Website services giant Newfold Digital announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Deluxe’s Australia web hosting operations. We examine drivers & dynamics.
Yelp announced today that it’s expanding its Fusion product to the automobile. This comes about through a partnership with Uber that brings Yelp to high-intent users in transit. We examine drivers & dynamics.
After rolling out its cashierless tech at airport Hudson News locations, Starbucks and fashion outlets, Amazon’s latest move is to integrate it at Whole Foods. We examine in light of Amazon’s larger RaaS play.
TikTok this week made a rather sizable update to its core media format: longer videos. It has raised its maximum video length from 3 to 10 minutes. We examine the what, why and how.
We’ve tracked two new developments around Snap Maps in the past few weeks. The first involves a partnership with Ticketmaster to match users with upcoming events in their area. The second is a new “buddy system” for sharing location with friends.
Though its not alone in the software world for recent market-cap bloodletting, Shopify is seeing considerable declines following its recent Q4 earnings. We examine the what and why.
The company announced it will expand its existing in-person payment features to let users essentially turn their smartphones into payment terminals. This will utilize QR codes to signal transaction details from one phone to another.
Meta Platforms Inc. confirmed this week that it has closed the $1 billion acquisition of customer service startup Kustomer. The deal was first announced in November 2020, but was delayed due to EU regulatory scrutiny. We examine.
Foursquare today is launching Hex Tiles. These are a new way to visualize and contextualize its location data. They unify location signals into color-coded tiles that are overlaid on a map to help visualize patterns that can inform business decisions.
In the spectrum of advertising that maps to the consumer intent funnel – from awareness to action – one outlier is Super Bowl advertising. Given an average price of $6.5M for a 30-second spot, what will that get you elsewhere?
Shopify is one of the original innovators in the shoppability movement. Now it’s making big bets that visually-rich shopping will become table stakes, and the next big retention hook for online merchants.
Yelp announced a series of new features for Yelp for Business today, including business-facing tools to give SMBs more control over Yelp ads and direct communications with users. We examine the drivers & dynamics.
Microsoft has announced that it’s partnering with FedEx for a “logistics as a service” offering for retailers and etailers. This is pursuant to Microsoft’s broader “retail-as-a-service” (RaaS) play. We examine strategic drivers.
Snap’s latest move is “catalog-powered” lenses. These build on its signature AR lens format with a purpose-built format for shopping. Will this accelerate the ongoing “shoppability” trend?
After piloting Just Walk Out at Amazon Go, airport-based convenience chains, salons, grocery and even Starbucks, Amazon has now tipped its hand for the next move: clothing stores. We examine the strategic implications.
Reputation announced today that it has received a $150 million minority growth investment from Marlin Equity Partners. Coupled with the news is a noteworthy milestone: It has surpassed $100 million in Annual Recurring Revenue.
One growing media channel continues to be on-prem content streaming. Not necessarily new (erstwhile the domain of DOOH), the sector has begun to advance in new directions. And TikTok is the latest to jump on board.
Data software provider Precisely announced today that will acquire location intelligence firm PlaceIQ. Precisely is owned by Clearlake Capital Group and TA associates – both private equity firms that continue to make moves in local commerce. We examine dynamics & drivers.
As you may have heard, Microsoft announced today that it will acquire game studio Activision Blizzard. But the biggest question is why. We examine the drivers, dynamics and implications for local commerce.
Microsoft is joining the RaaS landscape, or at least it will soon. February 1 marks the general availability of Microsoft Cloud for Retail. It’s is all about federating data to inform strategy and optimize operations – everything from inventory to store layouts.
