Apple
PayPal Adds Apple Pay for SMBs
Paypal has announced that it’s adding Apple Pay to its payment options for eCommerce-enabled SMBs. We dive into the details and strategic implications.
Newfold Digital
Web.com Launches SMB Appointment Scheduler
Web.com has launched a new SMB appointment scheduling tool. Known as MySchedulr, it streamlines the process of booking and managing appointments for appointment-based SMBs like home services and salons.
Location Intelligence
Gravy Analytics Named Among Fastest-Growing Co’s
Location intelligence specialist Gravy Analytics is now one of the fastest-growing companies in the Americas. The Financial Times gave the company the nod (coming in at #332) in its 2023 list.
Benchmark Bytes
How Are SaaS Tools Catching on 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.
Pro Features
TikTok SMB Showdown: Nail Art & Seductive Chicken
We’re back now with the latest TikTok SMB Showdow. In the spirit of “showing rather than telling,” this series previews our favorite TikToks from worldwide SMBs, and what makes them successful.
Pro Features
Amazon One Resurfaces
Amazon has announced that Panera Bread will integrate Amazon One. It will be the first food-based establishment to do so as it was previously used in grocery and event ticketing. We examine drivers and dynamics.
Adobe
Adobe Scales AI Across the Creative Cloud
Adobe has launched Firefly, bringing generative AI to the Creative Cloud. The headline here is Adobe’s ability to scale generative AI by integrating it across the ubiquitous Creative Cloud – from Photoshop to Illustrator.
Augmented reality
TikTok Launches Branded Effects
Though TikTok faces an uncertain future in the U.S., that’s not stopping it from rolling out new products. This week it launched a new platform designed for brands and SMBs to build and customize interactive lenses (or effects, as TikTok calls them).
Pro Features
Snap Brings Lens Creation to SMB SaaS
Snap’s new AR Enterprise Services (ARES) launched today to empower consumer-facing companies to turn their products into interactive lenses. And they can do so in a hosted and supported SaaS product.
Pro Features
Yext Expands Its Stack with No-Code Page Builder
Yext this week has made another power move by launching a no-code page builder. This effectively deepens Yext’s presence in the website builder competitive space and makes its next move into adjacent features.
Pro Features
Augmented Reality’s Latest Local Commerce Play: Restaurant Menus
The latest AR commerce play has come to light from Denny’s. The chain restaurant has integrated an AR-powered menu that lets diners visualize dishes in 3D before ordering. This works towards a more informed customer and “craveability.”
podcasts
Ep. 14 Examines the Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank seems to be all that anyone can talk about in the tech, media, and finance worlds. And as we
Pro Features
SVB Fallout: A Conversation with Progress Partners
We discussed SVB with Progress Partners’ David Arslanian this week. Prior to the episode dropping on Monday, we also got the chance to gather insights from Arslanian’s colleagues on the SVB fallout in the marketing world.
Augmented reality
SoLoMo Resurgence: GoWalla is Back
SoLoMo pioneer GoWalla is re-launching. And what better venue than its birthplace at SXSW. 14 years later, the product will contain a mix of its original formula, features to address today’s demand signals, and other learnings from its first run.
hyperlocal
NextDoor Rolls out Free SMB Marketing Tools
NextDoor has unveiled the latest phase of its product road map: free SMB marketing tools. Including event listings, user polls, video, and unlimited business posts, the multi-format suite is meant to appeal to a wide range of SMB personas.
Benchmark Bytes
How Much Do SMBs Use Maps & Directory Listings to Drive Foot Traffic?
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.
Pro Features
Study: Yelp Presence Boosts Bar & Restaurant Revenue
Does presence on Yelp help or hurt SMBs’ customer acquisition and operational success? A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that establishing a Yelp presence leads to revenue boosts of 5 percent on average.
AI
SOCi Raises $120 Million, Propels AI Integrations
SOCi has announced that it raised $120 million to support and propel several orbiting and existing initiatives, including product development, mergers and acquisitions, and international expansion.
Augmented reality
Toyota and Yahoo Collaborate on Immersive Car Tours
Toyota’s new AR campaign lets users activate their smartphone camera to drop a car model in their immediate space for a 360-degree virtual tour. That tour includes the exterior, interior, and “educational hotspots” anchored to various parts of the car.
Benchmark Bytes
What Types of Digital Marketing Help Do SMBs Use?
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.