Building ecommerce, promotions, search, social and same day delivery services around store inventory is one of those high concept "local" concepts that always make so much sense but have been tough to build around. Intuit and eBay have both purchased…
Retailers own the local experience with customers. But the brands they sell have a stake in local targeting, too, typically supporting it via coop advertising. Other methods to get in front of local customers are less dependent on their retailers.…
A big milestone was reached last week when Bank of America launched its BankAmericaDeals loyalty and rewards product to many of its 59 million customers. The launch of the product, a partnership with Cardlytics, suggests a coming of age for…
When eBay purchased Jack Abraham's Milo.com in December 2010, it caused some head scratching. While retail Inventory is helpful to track goods availability and has some value in developing location-based promotions, it seemed an unlikely anchor for eBay's SMB and…
American Eagle Outfitters becomes the latest partner to launch Shopkick nationwide, including its Aerie locations, starting today. The announcement comes on the heels of Target's national rollout that we reported here. American Eagle Outfitters and Aerie shoppers will earn "kicks"…
Target, one of the largest discount retailers in the U.S., announced today that it will now offer its guests the Shopkick app for their smartphones. When customers walk into their local Target store, they receive points known as "kicks." As…
Inventory hasn’t yet emerged as a “must have” for merchants, but the strategic importance of tracking store inventory remains undiminished. Merchants will potentially use inventory levels to drive users to specific locations, build promotions to get rid of overage (or…
The ability to marry store inventory with search and promotions is an intriguing one for interactive local media. But what closes the loop on this vision? Sherry Thomas-Zon, VP, local shopping, Local Corp. -- the new name for Local.com --…
A big chunk of the newspaper industry has banded together to adopt Find n Save, a shopping platform featuring a single place to review deals, product inventory, weekly specials, “cents off” grocery deals and local ads. Participating newspaper companies include…
The Deals space is so hot, yet there are many unanswered questions about it. We know it will be big, but who really knows what it is going to look like 18 months from now? With that in mind, we…
The purchase funnel that takes consumers from awareness to transaction and retention has been an article of faith among marketers for many years. TV advertising, for instance, is “upper funnel.” Yellow Pages, at the point of sales consideration, has been…
Auctions have influenced a more dynamic shopping environment, but aren’t very important and have ended up as just a niche shopping format, argues James Surowiecki in the June Wired (article not posted). Even on eBay, they just make up 31…
Finally, we have the long awaited merger of a directory with a retail solution. Today, prior to its earnings call, Local.com announced it would integrate product and store availability into its growing suite of women-oriented services by acquiring Krillion.com. The…
Facebook today launched its Deals product as an "alpha" in five markets: San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Austin and Atlanta. The effort plays up Facebook's social connectivity, making it simple to "like" and share deals, and promote throughout the site.…
Chicago Magazine will partner with Next Jump April 28 for "Intersections of Style," a “VIP Shopping Night” that will bring thousands of Chicagoans to select stores offering exclusive discounts and perks (i.e., “champagne check-in”). The event is being promoted by…
When hyperlocal zeroes in on local marketplaces, it makes a lot more sense to me. Witness ShopBuffalo, an attractive new marketplace from The Buffalo News launched as a companion to Buffalo.com. The site has partnered with ShopCity and Hero, a…
Retail inventory has been revving up as a new, highly mobile-oriented tool for retailers to highlight stock on hand and steer consumers to store locations. It is an important lead-generating feature on new shopping portals, such as FindnSave. Research by…
What do you do to keep your customer after your deal of the day runs? That’s a big question for tens of thousands of SMBs -- many of which have used deal a day as a loss leader and have…
EBay has issued a press release today, recounting some of its mobile milestones this year. Most notable was the 166 percent year-over-year increase in holiday gross merchandise value (11/25-12/25) to $230 million. Designer handbags, diamond jewelry and Rolex watches topped…
In case you haven’t noticed, eBay has been ramping up a local strategy in the past few months via the integration of all its vertical properties with its home site, the $75 million purchase of Milo.com, and today, a $200…
