As Google continues to flex its muscles with Gemini, the latest search product getting an AI infusion is mapping and navigation. By bringing Gemini to Google Maps, users can have conversational dialogues, a la AI Mode, as they’re out shopping or looking for something to eat in a new neighborhood.
Among the many angles surrounding the AI discussion these days, one that’s seldom discussed is how the technology is integrated into a given organization. We’re not talking about product integrations – though that’s closely related – but rather AI’s integration into company culture.
Expanding from the AI receptionist that it launched back in August, and the marketing agent it rolled out just a few weeks ago, Vendasta is out with its latest AI employee: a reputation management specialist.
Amazon recently showed its hand with respect to local commerce. It will launch apps within Alexa+ for local commerce staples, such as Angi, Square, Yelp, OpenTable, and Thumbtack.
A new data dump from Digiday has begun to quantify AI’s zero-click effect. The short version is that there’s good news and bad news. The net result is likely negative for anyone relying on referral traffic… but it’s also an opportunity for AI SEO early movers.
Yext this week hosted a who’s who of search experts, including Local SEO Guide’s Andrew Shotland, Sterling Sky’s Joy Hawkins, and Search Lab’s Greg Gifford. These are some of the biggest hitters in local SEO and we have the summarized takeaways.
Expanding from the AI receptionist Vendasta launched back in August, Custom AI Employees now join its arsenal. These functions are housed in Vendasta’s AI Customer Acquisition and Engagement Platform, automating various aspects of SMB operations.
In the whole “AI is eating the world” progression, the latest thing to be swallowed is shopping. The thought is that you can do all your shopping end-to-end within your AI engine of choice – from research to price comparisons to transactions. We round up the latest market moves.
Gemini’s integrations in Google Maps have ratcheted up with a more conversational interface that can be best described as an in-route concierge. While driving, users can do things like ask Gemini about places of interest along their route, or any other specific urges.
The latest product in the prolific Google Labs does just this. Known as Pompelli, the joint effort from Google Labs and DeepMind automatically assembles ad campaign creative assets like banner ads. Like several multi-step agentic AI tools that are developing, it turns detailed prompts into action and output.
MB-Saas powerhouse Thryv has launched a growth marketing engine for Home Services businesses to scale. To achieve this, it inherits Thryv’s latest AI and automation capabilities and packages them up in a set of marketing tools purpose-built for the specific challenges of the home services vertical.
A new report from LexisNexis quantifies the pace of AI adoption among tax pros. For example, 64 percent of tax pros use AI in their day-to-day operations, up from 40 percent in February.
ShelfOptix specializes in a field that it has coined “shelf intelligence.” it scans store shelves to digitize physical-world data and create digital twins of retail store aisles where logistical insights can then flow
ChatGPTs new shopping functionality lets users research and buy products without leaving the app. Now the program is emboldened with the addition of Walmart. We examine strategic implications.
Yext’s latest consumer survey (1000+ U.S. adults) reveals that a small share of Americans trust the first search result. Not only that, but they’re looking beyond search as most toggle between AI engines, social media, and review sites. Each is gaining traction and credibility… at the expense of search.
Franchise marketing continues to be a double-edged sword. It presents challenges that exceed standard challenges of local marketing & commerce. But when done right, franchise brands have a natural advantage in local markets. This was the topic of a panel at last week’s Street Fight Live event.
Adobe projects generative AI-powered shopping to grow 520 percent year-over-year. Adobe’s unit of measurement seems to be AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites.
We continue to observe an uptick in companies that are bringing a cocktail of AI-based technologies — machine learning, computer vision, etc. — to physical retail. The thought is that store aisles can be searchable and stores themselves can be smarter, optimizing product placement and real-time inventory.
There’s new evidence this week that ChatGPT is becoming a more substantial source of referral traffic for eCommerce. This is being seen from the likes of Walmart, Target, Etsy, and eBay, which calms a growing disdain around AI search engines eroding traffic to websites, a la zero-click search.
Creatify and Comcast announced a new partnership this week that democratizes SMB video ad creation. Creatify covers the creation end of things – with an AI twist – while Comcast covers the distribution. Together, it’s a one-two punch that should automate and streamline the elusive art of video advertising for SMBs.
