GapMaps launches LAM service to boost local business marketing
GapMaps, a location intelligence firm based in Melbourne, Australia, has launched a Local Area Marketing (LAM) Service aimed at helping local businesses and franchise operators improve the effectiveness of their digital advertising spend. The service leverages real-world behavioural data to more precisely target prospective customers within a store's genuine catchment rather than casting ads across broad online audiences.
Precise targeting
The LAM Service allows local operators such as retailers, franchisees, restaurants, and venues to control their digital marketing budgets and campaigns directly. By using actual behavioural insights rather than online proxies, the service identifies relevant audiences, which aims to cut down on waste and missed opportunities common with mass digital platforms.
According to GapMaps, the service can help eliminate spend on irrelevant audiences by focusing campaigns on people who either live, work or visit within a store's true trade area. Businesses can define the specific area they wish to target, and tailor campaigns to drive loyalty among existing customers or attract new visitors.
"A huge amount of money is wasted on digital advertising that doesn't reach the right audience in the local catchment area," said Anthony Villanti, Managing Director and Founder, GapMaps.
Campaign control
The new service is intended to give more autonomy to local operators by allowing their own campaign launches, complementing head office advertising activities. Advanced segmentation supports campaigns that can exclude existing loyal customers, focus on patrons frequenting competitors, or promote new store openings, product launches, and time-specific offers.
GapMaps manages creative, strategy, optimisation, and reporting as part of the managed solution. The company says this turnkey approach extends access to sophisticated local marketing even for businesses with limited internal marketing resources.
Pilot outcomes
Pilot campaigns using the LAM Service have already taken place, including one with a global fitness brand. The results have shown the potential for increasing footfall, building local brand awareness, and generating measurable growth for franchisees and store operators.
GapMaps says the service has also been successfully adopted outside of its core platform, by both global and local brands, demonstrating its flexibility for different marketing needs and business models.
Global rollout
The LAM Service is now accessible across multiple regions, including Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. The immediate offering is in the form of a managed service, but GapMaps plans to integrate the LAM capabilities into its main platform in future updates.
This planned integration is intended to extend the reach of its data intelligence tools and further support both local business owners and broader network strategies.
Villanti described the new capability as delivering direct benefit to those on the ground: "Our Local Area Marketing Service solves this problem by using real-world insights to pinpoint customers. We're putting the power of precision marketing directly into the hands of local operators, helping them connect with their communities and see a real return on investment."
