The Near Memo
Exploring the big stories for the week at the intersection of local business & marketing across the spectrum of search, social and commerce. With Greg Sterling, Mike Blumenthal & David Mihm.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 31 minutes
- Episodes
- 227
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
NFTs as a funding model? Can Google compete in product search? Distrust of tech companies is high.
Using a traditional golf course model with an NFT twist, over $10 million was raised in 48 hours. The project got lots of media coverage even though no golf course has yet been purchase…
Google rolls out new Local Packs; Yelp Survey: text reviews are best; Local Guides dominate Google reviews
Last week, Google released a new, more horizontal Local Map Pack with more white space, a bigger, squarer map and bigger images. How will this impact ads and ranking?
New Yelp consumer s…
A deep dive into the Local Search Ranking Factors with Darren Shaw
In this interview with Darren Shaw we take a deep dive into the Local Search Ranking Factors. We look at the key take aways, the strengths and weaknesses of the survey and areas that Lo…
Apple Maps goes from goat to great, Twitter needs new model, Fired Xooglers sue over Don’t be evil
After the release of iOS 15 it has become clear that Apple is not just a wannabe in the mapping space. As they move towards AR, Maps has become a discovery platform and a fully function…
Uberall consumer survey: 50% of search is local, Apple Maps pushes business discovery & AR forward
In this recent Uberal study conducted by Greg Sterling consumers confirm the importance of local search with over 50% of their searches being local and that they trust local businesses …
Vista rebrand elegance, Opportunities for new search engines, Google expands SMB propaganda campaign
VistaPrint in creating its new brand, Vista showed how to elegantly rebrand a legacy company that has become digital. It created a new umbrella brand for its many acquisitions and space…
Google My Business Rebrand - Is it a chance to fix GMB or an opportunity to nuke part of the stack?
This week we discuss but one topic, the rebranding of the Google My Business tools to the Business Profile. With enhanced in-search and in Maps editing, Google is trying (once again) to…
Amazon local BOPIS, Impact of images in Google Local search, Google Local driving the most leads
Largely uncovered in the news, Amazon has announced a new program, Local Selling, that allows local merchants selling on Amazon to apply for the ability to take an order on Amazon and d…
FTC: mobile ISPs abuse privacy, Snap blames Apple for shortfall, Performance ads an analytics scam?
The consolidation of internet, cable, voice, content, distribution, smart devices, advertising, and analytics exemplified by these large vertically-integrated ISPs—which represent appro…
FTC lays groundwork for review fines; Amazon creates a stealth offline catalog; Google Lens surfacing Local Packs with product shots
The FTC sent out a letter to many of America’s largest businesses (Apple, Alphabet, Comcast, Yelp among others) detailing unlawful practices relating to the use of endorsements and tes…
Squarespace’s “Everything to Sell Anything,” Google vs. Lowe, and Has the Local Pack Outlived Its Usefulness?
Squarespace’s “Everything to Sell Anything,” Google vs. Lowe, and Has the Local Pack Outlived Its Usefulness?
The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: W…
Google Enhances Lens for Image Based Commerce, Yelp Goes Front of House SAAS for Restaurants, Amazon and Facebook stymied by new consumer attitudes toward privacy
Google Lens was first introduced at Google I/O in 2017 and it has become a showcase for Google’s image recognition. Now when paired with MUM, Google’s new language processing, Lens is b…
Can new retail formats save traditional stores? How many real customers does Wix have? Will we see opt-in privacy options and what does it mean for marketers?
wix claims to have 210 million users. Since there are only 125 million businesses worldwide and about 30 million in the US, this number is suspect. But when you explore their paying use…
Shopify benchmarks SMB CAC; Reviews tell the story of Walmarts inventory woes; Twitter & WhatsApp now offering local business pages
With ever increasing ad costs SMBs need to understand customer acquisition costs and lifetime values whether you are a SAAS company or not. This survey of small e-commerce and small bus…
B2B sales have changed forever with self serve playing an ever larger role. Why is leading digital wallet Apple Pay uptake still so low? Will Facebook’s SmartGlasses make it out of the gate?
32% of B2B buyers were willing to spend between $50,000 and up to $500,000 without actually talking to a salesperson. 35% of businesses prefer self service as opposed to talking to eith…
MailChimp priced at $10b for Intuit proves value of SMB SAAS, 1-800-Contacts sues Warby Parker over trade name use in Adwords, Will Yahoo have a new life after Verizon sale?
- Rumors of Intuit buying MailChimp for $10 Billion validate SMB / Agency strategy
With an EBITDA of $300,000 million, MailChimp is apparently going to be sold for an eye popping $10 Bil…
Biden encourages all departments to go all in on increasing competition, Will Craiglist decline create opportunity for NextDoor?, Will public notification of facial recognition deter shoppers?
An unusually assertive Biden who noted that this 40-year “experiment” has failed. “Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism,” he proclaimed at the signing of the executive order.…
Walmart to make deliveries for SMBs, The SMB social media disconnect, Thinking about Apple reviews
Walmart is doing something that would have been unthinkable in a pre-Amazon world: offering its delivery infrastructure to other retailers. Announced earlier this week, the last-mile de…
FTC takes big swing at FB, Survey: What SMBs really need, Can a Local food delivery co-op compete?
Agency’s amended complaint details how the monopolist survived existential threats by illegally acquiring innovative competitors and burying successful app developers. But will the age…
Google devastates local food delivery, The boom in pet adoption leaves Vets overwhelmed, Amazon sellers paying to delete negative reviews
Google, when testing new features in the chase to improve user’s experience, often pick large partners for the test period. Effectively they pick a “winner”, that, if the test succeeds,…