Amidst OpenAI’s master plan to take over the universe, today’s prize goes to whoever had healthcare on their bingo card. OpenAI announced that it will create a forked ChatGPT environment that’s purpose-built for healthcare queries and chatbot-centric conversations. This is the beginning of something bigger.
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.
Tiger Pistol is out this week with the latest addition to its arsenal, a product that it’s calling the Creative Automation Studio for Marketing Resellers. Abbreviated as CA-Studio, it’s an AI-fueled environment for local marketing agencies and resellers to create campaigns with speed and ease.
In this edition of Localogy’s Local Radar, we examine newly funded companies LaceAI, Faireez & Finom
Following yesterday’s coverage of OpenAI’s move into local grocery delivery, a different player is making high-stakes moves in the category. Amazon has announced that its Same-Day Delivery services will add fresh groceries in 2,300 cities and towns throughout the U.S., and more to come in 2026.
Entitled The 2026 Growth Guide for Marketing Resellers, Tiger Pistol’s latest report dives into the local marketing tips and tactics that are specific to this high-value segment of the local economy.
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.
OpenAI’s latest partner is Instacart, which brings a new category to ChatGPT for the first time. Users can now launch a grocery-shopping workflow right within ChatGPT, which could stimulate a new use case for the expansive AI engine.
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.
Thryv’s exec team is in a unique position in terms of perspective on the workings of the SMB SaaS world – including its ongoing convergence with AI. With that in mind, we had the chance to interact with Thryv recently to gather the perspective of its top execs, most notably CEO Joe Walsh.
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.
Consolidation continues to rock big ad agencies and holding companies. The latest mega-merger, as you’ve likely heard, is Ominicom Group’s $13 billion+ acquisition of rival Interpublic Group (IPG). The deal forms the world’s largest ad-holding group, including brands like FCB, Mediabrands, Acxiom, and BBDO.
Web hosting, services, and commerce powerhouse Newfold Digital announced this week that it has received $100 million in financing. The Newfold Digital investment notably comes
Sinclair shook up the media and broadcasting worlds this week by taking an 8.2 percent equity stake in E.W. Scripps. The $15.6 million in Scripps’ Class A common stock isn’t enough to raise eyebrows, except for the fact that it signals a clear intent to acquire the broadcaster, possibly in hostile style.
Yelp today launched its latest list of top U.S. businesses. Following similar efforts to rank the top SMBs, today’s report ranks national brands. These are businesses with physical locations in local markets, but those that have a broader footprint, otherwise known as multi-location (MULO) brands.
TikTok this week took the latest in a series of ongoing steps towards becoming a local discovery engine. Its new nearby feed filters videos and topics, based on what’s happening near a given user.
Amazon’s new delivery promise is 30-minute-or-less program for certain items and locales. This is just the latest in a long line of attempts to shave seconds off the clock in local deliveries.
Just a few weeks after the latest batch of Gemini-centric updates in Google Maps, it’s out with a new set of features. True to the mapping wars, these are meant to gain an edge on Apple Maps, and the other challengers.
Entitled 2026 Local Advertising Planning Guide for QSR Brands, Tiger Pistol’s latest report dives into the local marketing tips and tactics that are specific to this high-value segment of the local economy.
