The Evolution of Corporate Location Planning: A Survey Approach

Abstract

The unprecedented growth of big data has provided opportunities for the enhancement of retail location decision-making (RLDM) activities. Through a survey of Canadian retail location decision makers, this study examines the current state and progress in: (1) the type and scale of location decisions that retail firms undertake; and (2) the availability and use of geospatial big data and analytics within the decision-making process. The study finds significant increases in the usage of geospatial big data and analytics within corporate location planning. RLDM approaches have expanded to include new data sources, such as social media and mobile location data. With technology redefining consumption behaviors, the retail sector is looking to better understand how best to serve consumers in a market experiencing significant changes to the ways consumers shop. With granular level data being integrated into RLDM a skills gap is emerging in terms of handling and analyzing geospatial big data.