Sabina Mirza-Akhmedova, CEO, Mappable, explores the transformative impact of advanced mapping and geospatial technologies on businesses in the UAE. As the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Geographic Information System market is expected to grow significantly, these tools are becoming indispensable for businesses looking to thrive in a digitally driven landscape by enhancing customer experience, optimising operational efficiency and gaining strategic insights.
In the digital era, advanced mapping and geospatial technologies are becoming crucial as consumer expectations and business operations evolve. The Geographic Information System (GIS) market in the GCC is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.1% until 2028, which is considerably faster than the global average of 12.6%. Consequently, businesses in the area need to adjust to the distinct landscape and infrastructure challenges specific to the region. Precise and customisable mapping solutions are essential to address issues like mis-delivery or delivery delays and to meet the burgeoning demands of rapidly expanding e-commerce and other sectors. Here’s how mapping solutions support business growth in the UAE and beyond:
- Enhancing customer experience
Today’s customers lack the patience to interact with cumbersome interfaces, intensifying the demand for swift and straightforward access to information. To meet this need, advanced mapping technologies are designed from the ground up to be user-friendly, integrating real-time geocoding and address searches directly into websites and apps like Mappable’s Neurogeocoder API. This significantly reduces errors and enhances the customer experience.
Geocoding services benefit online stores, real estate directories, retailers and logistics by swiftly converting large volumes of addresses into geographical coordinates and vice versa. This functionality is instrumental in displaying stores, warehouses, offices and their addresses on maps, making it easier for customers to locate services and products.
Moreover, app-embedded maps have features such as autofill addresses to boost checkout conversion rates. Businesses can also plot optimal routes for various types of transportation, enhancing the efficiency of couriers and drivers. This is particularly vital in sectors like e-commerce and delivery services, where the GCC is expected to grow to US$50 billion by 2025. Businesses can streamline their delivery processes and significantly improve the efficiency of their couriers, ultimately elevating the overall customer experience. - Optimising operational efficiency
Bulletproof logistics is the backbone of many industries, and overcoming challenges related to route planning and timely order delivery is essential. According to Pitney Bowes Business Insights, 80% of enterprise data is linked to location, underscoring the importance of integrating interactive maps into business operations to optimise resource allocation and operational planning across multiple sites.
Advanced mapping solutions allow businesses to visually organise and manage their stores, warehouses and delivery zones, which aids in making informed decisions, leading to more efficient routing for deliveries. Additionally, real-time traffic data and weather forecasts are integrated into these tools, allowing companies to adjust routes proactively and optimise fleet usage and vehicle downtime. This minimises delays and reduces delivery costs. By leveraging detailed location data, shipping costs and delivery times can also be better predicted, keeping expenses in check and customers happy. - Gaining strategic insights
Mapping technologies have enabled businesses to navigate complex market trends and understand customer demographics more effectively. For instance, they facilitate fast and efficient planning in densely populated cities, crucial for sectors like health, telecom and logistics. For e-commerce, customer experience can be improved with quick address entry, pickup point filters and customised mapping. Сourier route optimisation, warehouse zones for pick-up and geo-analytic data can be used to analyse competitors’ locations.
Geographic data is invaluable for identifying new business leads, understanding the competitive landscape and building strategies for targeted marketing and location-based promotions. Logistics and last-mile delivery businesses also use mapping to prioritise stops and optimise the sequencing of deliveries. By harnessing these insights, companies across various industries can adeptly adapt to market changes and use the data to enhance overall consumer decision-making and competitive advantage. - Customisation and integration of mapping technologies
Businesses have been constantly seeking flexible, scalable and customisable GIS solutions that can be seamlessly incorporated into existing business workflows to address specific needs.
Tools like Mappable offer highly customisable interactive maps that can be integrated into websites, internal or client applications or CRM. Businesses can modify maps’ design styles and adjust landscapes, labels, buildings and more to align with their branding. Additionally, geospatial APIs enable businesses to customise the location data they receive, tailoring responses to provide everything from detailed location data essential for logistics planning to simplified data for quick address verification. Such APIs also adapt to real-time data changes, providing alternative routes and ensuring dynamic, optimal routing. - Locally driven solutions
International mapping services, often based on satellite imagery, may lack accuracy in areas like the UAE where the customers are more likely to search for the names of the towers rather than the streets. Geospatial solutions should adapt to such hurdles, integrating easily across various industries.
Achieving cost-efficiency while maintaining high data quality and granularity is a significant challenge for businesses in the region. As infrastructure is constantly changing across the UAE, geospatial solutions must offer reliable data that is continuously updated to avoid the pitfalls of outdated or incorrect information.
Geospatial solutions like Mappable are enhancing the operational capabilities of businesses in the MENA region. It’s clear the GIS industry continues to evolve in new and exciting ways in the UAE and we’re dedicated to providing businesses with the tools needed to succeed both now and in the future.