Experian launches industry’s first on-the-move location planning app
ForSite App provides data insight to speed up location planning straight to mobile
London, 21 November 2011 - Experian, the global information services company, today launched its latest innovation: the ForSite App. Representing a world’s first for location planning, the ForSite App is designed to provide retail and network location planners, as well as media agencies and media buyers, with a wealth of instant Experian data about a location and its catchment area straight to their iPhone or Android phone.
Part of an ongoing strategy of deploying its data expertise through new channels, this new app will considerably improve and speed up location planning, giving organisations faster decision making with detailed insight at the tap of a screen.
The ForSite App makes Experian’s existing location planning insight and expertise available on the move. It enables planners to assess a trade area based on distance or drive time criteria from any location point whether that’s current location, a geo-tagged photograph, or a postcode or map selection. In addition to a topline overview on a given area - such as the number of households, average weekly household income and average weekly spend on retail - the app also provides a real-time report, instantly providing a range of Experian insight including detailed demographic data, Mosaic consumer insight, expenditure and income data and the types and number of retailers already trading in the area.
Experian’s latest innovation enables businesses to analyse whether a location is suitable for them and their products or services quickly and effectively. It gives location planners greater flexibility and saves both time and money by analysing potential sites right there and then in the field without the need to return to the office.
Nigel Wilson, Managing Director, Experian Marketing Information Services UK & Ireland, said: “Effective location planning is an essential part of any company’s success. Getting the location right can mean the difference between success and failure, especially in the tough trading conditions many businesses now face. Our ForSite App is the first of its kind and will be crucial in empowering location planners with the data they need, speeding up the decision making process and helping our clients to work more effectively.”
ForSite uses a smartphone’s location settings to instantly provide a report of the location and its surroundings. While insight-based location planning has traditionally been the domain of big businesses, a free and condensed version of the app will now make insight-based location planning accessible to smaller players.
Daran Hewitt, National Location Analysis Manager for Co-operative Food, commented: “The ForSite App will fundamentally change the way location planning is conducted. It will enable our location planners to make decisions about whether to progress or drop a potential site accessing ForSite via Tablet right there and then in the field using the up to date and accurate data they expect from Experian. We’re planning to open 300 new stores over the next three years and so this streamlining of decision-making and speeding up of the location finding process will be invaluable.”
Designed to be compatible with all hand held mobile devices, the Experian ForSite App can be downloaded from either the App Store for iOS, or the Android Market.
The free of charge, condensed app is available from each of these sites providing the opportunity for businesses to assess ForSite before licensing the more detailed data content contained within the app.
The ForSite App is the second product in Experian’s suite of mobile location marketing tools to be developed specifically smartphones. Experian launched its Mosaic App in November 2010, which has so far received over 2,000 downloads.
For further information visit: http://www.experian.co.uk/marketing-information-services/forsite-app.html