Retailers slow to adopt mapping technology
A survey of retail professionals has revealed that the retail industry lags behind many other sectors in its adoption of mapping technology.
The research, carried out by Vanson Bourne on behalf of Google, found that less than half (46%) of retailers are currently using the technology on their websites.
Mapping technology is used by companies to present geographical information regarding their business to customers and/or staff.
Of those retailers who used the technology the benefits cited included improved customer engagement (67%), increased sales (50%), increased efficiency (48%) and increased web traffic (41%). 45% of those retailers using mapping technology said it had led them to reconsider their overall product strategy. 54% said they planned to increase their use of the technology in the next year.
Amongst those who considered mapping technology but decided not to use it, cost was the main barrier to adoption (71%). Concerns over complexity (29%) were another key issue. However, 73% of retailers not currently using mapping technology were interested in doing so in the future, suggesting they are aware of the potential benefits it can bring to their businesses.
One retailer shown to be successfully making use of mapping technology was Net-a-Porter. The online luxury fashion retailer has integrated a fully interactive Google Map into its website. Known as Net-a-Porter Live, the service displays a shopping bag icon on a Google Earth Map, wherever a product is added to a customer’s wish list or their basket.
James Christian, head of innovation at Net-a-Porter Group said: “This geographical visualisation of the products customers are looking at has created an innovative way to discover the latest trends and styles from across the world and has provided us with some fantastic publicity. By sharing real-time information via Google Maps we are helping to encourage engagement with our brand.”
Sanjay Patel, head of enterprise GEO EMEA at Google, commented: “As this example demonstrates, mapping technology is being used for far more than just showing your customers where you’re located.
“Organisations in all sectors are harnessing its power to get a better view of their customers, improve business processes, and drive sales. Those businesses not yet using the technology are missing out, particularly in the retail sector, where there is great potential to develop business insight and increase customer engagement through making greater use of mapping technology.”
