An online locator service (also known as location finder, store finder, or store locator, or similar) is a feature found on websites of businesses with multiple locations that allows visitors to the site to find locations of the business within proximity of an
address
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used to give the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using border, political boundaries and street names as references, ...
or
postal code
A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, inclu ...
or within a selected region.
[Henriette Martel-Lawso]
200 Marketing Ideas for Your Website
Marketing Cues, 2004 , p. 183 Types of businesses that often have this feature include
chain retailers,
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
s,
restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
s, and other businesses that can be found in multiple
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
s.
The locator also provides important information about each location, including its address, phone number, hours of operation, services provided, and sometimes directions to the location. On many sites, searches can be narrowed to locations providing certain services not provided at all locations (e.g. 24-hour operation, handicap accessibility, pharmacies).
Location finders often operate in conjunction with a well-known online map service, such as
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...
,
MapQuest, or
Bing Maps, allowing the user to see on a map where the particular location is found on a map.
Software
Store locators use ''locator software'' in order to allow visitors to find nearby stores and business locations. In a common form, a visitor inputs a
ZIP code and the locator returns all locations in a
database
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...
within a specified
radius
In classical geometry, a radius (: radii or radiuses) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its Centre (geometry), center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The radius of a regular polygon is th ...
. It is often used in conjunction with mapping/driving direction software on
brick and click corporate websites to help customers locate a physical business location.
Some online locators determine user location from the user's IP address, rather than asking a user to input his or her location. The company utilizes IP geolocation software from
Digital Element to power the “My Local Ace” section of its website. Based on a site visitor’s location, the website can show the visitor how many stores are in their area, as well as a city-level locator map to help the customer find the store closest to their address.
Chain Store Age, “Making it Personal”, November, 2008
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References
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Retail processes and techniques
Digital marketing
Geographic position