Retail Mapping and Competition Analysis
for Commercial Real Estate

Competitive mapping is the visual analysis of a business's locations alongside its direct competitors on a single map. By layering these locations onto a GIS, Commercial Real Estate professionals can instantly identify market saturation and "retail voids." This spatial intelligence is essential for making informed site selection decisions. Learn more about our GIS mapping tools.

To create a competitive map, you must plot your business locations and competitor sites onto a Geographic Information System (GIS). Modern platforms like REGIS Online simplify this by providing pre-loaded, rooftop-accurate merchant libraries. Simply select the brands you want to see to generate professional-grade competition maps in seconds. Explore our retail mapping software.

Location analysis is a data-driven process used to evaluate the geographic suitability of a specific site for investment or expansion. It involves analyzing datasets like demographics, traffic counts, and mobile analytics to predict performance. This analysis minimizes financial risk by ensuring every site selection is anchored in verifiable accuracy.

The three primary types of retail locations are planned shopping centers (malls or strip centers), unplanned business districts (downtown "Main Streets"), and freestanding sites (individual buildings). Understanding these categories is critical for competition mapping, as each type influences consumer foot traffic and visibility differently.

Mapping in retail is the use of spatial data to visualize store performance, customer origins, and competitor proximity. By using GIS maps, retailers can optimize their supply chains and identify high-potential growth markets. This visual communication turns complex spreadsheets into clear strategies for market optimization. Learn more about REGIS Online.

A retail map is a high-resolution visual representation of the commercial landscape within a trade area, featuring branded merchant logos and site-specific data. These maps are used in pitch decks to provide a clear understanding of a property's co-tenancy and surrounding traffic drivers.