After months of rumors, Amazon has entered the increasingly crowded service pro referral space with a beta test in nine markets. According to a dedicated web site for the launch, service pros will pay Amazon 20 percent for services that…
After months of rumors, Amazon has entered the increasingly crowded service pro referral space with a beta test in nine markets. According to a dedicated web site for the launch, service pros will pay Amazon 20 percent for services that…
Angie's List, which has recently seen a deterioration in its stock as investors have lost confidence in its ability to grow its premium subscription and ad model, has announced that it has gone Mobile First. The changeover is significant because…
Angie's List, which has recently seen a deterioration in its stock as investors have lost confidence in its ability to grow its premium subscription and ad model, has announced that it has gone Mobile First. The changeover is significant because…
On Monday, BuildZoom announced it has raised $2.2 million. With the latest round of infusion, we asked the Co-Founder, Jiyan Wei, where the company is headed next. "Our goal is to bring transparency to consumers who are shopping for…
ReachLocal cofounder Zorik Gordon left the company last year after veering sharply to the left with ClubLocal, a consumer-facing brand that would collect home improvement pricing and reviews, and assign jobs to home improvement pros. Now, Gordon and several ClubLocal…
BIA/Kelsey is releasing its new comprehensive forecast on local media spending for the coming year. On the eve of the release, we spoke with BIA/Kelsey SVP and Chief Economist Mark Frantik. What's the big picture with spending on local advertising?…
One idea we've kicked around for a while is that merchants can generate business tips and customer referrals for neighboring merchants in a strip mall, or down the street. Why shouldn't the cooking store people refer customers to the gourmet…
One idea we've kicked around for a while is that merchants can generate business tips and customer referrals for neighboring merchants in a strip mall, or down the street. Why shouldn't the cooking store people refer customers to the gourmet…
Almost two years ago, IAC was in a tough situation. It had a leading services referral business in ServiceMagic, whose main rival was Angie?s List, the paid subscription service. But the service wasn?t growing; had relatively low brand awareness; and…
Almost two years ago, IAC was in a tough situation. It had a leading services referral business in ServiceMagic, whose main rival was Angie’s List, the paid subscription service. But the service wasn’t growing; had relatively low brand awareness; and…
Loyalty programs offering cash back or other rewards make a lot of sense for merchants – until it is 7:30 pm on Friday, and the loyalty program is still giving 20 percent back even though it is prime time for…
In a move that shows a deep commitment to the future of classified/vertical advertising, Gannett has announced it will buy out its newspaper partners in Cars.com and take sole possession of the #2 car site (which trails only Cox?s AutoTrader…
In a move that shows a deep commitment to the future of classified/vertical advertising, Gannett has announced it will buy out its newspaper partners in Cars.com and take sole possession of the #2 car site (which trails only Cox’s AutoTrader…
Zillow is buying Trulia, its chief rival, for $3.5 Billion in stock. The two companies – both nine years old -- have a lot of overlap currently. But after the deal closes in 2015, they will seek to develop two…
It seems as though almost everyone has been talking about “big data” and analytics lately, and how the use of it can improve efficiency across all sorts off business processes. Much of the conversation has been focused on the benefits…
There have been several game changers in local. One is Google search. Another is Yelp reviews. Another has got to be Craigslist. Craigslist started out as a totally free community site focused on recruitment. In recent years, it has incrementally…
There have been several game changers in local. One is Google search. Another is Yelp reviews. Another has got to be Craigslist. Craigslist started out as a totally free community site focused on recruitment. In recent years, it has incrementally…
Priceline is sort of like eBay -- a company known for its origins in auctions, but more recently focusing on distinct, "buy it now" niches. It has recently fleshed out its core travel brand by moving up the value chain…
