• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, April 9, 2015

Getting to local retail will be a little easier for consumers searching YP’s local listings, thanks to a new partnership between YP and mass livery service Uber. Under the terms of the agreement, YP will incorporate on-demand Uber ride-hailing into its local listings, so consumers can locate a business and arrange a ride to visit it right away.

The service is available for the YP app on both Android and iOS.

YP hopes the deal, Uber’s first API integration with a local search site, will boost traffic to local businesses ranging from movie theaters to hardware stores. YP chief technology officer Darren Clark explained: “YP wants to ensure people are able to complete their local commerce tasks with ease. Through API integrations, we are transcending the limitations of a single app by providing an enhanced experience to our users that allows them to do more all within the YP platform.”

This is just the latest in a series of API integrations with outside consumer apps. YP previously struck deals to incorporate Fandango, GrubHub, and Goodzer with its local business search and directories.

On the advertising side, in March, YP announced the launch of ypSearch Marketplace, a keyword-bid local search marketplace that enables national brands to reach YP’s roughly 80 million monthly users across its network. ypSearch Marketplace runs a real-time auction using the same standards and tools used to run campaigns across Google's and Bing's network.

In February, YP launched a new cross-device ad retargeting called Cross Device Retargeting. The service is powered by Tapad and allows national advertisers to continue reaching consumers even after they switch devices in the middle of a search.

Cross Device Retargeting Service combines first-party local search data with Tapad’s cross-screen identity tracking capability to reach consumers across devices without cookies. Last year, YP began offering re-targeting online display ads.