NearbyNow Identifies Top Local Search Trends for 2008

LOS ALTOS, CA, Dec 06 (MARKET WIRE) --
NearbyNow, the online service that allows consumers throughout the United
States to search all products, brands, and sales currently available at local
shopping centers using the Internet or mobile phones, today announced the
most groundbreaking search trends for 2008. Based on the company's experience
in connecting millions of shoppers with hundreds of retailers using local and
mobile search, NearbyNow has identified top trends emerging from technology
and business innovation, creativity and brand measurement. Hot topics include:
multi-channeladvertising, ad campaign localization and 1:1 marketing.

"The year ahead brings great potential as local and mobile search
continuesto evolve and mature," said Scott Dunlap, NearbyNow's founder and chief
executive officer. "Focus on trends such as real-time inventory data
aggregation, as well as making TV, print and radio advertising more measurable
by creating multi-channel campaigns with Internet and mobile technology will
undoubtedly be key considerations for 2008. Industry credibility is moving in a
positive direction and is poised for large growth over the next few years."

Five key trends for 2008 identified in this release are:

-- Local search gets specific and becomes "better than the Yellow Pages."

One of the big reasons that local search has not hit its stride in a
moretimely manner is that consumers were not able to search for anything
specific, and
had to rely on searching for store names. As recent as last year, consumers
would type in "Seven for Mankind jeans San Jose, Ca" and they would get zero
results. As a result, it was left to the consumer to translate in their head
"I think Bloomingdale's carries Seven for Mankind, so maybe they will have the
pair of jeans I'm looking for" and then -- she would search for
Bloomingdale's. To date, it has not been much better than the Yellow Pages.

Thanks to a number of companies getting their local inventory online
(Wal-Mart,
Circuit City, etc.) and a host of new companies (such as NearbyNow) making
it easy to search inventory data -- consumers can now search for a specific
product. This is going to make local search explode in 2008, as consumer begin
to
expect instant information based on localized search. Homes with broadband
connections will begin using the Internet more frequently in place of the
Yellow Pages, because it has the current up-to-date info. Local search,
considered by some experts to be as much as 30% of all current searches,
will continue to grow and enable the search industry to keep booming. The
advertising dollars will follow.

In a recent article written by columnist Mark Walsh of MediaPost
Publications, he
made the observation that "paid local search is expected to remain the
fastest-growing ad category, nearly doubling to $1.8 billion and accounting for
almost a quarter of local online ad spending. Local e-mail will climb by 54
percent to $233 million, while local banners and listings will increase 18.4
percent to $5.6 billion."

-- Internet and Mobile Convergence paves the way for Search/Purchase
Experience

Mobile devices are becoming an integral experience with Internet and
in-store experiences. Find it online, send the information and directions to a
cell
phone, and go to the store.

Nearly all retailers who currently allow consumers to get an SMS receipt
from a
"buy online, pick up in-store" capability will see 30-40% of consumers use
it. The concept is the beginning of the experience that connects the Internet
and mobile (and the store) into a seamless search/purchase experience. This is
going to force a lot of retailers/brands to think about mobile as a
necessary part of a larger experience.

In a report from the Forrester Group titled: "US Mobile Commerce 2007: Low
Reception - The State of Retail's Newest Channel," "More than half of online
consumers who research products online before buying them offline, influence in
excess of $126 billion of offline sales. Now, retail's newest sales channel,
mobile, promises to change the dynamics of shopping yet again." *

-- Multi-Channel advertising goes live on Local Search

Everything goes multi-channel as Internet and mobile ads become the
measurable extension of local TV, print, and radio. In 2007, the advertising
industry experienced a consolidation of Internet ad agencies which came about
due
to advertisers demanding that ALL media become more measurable. As a result,
the next trend entails using the Internet to understand how effective
mediums, including TV and radio, are at raising awareness, driving purchases,
building brand equity, creating customer loyalty, etc. By the end of 2008, we
will
most likely see a majority of ad campaigns that will include Internet or
mobile as part of the combined advertising mix.

All advertising will be multi-channel. Mobile (text message) will become
standard protocol for measuring print, outdoor, and radio. Internet and
mobile will be used for TV and other rich media.

Additionally, there will be some form of local advertising platform that
emerges in 2008. Quality UGC and validating the source of the content will be
a critical component. The breakout leader in the online local space will be
the company that provides the best user experience and has repeat users. Ideally
this will occur without consumers being bombarded with national ads when they
are looking for a local retailer, who carries a specific brand in a
specific size -- rather they will receive localized ads customized to the
consumers' desires and behavior.

-- Location-Based Services -- The Trifecta for 1:1 Marketing

The reason everyone gets so excited about location-based services is
because "place" may be the single most powerful context for advertising, short
of
keyword. And keyword + place + now is the trifecta for 1:1 marketing. How
much would a jeweler pay to target someone in the mall looking for a $20,000
necklace? "Local CPC (cost-per-click) display" will evolve to be a major
factor in 2008 within the next 12-24 months will be when we will see the
beginning of the words "near you" included in the marketing vocabulary like
never before.

According to The Kelsey Group**, research indicates that there were six
times as many keywords with a CPC of more than $1 in January 2007 than in
the same period the year prior -- CPK (cost per click) rose an average 33%
each month in Q1 2007 compared with the same respective months in 2006.

-- Online-to-Store Shopping will bring Instant Gratification

"Get it now" becomes the killer application. One thing that local
search/shopping has that online shopping does not -- consumers can get the
purchase right now. Over two-thirds of NearbyNow requests are to pick up
items the same day. This is also reflected in the Forrester report on
Online-to-Store written by senior analyst, Tamara Mendelsohn -- "want it
now" is the top reason to buy locally, followed by "want to try it first" and
"no shipping charges." Convenience is king for consumers and applications
like "get it now" can propel local search and shopping into a whole new
stratosphere. In 2008, we will begin to see more and more online stores create
"buy online, pick up in store" capabilities for this very reason.

Dunlap added, "These are a few of the key topics we think will be
consistently discussed during the conferences and industry events in 2008. We
look forward to engaging our industry peers and business partners in the
discussion; and to the ways these shifts and innovations will impact the next
phase of local search."

About NearbyNow, Inc.

NearbyNow, Inc. provides a unique online service that allows consumers to
search all products, brands, and sales currently available at local shopping
centers using the Internet or mobile phones. Working with shopping centers and
retailers across the United States, NearbyNow enables consumers to easily access
local information both before and during their shopping trips. The company also
creates an efficient marketing tool for retailers to target nearby consumers,
helping to drive sales by turning online shoppers into in-store buyers.
NearbyNow is headquartered in Los Altos, CA. Additional information can be
obtained by phone at (650) 947-1300 or via the Web at www.nearbynow.com, or
try our service at a shopping mall near you by texting to NEARBY (632729).

* Forrester Research, March 14, 2007 "US Mobile Commerce 2007: Low Reception
- The State Of Retail's Newest Channel" by Tamara Mendelsohn with Nikki Baird,
Carrie Johnson, Christine Spivey Overby

** The Kelsey Group, From NearbyNow: Part Deux, Kelsey Group Blog, August
25,
2006, by Michael Boland

Media Contact:
Beth Trier
Trier and Company for NearbyNow
beth@triercompany.com
415-285-6147

Copyright 2007, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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