Ad network Reply has acquired online marketing network for small business owners MerchantCircle for $60 million in cash and stock. The transaction is expected to be completed in Q3 2011.
Merchant Circle provides a business directory for merchants in smaller towns and currently lists over a million small businesses. MerchantCircle has long targeted merchants in small locales versus catering towards the consumers, as sites like Yelp and CitySearch do. MerchantCircle has local business members in 95% of the 24,600 U.S. cities and towns with populations over 200. The company also acquired Bloglines from IAC late last year. → Read More
Online marketing network for small business owners MerchantCircle is launching an iPhone app today that allows small businesses to manage and update their listings on the site and other social media pages, upload photos, answer new customer inquiries and stay on top of their reviews on the go.
Merchant Circle provides a business directory for merchants in smaller towns and currently lists over a million small businesses. MerchantCircle has long targeted merchants in small locales versus catering towards the consumers, as sites like Yelp and CitySearch do. MerchantCircle has local business members in 95% of the 24,600 U.S. cities and towns with populations over 200. → Read More
The saga continues. After informing us in September that the IAC-owned Bloglines was to be shut down permanently, Ask.com (the IAC property that operates Bloglines) has resurrected the troubled RSS feeder, the company tells TechCrunch exclusively. IAC has transferred ownership of the property to an unlikely new patron: MerchantCircle, an online marketing network for small business owners. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but we do know that the deal was sort of in the family—IAC invested in MerchantCircle back in 2007. We are told Ask.com will maintain the current Bloglines service until December 1 of this year, after which the service will be transitioned to MerchantCircle. → Read More
Online marketing network for small business owners MerchantCircle has acquired meeting scheduler TimeBridge, we’ve learned. We’ve confirmed the acquisition with MerchantCircle. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2005, TimeBridge provides a web app and an iPhone app that allows users to coordinate and schedule meetings easily. The company also offers a number of features that allow users to conduct meetings, including web, phone and video conferencing. The app will send attendees email and SMS reminders and allow users to upload documents and capture notes. → Read More
Hyperlocal business directory MerchantCircle is getting into the content game today with the launch of a “Local Content Studio.” Merchant Circle, which has been steadily growing, is a business directory for merchants in smaller towns and currently lists 1.3 million small businesses. MerchantCircle has local business members in 95% of the 24,600 U.S. cities and towns with populations over 200.
The Local Content Studio aims to bring bring short-format information and articles that focus on the long tail of consumer local interest. The idea behind the studio is to create in-depth local content designed to connect customers with merchants. And MerchantCircle is encouraging business owners on its site to contribute the content. A typical submission would focus on “the best fishing tips for Five Lake, in Talkeetna, Alaska,” written by a local bait shop owner. → Read More
Hyperlocal business directory MerchantCircle has been steadily growing its business directory for merchants in smaller towns. MerchantCircle has long targeted merchants in small locales versus catering towards the consumers, as sites like Yelp and CitySearch do. Today, MerchantCircle has launched a new social gaming program, “MerchantCircle Mayors,” which identifies and rewards the most connected members within the MerchantCircle network with mayorships.
The feature, which is similar in theory to Foursquare mayorships, allows business owners to become Mayors of their respective cities on MerchantCircle by networking with other merchants. A Mayor’s governance is based on connections within that city. Networking includes connecting with other merchants on the site and inviting local merchants to join MerchantCircle. MerchantCircle members can manage their connections through a dashboard where they can view the current local leader and top challengers, their requests and all current connections. The current Mayor of each city will receive free advertising around the MerchantCircle network. → Read More
Hyperlocal business directory MerchantCircle has been steadily growing its business directory for merchants in smaller towns. MerchantCircle has long targeted its site’s features towards merchants in small locales versus catering towards the consumers, as sites like Yelp and CitySearch do. Today, MerchantCircle is expanded its online marketing platform and business directory to Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
The startup provides small businesses with a web page listing, blogging and email newsletter application, and a local business social network that focuses on connecting local businesses with each other. Since launching in 2007, the startup has gained traction in small towns where the larger sites don’t have reach. MerchantCircle has also added features to make the site attractive with consumers, launching a question feature that allows consumers to enter a question to merchants about any topic on the platform. MerchantCircle also aims to be a mini-social network, where consumers can “follow” local businesses for information on promotions, coupons and announcements. → Read More
Hyperlocal business directory MerchantCircle has been steadily growing as an online network and business directory for merchants in smaller towns to advertise to consumers. MerchantCircle has long targeted its site’s features towards merchants versus catering towards the consumer, as sites like Yelp and CitySearch do. Today, the network has hit a milestone by signing up its one millionth merchant. Not too shabby for the business directory, considering there are an estimated 15 million local merchants in the U.S. today.
MerchantCircle provides small businesses with a web page listing, blogging and email newsletter application, and a local business social network that focuses on connecting local businesses with each other. Since launching in 2007, the startup has gained traction in small towns where the larger sites don’t have reach. For example, 50 percent of local businesses in Wasilla, Alaska are on MerchantCircle and actively engage with the site. MerchantCircle has also added features to make the site attractive with consumers, recently launching a question feature that allows consumers to enter a question to merchants about any topic on the platform. → Read More
Hyperlocal business directory MerchantCircle has been steadily growing as an online network and business directory for merchants in smaller towns to advertise to consumers. MerchantCircle has long targeted its site’s features towards merchants versus catering towards the consumer, as sites like Yelp and CitySearch do. Today, the startup has launched two features to appeal to the consumer side, Neighbors and Answers.
MerchantCircle provides small businesses with a web page listing, blogging and email newsletter application, and a local business social network that focuses on connecting local businesses with each other. Since launching in 2006, MerchantCircle has attracted nearly one million small businesses to engage daily on the site in hyperlocal areas of the U.S. With Neighbors and Answers, MechantCircle is trying to appeal to the consumer side by creating conversations between consumers and their local merchants. → Read More
Hyperlocal business directory provider MerchantCircle has taken $10 million Series B in a round that included previous investors Rustic Canyon Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Steamboat Ventures (Walt Disney), and new participants IAC and Square 1 Bank. The funding will allow MerchantCircle to pursue acquisition opportunities and accelerate their strategy of becoming “the most effective channel for connecting local businesses with local consumers”. Los Altos based MerchantCircle provides small businesses a web page listing, blogging and email newsletter application, and a local business network that focuses on connecting local businesses. The “circle” in the company’s name comes from a viral marketing strategy that encourages members to sign new members in their community. MerchantCircle has attracted more than 250,000 local merchants since launching in 2006. Entry-level packages are free of charge with enhanced advertising memberships starting at $29 per month. CrunchBase Information MerchantCircle Rustic Canyon Partners Scale Venture Partners Steamboat Ventures Square 1 Bank Information provided by CrunchBase → Read More
