Bureau service GIS provides prospect assignment

Faced with a major slowdown in the UK and global economy, many businesses have looked to protect market share and where possible find cost – effective ways of reaching new customers.

Lovell Johns were approached by leading builders’ merchants Travis Perkins, whose portfolio of companies also boasts Wickes, City Plumbing, Keyline, CCF and Benchmarx. Travis Perkins were about to purchase a listing of over 100,000 business prospects but needed to be able to assign each record to a nearest store. Lovell Johns were able to geo – reference these prospect records and the TP 1,200 stores from postcode data supplied, and supply back a matched list of prospects to stores.

The same client also wanted to contact all dormant / lapsed TP card holders by running a direct mail campaign enticing them back to their nearest relevant branch within Group. Specifically, TP wanted to incorporate a map at relevant scale showing their nearest TP store. The 1,200 stores had already been geocoded as part of the prospecting exercise.

LJ identified undertook a quick pilot study to validate the methodology then chose MapVu 1:40,000 scale mapping as suitable background mapping to show a centralised TP store. A software script was written to automate the placement of the appropriate logo over each map.