GapMaps set to tap retail & fast food sectors in India, appoints new Client Services Director

GapMaps, the Australian cloud-based mapping software specialist helping organisations with network strategies and location intelligence planning, continues to expand its international presence, which now extends to 21 countries including India.

To capitalise on this growth opportunity, GapMaps has appointed Subhashish Dey as Client Services Director. Mr Dey is an experienced location intelligence specialist who brings a unique and expert perspective to clients in India and across the Asia-Pacific region.

Having worked with NielsenIQ for many years, he has expertise working with some of the most accurate data sources available in India, which combined with the power and analytical capability of the GapMaps platform, provides key insights for clients planning network location decisions.

Despite COVID-19, the retail sector has adapted to new customer demand patterns and built new channels to market. In India, GapMaps has seen strong growth in the fast-food delivery channel, which is creating demand for data and insights that enable retailers to better plan for and capture the potential of this growing market.

“Since 2018, we’ve been adding five new markets each year and double-digit revenue growth year-on-year,” says Anthony Villanti, GapMaps Managing Director and Founder.

“This growth is due to the ease-of-use and sophistication of our mapping software, which uses the very latest demographic, government and industry data to help clients choose the right physical location specific to their business needs.”

“Today, we have approximately 500 brands using GapMaps in sectors where a physical location is required, such as fitness, fuel, grocery, quick service restaurant, shopping centres and convenience stores,” adds Villanti.

Tim Shaw, GapMap’s Director, Market Planning, says, “Many of our customers, especially the global brands, have encouraged us to enter new markets so they can use GapMaps overseas. This contributes to decisions on where we expanded the business.”

As India emerges from COVID-19 restrictions GapMaps is observing and monitoring increases in pedestrian activity in central areas, shopping malls and other retail precincts.

“What’s been interesting is the variability in the COVID-19 recovery process,” adds Shaw. “We expected to see variability between countries due to different lockdown restrictions and when those were loosened or removed. However, we see significant variation in the pace of recovery between large and small shopping malls and central precincts, an inconsistency observed across large urban centres when compared with smaller urban and regional centres.

“The ability for brands to access these insights means they can more effectively manage their physical store networks through the recovery and plan for what’s increasingly looking like a ‘new normal’ in a post-pandemic world.”

GapMap’s clients contributing to international growth include brands like Domino’s, KFC, Starbucks, Burger King, Subway and McDonalds. Eat’n’Go, the franchisee for Domino’s, Cold Stone and Pinkberry in Kenya and Nigeria, all benefitting from the data insights GapMaps provides.