{"id":580527,"date":"2025-12-18T20:51:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T20:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=580527"},"modified":"2025-12-18T20:52:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T20:52:48","slug":"retails-new-map-why-best-in-class-brands-are-doubling-down-on-location-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/retails-new-map-why-best-in-class-brands-are-doubling-down-on-location-intelligence","title":{"rendered":"Retail\u2019s New Map: Why Best-in-Class Brands Are Doubling Down on Location Intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Retail&nbsp;Systems Research (RSR) just released a&nbsp;great&nbsp;new report,&nbsp;\u201cLocation Intelligence in 2025: Motion in Motion.\u201d&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;the latest in a series exploring how consumer-facing businesses are using location technology to drive results.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>RSR\u2019s research, based on responses from over 100 decision-makers across retail and manufacturing, reveals a striking divide between \u201cWinners\u201d\u2014those outperforming their peers\u2014and \u201cOthers.\u201d Once again,&nbsp;there is&nbsp;a clear correlation:&nbsp;Companies&nbsp;that treat location as&nbsp;a&nbsp;strategy, using spatial data to make smarter, faster, more localized decisions, are pulling ahead. Those still struggling with fragmented data and siloed analytics are falling behind.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Here\u2019s&nbsp;what sets the Winners apart:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They use location intelligence to understand context.<\/strong>&nbsp;They\u2019ve&nbsp;moved past \u201cdots on a map\u201d and into dynamic spatial analysis.&nbsp;They\u2019re&nbsp;mapping customer behavior,&nbsp;identifying&nbsp;where competitive pressure is&nbsp;impacting&nbsp;performance, and decoding the complex dynamics across markets that influence sales,&nbsp;logistics, and operations.&nbsp;Geographic information system (GIS) technology&nbsp;enables these insights by layering internal data with external signals like demographics, mobility, and psychographics.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They\u2019re&nbsp;localizing&nbsp;at&nbsp;scale.<\/strong>&nbsp;Instead of rolling out one-size-fits-all strategies, Winners tailor their offerings to match local preferences and consumer demand. With GIS, they analyze, visualize, and respond to subtle differences at a granular level\u2014quickly and confidently.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They\u2019re&nbsp;using local data to build more&nbsp;accurate&nbsp;models.<\/strong>&nbsp;Whether&nbsp;optimizing&nbsp;locations, forecasting demand, or planning expansion, Winners use spatial analytics to test strategies before committing. ArcGIS supports this with powerful modeling tools that blend geography with business logic.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They\u2019re&nbsp;collaborating across companies to share location-based insights.<\/strong>&nbsp;This is the breakthrough. Winners have learned to share data across&nbsp;organizational lines.&nbsp;They\u2019re&nbsp;building ecosystems where brands, suppliers, and partners exchange spatial intelligence to improve outcomes for everyone. GIS becomes the common language that connects organizations\u2014enabling joint planning, shared visibility, and faster response to market shifts.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>This&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;just theory\u2014it\u2019s&nbsp;a critical success factor. According to the report, 98&nbsp;percent&nbsp;of respondents (both manufacturers and consumer-facing businesses) see the value in collaborating across the divide to \u201cdevelop better category plans.\u201d The data also shows that sharing geospatial insights allows organizations to \u201ccollaborate more effectively with partners.\u201d In a dynamic market, location intelligence plus collaboration&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;optional\u2014it\u2019s&nbsp;essential.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>The report makes one thing clear:&nbsp;Companies&nbsp;that&nbsp;aren\u2019t&nbsp;investing in location intelligence are flying blind in a landscape&nbsp;that\u2019s&nbsp;constantly shifting. The best strategy starts with a map. And the smartest organizations are using GIS to draw theirs\u2014together.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/lg\/industry\/retail\/rsr-report-location-intelligence-in-2025-motion-in-motion\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/g5609918-rsr-2024-report-li-1920x1080-1-2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-580638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/g5609918-rsr-2024-report-li-1920x1080-1-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/g5609918-rsr-2024-report-li-1920x1080-1-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/g5609918-rsr-2024-report-li-1920x1080-1-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/g5609918-rsr-2024-report-li-1920x1080-1-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/g5609918-rsr-2024-report-li-1920x1080-1-2.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">To access the report mentioned in this article, click the image above or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/lg\/industry\/retail\/rsr-report-location-intelligence-in-2025-motion-in-motion\">click here<\/a><br> <\/figcaption><\/figure>","protected":false},"author":1840,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-580527","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-retail","industry-commercial-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Retail\u2019s New Map: Why Best-in-Class Brands Are Doubling Down on Location Intelligence<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"RSR\u2019s research reveals a striking divide between \u201cWinners\u201d\u2014those outperforming their peers\u2014and \u201cOthers.\u201d Once again, there is a clear correlation: Companies that treat location as a strategy, using spatial data to make smarter, faster, more localized decisions, are pulling ahead. 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