This Week in Local

The recent L23 conference covered a wide array of topics, from the evolution of local sales to AI’s looming impact to the future of work.  The first of the three voices, Yelp’s Chad Richard explains how self-service, thought by my many to be something of a lost art, has helped Yelp drive down sales costs while growing revenue. Then PG Forsta’s Joel Headley succinctly explains why Open AI’s real target isn’t Google.  And finally, Roam’s Howard Lerman explains how the future of work isn’t remote. Or hybrid. It’s distributed.  This Week in Local is brought to you by Localogy. To learn more, visit Localogy.com.

Real time 3D is replacing mobile as the main environment for delivering transformative immersive experiences for retail brands. So believes Sara Oberst, Global Head of ATM and Retail Solutions at Unity Technologies.  Sara made these and other observations about how 3D is transforming retail during a fireside chat with Localogy Senior Analyst and This Week in Local Co-host Mike Boland.  Unity is a familiar name in the gaming industry. Its game engine is widely used by designers to create 3D experiences, particularly in mobile gaming.  Sara and Mike focus on how fast-evolving 3D technologies are helping retailers on a number of fronts.  These include cutting back on product returns, which cost retailers a staggering $550 billion last year, according to Sara. 3D is also helping retailers design store layouts more efficiently and eliminate the high cost of product photo shoots by using virtual photography.

Episode 17 of Localogy’s “This Week in Local” podcast explores two subjects covered by co-hosts Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin, Localogy senior analysts and writers for the Localogy Insider online publication.  The first topic, raised by Mike, is the re-emmergence of Amazon One, which uses biometrics to scan one’s palm for everything from retail payments to checking into a concert. Panera Bread is now the latest company to integrate Amazon One, possibly signaling broader expansion into the QSR vertical.  This led to a discussion of why Amazon retail solutions like Amazon One and Just Walk Out (where consumers can skip the checkout line at the grocery store) haven’t experienced wider adoption.  The second topic is the use of AI to improve the online meeting experience. The analysts specifically discussed Read AI’s latest feature which boils down long boring online meetings into 2-minute “highlight reels.” The analysts explore whether the growing number of startups focused on online meetings can really change the business culture to make video conferencing more efficient and powerful. And make meetings shorter.  Episode 17 of This Week in Local is sponsored by Localogy’s L23 Conference, April 17-19 in Coronado Bay, California. Visit Localogy.com to learn more.

Ep. 16 of Localogy’s “This Week in Local” podcast explores two topics that were top of mind for Localogy analysts Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin. This quick episode explores two subjects covered by the analysts on Localogy Insider. The first is Adobe’s rollout of Firefly, bringing generative AI to the Creative Cloud. The analysts wondered if AI would soon be in the driver’s seat for all content creation tools. The second topic is Apple Pay Later. The hardware giant announced this week that it is finally rolling out its buy now, pay later offering. Or is it? Apparently participation is now invitation only, with the full rollout still months away. One question the analysts ponder on the episode is whether Apple really needs the reputation risk that comes with getting into the dicey BNPL business. Episode 16 of This Week in Local is sponsored by Localogy’s L23 Conference, April 17-19 in Coronado Bay, California. Visit Localogy.com to learn more.

Ep. 15 of Localogy’s “This Week in Local” podcast explores two topics that were top of mind for Localogy analysts Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin. This fast-paced episode hones in on two topics.  The first is no code. This was spurred by Yext’s foray into the no code website builder space (You listening, Wix?) via it’s new Studio product. This led to a brief but wide-ranging discussion of what exactly no code is and why it matters to local.  The second topic riffs on an article Charles read about the wisdom (or lack thereof?) of collectively training AI bots like Google’s Bard by interacting with them. The analysts discuss whether we are creating the future we fear by doing so. Episode 15 of This Week in Local is sponsored by Localogy’s L23 Conference, April 17-19 in Coronado Bay, California. Visit Localogy.com to learn more.

Episode 14 of Localogy's This Week in Local podcast addresses the big issue on everyone's mind this week: Fallout from the Silicon Valley Bank Crisis. We invite Progress Partners' Managing Director David Arslanian to the guest chair to give his expert take.  Among the questions we tackle in the episode: How did SVB get to this point? What happens next as the pieces are picked up? How does the whole thing impact Localogy's world of media & advertising? And what are the lessons and takeaways from this cautionary tale? We dive in with David. Episode 14 of This Week in Local is sponsored by Localogy’s L23 Conference, April 17-19 in Coronado Bay, California. Visit Localogy.com to learn more.

Ep. 13 (the lucky episode) of Localogy’s This Week in Local podcast departs from the usual two-host format and instead features an interview with Yelp “Small Business Expert” Emily Washcovick. This fast-paced conversation honed in on a few themes. For example, How Yelp’s relationship with small businesses has evolved over the years; what is the current best practice for small businesses for handling negative reviews; how the small businesses world has emerged from Covid; and how Yelp, so often associated with restaurants, thinks about businesses that have no physical location. Episode 13 of This Week in Local is sponsored by Localogy’s L23 Conference, April 17-19 in Coronado Bay, California. Visit Localogy.com to learn more.

The latest episode of Localogy’s “This Week in Local” podcast explores two topics that were top of mind for Localogy analysts Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin.    Mike looked at new measures from TikTok to make it easier for creators, including small businesses, to build compelling TikToks. Specifically by introducing a new sound library that makes it much easier to add sound effects, music, voiceovers, and more. Mike sees this as part of TikTok’s broader efforts to make TikToking easier for small businesses.    Charles then brought up the emergence of decentralized social networks. This is a trend popular with web3 enthusiasts and free-speech absolutists. The analysts doubt that these platforms, led by Nostr, will have the legs to take on big social, e.g., Meta, Twitter, Snap, etc. Mike even offered up a comparison to George Orwell’s Animal Farm.   Episode 12 of This Week in Local is sponsored by Localogy’s L23 Conference, April 17-19 in Coronado Bay, California.    Visit Localogy.com to learn more.

This episode of “This Week in Local” takes on another big issue on the minds of Localogy analysts Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin. This episode’s sole topic involves the quest for revenue diversification via new subscription products. The subtext being that having a single source of revenue, however lucrative, is an underlying weakness. Mike cites Meta Verified as the latest example of BigTech seeking new income streams via subscriptions. However, he thinks Snapchat+ is among the best of the recent subscription rollouts by the major social media platforms, e.g., Meta and Twitter. Episode 10 of This Week in Local is sponsored by Localogy’s L23 Conference, April 17-19 in Coronado Bay, California. Learn more at Localogy.com

This episode of “This Week in Local” tackles more issues on the minds of Localogy analysts Mike Boland and Charles Laughlin. Our first topic begins with Yext’s quick action to roll out Yext Chat, a new conversational AI chatbot built on GPT3. Another discussion topic involves the recent wave of tech layoffs and their true impact on the broader economy. The latter topic references on a chart published by NYU Professor Scott Galloway, which you can find here. Episode 10 of This Week in Local is sponsored by Localogy’s L23 Conference, April 17-19 in Coronado Bay, California. Learn more about L23 here.