Local Business Display System with Frequency Heat Maps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation and map software often prioritize national/global businesses over local businesses, leading to local businesses being overlooked due to their smaller customer bases and fewer retail locations, resulting in reduced visibility and patronage.
Innovation Solution
A local business display system that utilizes location and movement data from users to identify and promote local businesses by generating metrics and heat maps, highlighting frequently visited local businesses and those passed over in favor of national/global businesses, encouraging users to visit local businesses more frequently through rewards and visual interfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If map and navigation software prioritize national/global businesses for recommendation, then user convenience and navigation efficiency are improved, but local businesses are overlooked and reduced visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments business recommendations into different categories (local businesses vs. national/global businesses) and applies different ranking criteria to each segment. Local businesses are highlighted with special indicators on the map, allowing users to distinguish between the two types of businesses and intentionally select local ones despite their lower overall popularity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates user feedback by tracking actual visits to local businesses and using this data to adjust recommendations. When users visit local businesses, the system learns from this behavior and adjusts future recommendations to better reflect user preferences for local establishments, creating a feedback loop that improves both convenience and local business visibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If local businesses are ranked by popularity like national businesses, then consistent ranking methodology is maintained, but local businesses with smaller customer bases are unfairly disadvantaged
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different quality metrics to different types of businesses. For local businesses, the ranking and display emphasize community relevance, proximity, and visit frequency patterns specific to local areas. National businesses continue to be ranked by overall popularity. This local quality approach ensures that local businesses are evaluated by appropriate local criteria rather than being penalized for having smaller customer bases.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimension to business ranking by introducing visual indicators on maps that specifically highlight local businesses. This dimensional addition allows local businesses to be distinguished through visual presentation rather than just numerical ranking, giving them visibility and prominence that compensates for their smaller customer bases compared to national businesses.
Data Source
AI summary
A method can comprise receiving location data and movement data of the user. The method can further comprise identifying one or more points of interest (POIs) comprising one or more local businesses. The method can also comprise generating one or more local business metrics for the one or more local businesses. The method can further comprise generating a map overlayed with one or more indicators identifying one or more local business frequencies for the one or more local businesses visited. Additionally, the method can comprise transmitting, for display on an electronic device of the user, the one or more local business metrics and the map with the one or more indicators. Other embodiments are described.