NEW STARTUP RETAIL TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM OFFERS DIGITAL MAPPING SOLUTION AS COVID-19 CHANGES RETAIL SHOPPING HABITS

The Spot It platform is helping Canadian consumers and retailers save time and money while offering a safer way to shop during the COVID-19 pandemic

WATERLOO, ON | November 10, 2020 — Spot It, a Canadian retail technology company specializing in mapping solutions for the industry has announced the launch of its next-generation digital shopping marketplace that helps to connect, engage and inform consumers and retailers while saving them time and money. 

Originally developed to support a B2B/B2C model for retailers focused on employee efficiency and productivity, Spot It founders saw an opportunity to reach shoppers directly and provide them with a safer way to shop in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pivoting to address the immediate needs of consumers, the platform has seen exceptional engagement since its soft launch in May 2020 as it serves the needs of consumers and retailers across Ontario. 

Spot It’s interactive digital mapping solution has been designed to help consumers efficiently plan and track their shopping trips, maximize their time, and benefit from store savings. A one-stop marketplace that saves consumers time and money, users can seamlessly search stores for their favourite items and brands, build their shopping lists, map and track their shopping trips and benefit from store sales. Shoppers can efficiently plan their in-store shopping trips to reduce and minimize contact, which is an especially significant feature in the era of COVID-19. 

“Based on the B2B studies we conducted prior to COVID-19, we knew that our digital mapping platform could speed up employee productivity, so when the pandemic hit, it only made sense to pivot our model because it could be applied to consumer experiences too,” says Caleb Opersko, founder and CEO of Spot It. “The ways of enhancing the retail shopping experience of the past were inefficient — the Spot It platform is reimagining the experience of the future; transforming the way that people shop and fundamentally shifting the way that retailers do business.”

Spot It’s roots in B2B have been integral in its adoption by retailers. The platform serves as a tool for retailers of all sizes to help improve employee efficiency, increase customer engagement and drive sales through analytical insights. Its unique mapping feature allows store employees to spend more time engaging with customers, helping to drive in-store experiences and sales. Spot It’s valuable and secure data visualization tools provide key insights to store owners to help optimize visual merchandising activities and store performance. 

Now more than ever, there is a need to connect physical retailers to their customers in the online world. Spot It can be used as a way to achieve this as it helps to drive traffic, promote specific content, and influence customer success. 

“Digital transformation has been underway in the retail industry for years — however the pandemic has given a mandate to retail businesses to not only accelerate the pace of digital transformation programs, but to also tweak their customer journey to be able to respond effectively in these challenging times,” says Opersko. “A renewed focus on the in-store experience is needed, and a key driver for success is properly trained and engaged employees who directly impact the human experience. Spot it’s insight-driven approach is customer and employee-centric, an innovative approach that is necessary now more than ever.”

Currently displaying store maps of over 100 stores across Ontario, with 500+ searchable items within each map, the platform is accessible to users through its website and new mobile app. In addition to the launch of their mobile app, the company has added a variety of resources to their retail store directory to enable consumers to search store sales and seamlessly incorporate them into their shopping lists.

The platform also features a recipe tool with quantities required for classic recipes, a searchable home project database listing required materials and step-by-step instructions to guide project completion, and occasion-specific shopping checklists.

For more information about the platform, mobile application, developing features, and to request a store, visit https://maps.spotitmapping.com/.