The well-known question in business is, “What are the three most significant aspects in retail?” The answer is, Location, Location, Location! Although there are numerous aspects that influence the success of a retail, location is undeniably one of the most important. A good location helps to secure success, while a bad location almost always guarantees failure. If you are always in your head contemplating whether a given location is worth opening a business, GIS is the answer for your uncertainty. This computer-based system will help you capture, analyze and display data of the location you are looking to open business, to help you make the right decision. 

GIS helps you to gather economic, psychographic, and demographic data on the population within a prospective region, as well as the scope of the goods and services that the population would need, and what facilities their need and merchandising strategies that are required to capture and boost demand. GIS provides location-based information in real time. This system can analyze the purchasing habits of people in a particular region to the number of vehicles sent out to supply a product.

The integration of mapping with GIS allows analysts to efficiently use data from varied sources to produce models which can assist with decisions for the best suitable alternatives for site location for your business. GIS will help you look for locations where your product or service is in high demand and there is little or no competition. Expanding your business to a site where the other businesses on the block are complimentary will guarantee that your business fits into the local market. 

For example, to evaluate a retail outlet’s potential sales generation, you may need to establish the trade area’s spatial extent and calculate the store’s market share within that area’s penetration. Location analysis can also include profiling of residents and businesses in the trade area, identifying potential clients, determining patronage patterns in terms of space, and planning techniques for advertising and sales promotion. 

At Esri Eastern Africa, we enable customers with working GIS solutions! Visit our online store https://ea-store.esri.com/en-ke/store/overview to purchase ArcGIS products.