Geo-Locator (Geo-location software service)
Celtic Productions have built and developed a JavaScript-based, client-side library enabling companies who have multiple locations or branches to 'map' their customers to their most appropriate store. This Geo-locator software was born out of necessity but has thrived in recent months with companies wishing to provide more focused, store specific offers to their customers.
How does it work? Well, without getting into too much details, our client installs the Geo-locator libraries and in their administration area, functionality is provided for them to define their catchment areas. Think of a catchment area as a geographical boundary that is tied to a particular location/branch/store. A customer turns up to their website and they are prompted to enter their address. Our geo-locator software then determines which of the company's locations is the closest to the customer.
The company can then perform targeted marketing action. For example, they can show special promotional offers in the customer's local store, they can provide detailed delivery/collection information or they can segment their customers more effectively.
Why the need? Ireland currently doesn't utilise postcodes to deliver mail so mapping an address to a particular catchment area isn't as straightforward as in other European countries. In the UK for example, a postcode generally consists of 5 - 7 alphanumeric characters (often written with a space in between), the first part consisting of a 'postcode district' and the second part consisting of a further delineation of the town. Companies can use either parts of the postcode separately or in conjunction to accurately determine how the customer's location should be dealt with internally. For example, a delivery company might accept a customer's postcode and calculate their closest store. If a London-based customer's postcode begins with an N or NW, their nearest shipping depot might be different than if their postcode began with an E or EC. It's very easy to 'map' the postcodes.
Similarly in France, an exceptional postcode system means that it is really simple to locate a customer's house based on a 5-digit postcode and even in rural locations, house numbers indicate the number of metres a house is from the start of its street! Unfortunately, in Ireland, the postman has no such system to assist him beyond high-level Dublin area codes (e.g. Dublin 2, Dublin 18). This is where the Geo-Locator software comes to the fore. Unlike some other mapping services, the Geo-Locator is fully 'pluggable' and works for your business right away, mapping addresses in Ireland to either a specific point or catchment area.
Who might use the Geo-Locator? Companies that use the Geo-Locator software include delivery companies looking to match a customer's address to a store. We have a number of chain stores who use the software to direct customers to their nearest store. Insurance companies use the Geo-Locator software as a supplement to their in-house systems to calculate insurance premiums. In short, if your company has (or deals with) multiple locations, the Geo-Locator will help your business.
Geo-locator Features
- Thin Javascript client so no performance impact
- Segment customers geographically
- Define unlimited catchment areas (overlapping or not)
- Maps customer's Republic of Ireland address to their closest store
- Ability to manually override addresses
- More effectively market to your customers
- Uses Google Maps API so excellent nationwide coverage
Geo-locator is specifically built for and sold by Creative Dynamics. Please visit the dedicated
Geo-Locator website to find out how the Geo-Locator application can drive your interactive website and expand your marketing efforts.
