meta’s overall Q4 results, the bigger story may be what’s occurring within Meta Reality Labs (MRL). This is where it houses R&D and production for AR, VR, and all things metaverse. We go behind the numbers.
Mike Boland
February 7, 2023
How are SMBs Adopting and Integrating eCommerce?
Benchmark Bytes is a series that examines Localogy’s original data on SMB tech deployment. Based on its recent Small Business Trends report, each installment drills down on a data excerpt and draws out meaning for Localogy Insider readers.
Mike Boland
February 6, 2023
Snap Validates a User-Pay Model
In Snap’s Q4 results, one nugget buried in the earnings call caught our attention: the continued ramping growth of Snapchat+. It has reached two million users, up from one million in August and zero in June. We unpack strategic takeaways.
Mike Boland
February 2, 2023
Yelp Exposes Investment in Platform Trust & Safety
In an ongoing effort to provide more transparency on how its local search and reviews engine works, Yelp has released its latest Trust & Safety report. It details how the company uses machine learning and human moderation to quell deceptive content
Mike Boland
February 1, 2023
Will Drive-Up-Only Grocery Stores Be a Thing?
The latest trend in logistics and yield optimization in retail has emerged: Drive-up-only grocery stores. This takes the curbside pickup option that inflected during the pandemic, and makes it the only option. We examine the latest attempt at this model.
Mike Boland
January 31, 2023
How Do SMBs Feel About Cryptocurrency?
Benchmark Bytes is a series that examines Localogy’s original data on SMB tech deployment. Based on its recent Small Business Trends report, each installment drills down on a data excerpt and draws out meaning for Localogy Insider readers.
Mike Boland
January 30, 2023