Brand and branding Archives

Does Retailer App-Ambivalence Threaten to Slow Beacon Momentum?

Tweet Are beacons threatened by retailer app ambivalence? A new survey (n=70) from Shop.org and Forrester Research, discussed in The State of Online Retailing, says that many large retailers have “quietly opted to put apps on the back burner” — and, perhaps unwittingly, beacons with them. No app, no beacons. At some point, indoor location […]

Report: Amazon to Buy Some of Radio Shack’s Stores for Offline Retail

Tweet It appears that Radio Shack is going out of business. Sprint is reportedly buying some of its stores; but more interestingly, according to Bloomberg, Amazon is thinking about buying some of the Radio Shack outlets as well: Amazon.com Inc., aiming to bolster its brick-and-mortar operations, has discussed acquiring some RadioShack Corp. locations after the […]

Ubergate: Considering the Ethics of the Services We Use

Tweet Warning: This is a rant. Turn away now. I have been an enthusiastic user of Uber for some time. My rides have always been good. I enjoy talking to the drivers about their experience and motivations. I love the convenience and the in-the-background payments. The first time I used it and simply got out […]

Cyber Monday’s $2 Billion in Perspective

Tweet ComScore is out with data trumpeting the single biggest day in US e-commerce history. This year, according to the measurement firm, Cyber Monday sales were just over $2 billion — a new single day record. There are conflicting numbers from various sources about whether there was positive or negative growth this year for the big holiday weekend. […]

Is Small Business Saturday For Real or Just a Feel-Good Symbol?

Tweet Situated awkwardly between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is the more recent shopping day devoted to SMBs: Small Business Saturday. I’ve been skeptical for some time about whether Small Business Saturday is a real thing and whether it actually helps deliver additional revenue beyond what consumers would already be spending. Started in 2010 by American Express (as […]

Reviewers Mostly Positive, 67% on Yelp Are Either 4 or 5 Stars

Tweet There are lots of data about consumer reliance on reviews and the impact of reviews on purchase decisions. Surprisingly, however, there’s not a ton on review distribution or consumer motivations for writing reviews. There’s an “anecdotal” perception in the market that most reviewers are motivated by anger or frustration and that the bulk of reviews accordingly […]

ReachLocal Co-Founders Back in SERVIZ with New Marketplace

Tweet ReachLocal co-founders Zorik Gordon and Michael Kline have formally launched SERVIZ. The successor to ReachLocal’s ClubLocal, which was spun out when the two left the company, they call SERVIZ “an on-demand home services company.” I might use the more descriptive term “end-to-end marketplace.” Regardless of the precise terminology, SERVIZ joins a segment of companies […]

It’s the Ad Creative — Stupid

Tweet Time and again at tech marketing conferences the subject of ad creative is neglected or not discussed at all. Sessions are devoted to targeting, big data, attribution and so on. But creative is rarely seriously talked about, though there is some discussion going here in New York at Ad Week. Often the people who […]

Cities Trying to Protect Taxi Biz Against Uber Onslaught

Tweet I hate the overuse of the term “disruption.” It may be descriptive but it has become a cliche. It clearly applies, however, in the case of Uber, and similar ride-sharing services Lyft and SideCar. While the taxi business is still healthy in New York it has dramatically declined in other US cities. For example, an […]

Inside, Outside, In-Between: What’s the Future of Local Media Sales?

Tweet I’ve just completed a report with Neal Polachek on the future of local media sales: Local Media Sales 2020 — Platforms, Profits or People? Based on interviews with executives from Google, Yellowbook/Hibu, Dex Media, Web.com, Hearst, Buzzboard, ReachLocal, Yodle, newspaper sales executives and others, it looks a few years into the future and tries […]

About Greg

Greg Sterling is VP of Strategy & Insights for the LSA. His research is focused on the impact of digital media on offline consumer purchase behavior.

Full Bio »