Did you know some of the biggest retailers are expanding their reach without adding a single new store? Recently, a report published by Walmart stated that it is using geospatial intelligence analysis to expand its same-day delivery reach without opening any new stores. As interesting as it gets, this retailer did not rely on traditional ZIP codes to define its service areas and plan delivery routes.
So, what did Walmart do differently? They segmented the U.S. into thousands of small, data-rich zones, something like digital tiles or hexagonal pixels. According to the report, Walmart combined both internal and external data. Internal data included store capacity, inventory, and order history, while external data included traffic patterns, points of interest, and demographics.
Without external data, their understanding of local conditions would have been incomplete, limiting their ability to optimize routes and maximize growth. This approach helped Walmart deliver to 12 million more households on the same day. So, how did they plan it? Let’s explore how location data can drive competitive intelligence.
How did the big retailer gain competitive intelligence?
Walmart leaned on general POI attributes to build a detailed picture of the delivery landscape. This helped them gain a competitive intelligence to find out gaps like,
1. Areas where competitors provided slow or inconsistent deliveries
2. Neighborhoods with high demand but no delivery penetration
3. Zones where competitors were unable to offer same-day delivery due to warehouse distance
4. Regions where traffic or access issues often delay competitor deliveries
This granular understanding enabled Walmart to better serve its customers, giving it a competitive edge that others might overlook.
How can brands use location data for competitive intelligence?
Walmart’s success is only an illustration of how valuable competitive intelligence data can be when used strategically. Many brands are increasingly using comparable analytics to outperform the competition in both digital and physical spaces. When you layer detailed POI data (point of interest data) like store location, operating hours, services offered, and more, you start seeing the full picture. Let’s break down a few ways brands are already putting location intelligence data to work.
1. Map and benchmark competitor locations
POI data like latitude, longitude, store type (franchise vs. brand-owned), and even the year established can help build a map of every competitor store across the country.
If you want to expand your brand, competitive intelligence data can help you spot where your rivals have a presence. Also, if you’re planning to start a new business, this could also help identify store types (grocery, car dealer, salon, etc.) and understand how heavily competitors are investing in specific markets.
Competitive intelligence tells how long competitors have been in an area, allowing you to gauge market maturity and customer loyalty. Combining this information with customer data, you can customize offers, close service gaps, and provide a better customer experience.
| Pro Tip: Use drive-time or walk-time isochrone maps to analyze real-world accessibility around competitor locations and understand how accessible your competitors are to your target audience. |
2. Understand customer experience and expectations
Customer experience is often where brands win or lose. So, knowing competitive intelligence data, such as open and close times, services (like delivery, carryout, or reservations), and amenities (like WiFi, parking, or pet-friendly spaces), gives you a peek into the experience they’re offering. This helps brands set the bar higher or differentiate themselves.
Adding operational details like store format (specific type or layout of a retail location), recent upgrades, or service availability offers more context. For example, if other stores close early or don’t deliver in certain areas, there’s a chance to offer better convenience.
Matching competitor services to the neighborhood with data such as demographics, lifestyle, behavior, business density, housing trends, and transportation access reveals what customers expect.
| Pro Tip: Correlate location-based customer feedback and rating patterns with geographic clusters to detect hyperlocal service gaps. |
3. Analyze the digital and physical presence of your competition
Using website links or social media profiles (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), brands can assess competitive intelligence data, like how active and engaging competitors are across platforms. These POI attributes help to analyze customer sentiment, track updates and launches, identify local influencers, personalize marketing, and spot neighborhood-specific content trends.
Insights from app store reviews and update logs can reveal user experience strengths and weaknesses as well as innovation cycles in a competitor’s product or service. Also, job postings and employee activity offer clues into future business directions, talent priorities, and internal culture.
Beyond tracking activity on social platforms, analyzing content type, engagement patterns, and influencer collaborations reveals deeper brand strategies. High-performing posts highlight what connects with target audiences. On the physical side, monitoring in-store promotions, event sponsorships, and local reviews helps identify market focus and offline engagement. Together, these insights create a well-rounded view of competitor presence.
| Pro Tip: Monitor ad campaigns and social engagement trends with tools like Meta Ad Library or third-party SEO platforms to see where competitors are investing digitally. |
4. Track local offerings and pricing dynamics
When it comes to understanding your competition, a few key POI attributes can tell you a lot more than you might expect. NAICS classification shows exactly what type of business your competitor is running, so you’re not just comparing apples to oranges. Attributes like store capacity give you a sense of how big their operation is and how many customers they might be serving.
Also, by understanding their payment methods, you can gauge if they are still relying on cash and cards or if they are offering digital wallets and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) options. And finally, the services they offer, like curbside pickup, repairs, or personalized shopping, can reveal how they’re staying relevant and meeting customer expectations. Put all that together, and you’ve got a pretty solid roadmap for how you can compete smarter, fill in the gaps they’re missing, and maybe even outperform them.
| Pro Tip: Use temporal location data (like time-stamped purchase behavior) to detect daypart-specific demand by neighborhood, then adjust offerings or pricing accordingly. |
5. Identify location-specific growth opportunities
Details like locality, region, ZIP code, and store amenities of your competitors help you detect untapped services across neighborhoods. Combine these location intelligence data with delivery availability or reservation systems, and you’ll start seeing where customer needs aren’t being met.
Just like the Walmart illustration earlier, a competitor may not offer delivery in a certain ZIP code or lack key amenities in a busy neighborhood. Identifying them can be an opportunity for growth for your business. With this competitive intelligence data, you can personalize offerings, choose better store locations, and create hyperlocal marketing strategies. This helps to directly address unmet demand and outshine nearby competitors.
| Pro Tip: Use predictive modeling with historical location intelligence data (store openings, closings, and remodels) to forecast which areas are likely to grow or decline in retail potential. |
Ready to turn location data into competitive intelligence?
The beauty of location data attributes is that they provide both a zoomed-in view of individual stores and a zoomed-out perspective on regional trends and brand positioning. If you’re serious about outmaneuvering your competition, location intelligence data, along with competitive intelligence monitoring, is essential. Also, you need the right tools to understand it, enrich it, and activate it at scale.
At Xtract.io, we help you with data extraction, enrichment, and geospatial analysis capabilities. You can gain granular insights from the physical world and convert them into smart, competitive intelligence strategies. Get in touch with us today to turn your location data into a competitive advantage.
