This Week in Local

Episode 29 features Localogy analysts taking on Amazon's last-mile experiment and KKR's interest in BNPL. Mike Boland brings up Amazon’s latest experimentation with last-mile delivery, this one involves having small businesses use remnant time and space in their cars and vans to deliver packages. Charles Laughlin then wonders why digital payments giant PayPal, also a leading player in buy now, pay later, has sold off more than $40 billion in BNPL loans to private equity giant KKR. And what this move says about the state of BNPL. This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com. On this episode, the hosts refer to recent Localogy content. Here are links for easy reference: Amazon Taps SMBs for Last-Mile Delivery Snapchat+ Reaches 4 Million Paid Subscribers

In Episode 28, Localogy Analysts Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin, take on two topics at the leading edge of emerging technologies and local. First they explore if recent website builders’ aggressive push into AI will end up being the tip of the spear for widespread SMB AI adoption. They than raise the specter of robots and drones delivering packages to our homes in the near future. This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com. On this episode, the hosts referenced a few recent Localogy articles and podcast episodes. Here are the links for easy reference: Episode 27 featuring Newfold Digital CEO Sharon Rowlands Q&A: Wix Leans into AI for Website WorkflowsAre Autonomous Deliveries Making Progress?

Episode 27 welcomes Sharon Rowlands, CEO of Newfold Digital.  Our discussion focuses on how the latest tech trends are impacting the Newfold business and the SMBs it serves.  And of course, in the current conversation, that means how Newfold is using AI to serve SMBs.  Similar to other leaders in our space, Rowlands acknowledged the AI hype. She believes that AI “is definitely being oversold in some areas and undersold in others.” This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com.

Episode 26 welcomes Howard Lerman, Yext Co-founder and former CEO and current Roam CEO, to the show.  This conversation covers a lot of ground within the framework of the future of work. Everything from the thinking behind the name “Roam”, to why “hub” offices make little sense in today’s world, to what Howard believes is required for Roam to scale.  Fun fact about Howard. Many who have worked with and observed Howard in local over the years have likely assumed he was a Steve Jobs acolyte. In fact, Howard’s business hero is Walt Disney.  This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com. Early in our discussion, Howard mentions a key influence in the creation of Roam was the book Ready Player One, you can find it on Amazon here.

Christian Ward, Chief Data Officer of Yext, not only has his finger on the pulse of AI, but was talking about generative AI long before it became the latest tech topic du jour. Join the lively back & forth between Ward and host Mike Boland – two fast-talking tech geeks that speculate what’s around the corner for AI & search.  What sits at the intersection of AI and Search as Google, Microsoft and others race to integrate it? And as the search king, is Google saddled with a natural innovator’s dilemma when it comes to infusing AI. Spoiler alert: Ward wouldn’t bet against Google. This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com. Christian’s Reference to Marc Andreesen’s editorial “Why AI Will Save the World” can be seen here.

Episode 24 shares two issues of interest to the local commerce ecosystem. First, co-host Mike Boland summarizes some of the key outcomes fromMicrosoft’s recent Build conference. The event focused heavily on Microsoft’s recent AI-related product rollouts. These range from Bing to Microsoft's flagship Office products.  Then Co-host CharlesLaughlin raised one of his favorite topics, Buy Now, Pay Later. Specifically he raised how regulators in Australia have started regulating BNPL the same as any other credit provider, a move that could be repeated in the UK, US and elsewhere.  This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com.

Episode 23 digs into Google’s recently announced AI-related search updates, which will further the automation of Google search ads and AI’s impact on the search experience. This includes a shift to what Mike calls “generative search results.” Charles then raises the topic of the demise of the Neeva search engine. Neeve was an ad-free, subscription-based Google alternative that never really got off the ground.  Our analysts then discuss the [shrinking] co-working giant WeWork’s latest troubles, and what may be a bright opportunity for the company, illustrated by a new office deal with Amazon. This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com.

Episode 22 of Localogy’s This Week in Local podcast features a deep dive on the power of data with Ankit Patel, SVP of Engineering at Foursquare. Once best known for inventing the “check in”, Foursquare now empowers brands to make mission-critical, data-driven decisions.  Among the questions we tackle in the episode include, what is Foursquare today? What is geospatial data and how can brands leverage it to make better decisions? How will Foursquare employ generative AI? How will IoT devices shape our future? And much more. This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com.

Episode 21 of Localogy’s This Week in Local Podcast examines two interesting trends at opposite ends of the spectrum in local.  First co-host and Mike Boland updates us on an effort by Amazon to extend its eCommerce footprint via Amazon Anywhere. This allows app developers, for example, to easily create in-app merch stores.  Then fellow co-host Charles Laughlin shares a trend he has recently noticed of converting underutilized downtown office buildings intro residences. This had once been considered nearly impossible due to structural and bureaucratic barriers. This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, please visit Localogy.com.

Localogy’s recent L23 conference covered a wide array of topics, from the evolution of small business use of video to how dropping valuations are impacting public and private companies in the local universe. And of course,  how AI will transform how we work.  This episode of Localogy’s This Week in Local podcast again shares three voices from L23 offering insights on some of the  event’s central themes, with commentary from hosts Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin.  The voices you will hear from in this episode are Soci CMO Monica Ho, Circumference Group Chief Strategy Officer Luca Sechi, and Shark Tank investor/Waitroom Founder Vinny Lingham. This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, visit Localogy.com.