Top Companies in the Location-Based Search and Advertising (LBA) Market

Since location-based based search and advertising (LBA) is a relatively new concept in the ad world, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the competition is already fierce as companies of all sizes try and capitalize on the explosive market growth.

The Global Location-Based Search and Advertising Market is expected to post a whopping CAGR of 43.23 percent from 2014-2019.

The market comprises several stakeholders such as advertisers, platform providers, application developers, navigation providers, mobile operators, location-aware application and media providers, proximity marketing providers, and mobile search providers.

Many new, advanced, and innovative solutions are available in the market to provide a different experience for the users. Hence, the competition in the market is set to intensify during the forecast period.

Most of the market players are regionally focused. However, some navigation providers, mobile operators, and location-aware application and media providers have a presence in multiple geographies.

TechNavio analysts have pinpointed the top companies dealing with location-based search and advertising that are expected to help fuel market growth during the forecast period:

Key Leading Players

AdMoove

AdMoove is a global leader in the LBA space and it is based in France. The company serves retail outlets to provide a customer-centric buying experience through mobile communication devices. It has developed a platform wherein an organization can promote its businesses within 500 meters of its store location. The company integrates the concept of advertising with geo-tagging. This helps the users search for the local deals and promotional offers in their vicinity.

AdNear

AdNear provides an advanced location-based intelligence platform that helps the advertisers use the large amount of mobile data available in the market to customize their products and services as per the needs of the customers. The company serves most of the leading brands in India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. It has more than 245 million profiled users in the APAC region with close to 300 million location updates on a daily basis. In addition, it has more than 7.2 billion location footprints in more than 5,000 cities with 131,000 networks of applications.

The company works on a unique concept wherein it does not need the real-time GPS location of the user. Instead, it extracts the information from three sources because the application is being used by the user, first-party data, and third-party data. It extracts all the information and, with the help of big data analytics, creates a particular filtered audience as per their geographical and psychographic profiles.

Foursquare

Foursquare is a global company that develops a location-based check-in application. The company has more than 20 million registered users who have checked in more than 2 billion times. Recently, the company introduced its new logo and application and launched a new ad campaign. In the two months since the launch, there has been a 10 percent increase in the user registration. The company has reported close to 55 million registered users. Recently, the company has been expanding its business because it has raised US$15 million.

Google

Google is a leader in the search engine space that uses LBS to provide excellent services to the customers. The company provides various products and services to organize the information in a structured and detailed manner. It provides various services such as location-based ads and location-based features with the help of various apps such as Google Maps and location-based search.

The company’s location-based product portfolio includes Google Earth, Indoor Maps, and Indoor Friend Finders. It filters the data the user enters based on his requirement and sends the ads accordingly. The company is headquartered in California, US.

Groupon

Groupon is a global e-commerce website that has created a market for vendors and consumers. The company works on a concept in which a user gets an email with the local offers and promotional deals on a daily basis based on his location. The customer can redeem these coupons with the merchants that have a tie-up with them. The company has strengthened its reach in the area of fashion and apparel through the acquisition of ideeli. In addition, it is expanding its business through strategic acquisitions such as the acquisition of Ticket Monster and SnapSaves.

Jiepang

Jiepang is a leading company based in China that provides third-party check-in app. The company provides advanced services by offering a branded photo filter to its check-in app. It provides various products such as Weico, Digi Fical, Camera 360, APIs for SMEs, and Roadside 5.0 to provide enhanced LBS across China. It also provides a virtual loyalty card system that allows business owners to get to know their customers better. The company is an early adopter of NFC technology. It has teamed up with Nokia to promote NFC technology, where end-users can check in by scanning NFC stickers in local business providers’ windows with the help of Nokia’s NFC-enabled phones.

xAD

xAD is a global player that provides a platform that offers a location-based marketplace, which helps buyers and sellers with targeted ads. The company provides an advanced application that captures the in-store visits of people for targeted ads, measurement solutions, and insights. It is headquartered in New York, US, and it has more than 1.5 million advertisers. The products and services of the company include location-based ad solutions, in-store management, and local search.

Emerging Players

Placecast

Placecast is a global company that provides LBA solutions for mobile communication devices. The company’s marketing platform ShopAlerts provides LBA solutions to users who are searching for promotional deals nearby. The company is headquartered in California, US, and it has partnered with Alcatel-Lucent and Urban Mapping to provide advanced LBS.

Proximus (MobileBits)

Proximus Mobility offers a location-based application that enables proximity marketing that includes promotional offers, product information, and rich media to attract customers through mobile communication devices. The company enables organizations to capture real-time information about their customers to analyze the behavioral and traffic patterns and provide customized solutions and valuable inputs nearby based on their needs and demands. 

Scanbuy

Scanbuy provides cloud-based mobile services and solutions that enable users to develop customized QR codes to enhance mobile engagement through its platform. The company enables users to access customized solutions as per their brand preference. Its product portfolio includes Analytics Engine to manage and analyze consumer behavior, the mVision tool to enable marketing engagement, and a barcode scanner. The company is based in New York, US.

Shopkick

Shopkick is one of the emerging players in the location-based search and advertising space. The company provides a shopping application that helps users explore the latest trends and fashion nearby using their mobile devices. It also helps people connect with nearby users with similar tastes and behavioral patterns. The company’s products and services are used by several retail outlets across the US.

Taptu

Taptu is a global company that operates as a search engine for mobile communication devices. The company provides products and services related to pets, entertainment, power, friendly sites, and road trips. It also hosts display ads and search ads. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, UK.

Telenity

Telenity is a global company that offers solutions and platforms for location-based marketing, messaging, and other related services. The company’s advertising platform SmartAds enables business models for advertising and marketing. The facilities provided by the company include various LBS such as friend finder, tracking, and advertising. The company is headquartered in Monroe, Connecticut, US, and it caters to network operators, content providers, and service application developers.

Yelp!

Yelp! is another LBS provider that caters to mechanics, dentists, boutiques, and restaurants. The company is headquartered in California, US, and it provides rich services including an online business account that enables companies to track the market trends, message nearby customers, and promote local offers and deals based on the proximity of the consumers. It provides a platform called Yelp Deals that allows business owners to promote their local deals and offers to the customers directly. The company operates in more than 20 countries worldwide.

Leading Location-based Deal Providers

BuyWithMe (Glit Groupe, Inc.)

BuyWithMe is a global company that provides a strategic platform to facilitate community buying. The company enables buyers to find out about various deals and promotional offers running nearby. It also helps group buyers find out about promotional offers from the local spas, salons, fitness centers, restaurants, and travel activities. The company is headquartered in New York, US, and it has operations in more than 10 countries worldwide.

LivingSocial

LivingSocial is global company based in Washington, US, that provides various deals and promotions in the local marketplace with respect to the user’s current location. The company’s product portfolio includes events, coupons, sports, and activities. The company caters to home needs, fashion products, children, electronic products, restaurants, and free coupons. It helps in boosting local business by connecting retailers and merchants across the globe.

Scoutmob

Scoutmob is an emerging player in the location-based promotional deal space. The company uses website, email, and mobile platforms as its communication platform to target customers for local deals and promotional offers. It caters to women’s jewelry, men’s and women’s clothing, stationery goods, home needs, gifts, pets, holidays, gadgets, and children. The company is based in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

Tippr.com

Tippr.com provides various promotional deals and offers to users from nearby restaurants, cafés, retail shops, spas, bars, and theaters. The company provides detailed information about the local deals and offers to give a memorable and convenient shopping experience to the users. The company is based in Seattle, Washington, US.

Other Prominent Vendors