Latest news with #NeilClarence
Zawya
7 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: Location Bank supercharges retail growth with digital strategy
Location Bank, South Africa's leading digital location and reputation management platform, has helped one of the country's largest retail chains achieve a dramatic turnaround in customer engagement including a 102% increase in calls and 135% more direction requests by transforming their local online presence. The retail group, with hundreds of physical locations across the country, faced a familiar challenge: outdated listings, inconsistent data, slow review response times, and poor visibility across search platforms like Google and Apple Maps. These issues were limiting customer discovery and in-store visits. Location Bank's tailored solution included: - Complete clean-up and optimisation of Google Business Profiles across all locations - Implementation of AI-driven review response tools to improve engagement and reputation - Enhanced local SEO strategies, including keyword-rich content and regular updates - Distribution of accurate data across key platforms like Facebook, Waze, and Bing - Ongoing performance tracking and optimization through Location Bank's central dashboard Results achieved within months: - 102% more customer calls - 135% increase in map direction requests - 63% boost in local impressions - 79% increase in clicks to profiles - 22% rise in website visits 'For multi-location brands, visibility equals revenue' said Neil Clarence, co-founder of Location Bank. 'We helped this client take control of their digital presence, and the growth in customer actions speaks for itself.' This success story highlights the growing importance of digital location management in the retail space, especially as more consumers rely on search to choose where to shop.
Zawya
05-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
The future of search: Why Location Bank matters in the age of AI?
With the explosive rise of AI-driven assistants like ChatGPT, Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant the way people search is fundamentally changing. Traditional typed searches are giving way to voice commands, conversational queries, and intelligent prompts. But, when it comes to location based searches (or prompts), behind this shiny new interface lies something essential: the same old data. Whether someone asks Siri 'Where can i find a good burger in Rosebank' or types a query into an AI chat window, these platforms don't invent answers from thin air. They pull from structured, trusted data sources like Google Maps, Bing, Apple Maps, and more. And if your brand's location data isn't present, accurate, and consistent across these sources, you're invisible in this new AI-powered world. 'The future of search may look different on the surface but under the hood, it still depends on one thing: clean, trusted data,' said Neil Clarence, Co-founder of Location Bank. 'That's where we come in.' Welcome to the new search ecosystem The future of search is layered, decentralised, and intelligent but every layer still depends on accurate data. Here's how: - ChatGPT pulls data through Bing → Location Bank integrates directly with Bing - ChatGPT pulls data from a brands store locator - Location Bank powers these with consistent data. - Siri now taps into ChatGPT + Apple Maps → Location Bank supports both. - Google Assistant relies on Google Maps → Location Bank publishes to it natively. Location Bank. (2025). Store Locator As AI platforms scrape and learn from massive amounts of third-party data, the quality and consistency of your business's location presence has never mattered more. Why Location Bank is now critical infrastructure Location Bank ensures that your business is published correctly: name, address, phone number, hours, categories, and more across a powerful network of digital endpoints. This includes Google, Bing, Meta, Apple Maps, TomTom, Here, and in-car navigation systems. Here's what that means in practice: - If a customer asks Siri 'Where can I find a good burger in Rosebank?" you show up because your data is there on Apple Maps. - If a user asks ChatGPT 'Where can i find a good burger in Rosebank? and ChatGPT leans on Bing, you show up because your data was indexed. - If someone uses Google Assistant, your business is found because your details are perfectly synced with Google Maps. Even as consumer search habits change, your discoverability doesn't - because you are present where AI learns. The trust factor in an AI world AI systems are trained to prioritise accuracy, authority, and consistency. When your business details vary across platforms or worse, don't exist at all AI deprioritises you in favor of more reliable sources. Inconsistent data confuses search engines, but it completely disqualifies you from intelligent agents that rely on trustworthy signals. That's why uniform, verified, and up-to-date location data is no longer just a local SEO best practice - it's a foundational strategy for AI-era visibility. 'In the age of AI, your discoverability is determined by the quality of your data,' added Neil Clarence. 'We don't just publish your locations, we make them findable, verifiable, and trustworthy across every digital touchpoint.' AI might be transforming how people search but it still relies on structured data to deliver results. Location Bank helps ensure that your business isn't just listed, but trusted, synced, and ready for discovery no matter how or where consumers search. In the era of AI, your visibility will be shaped by your data. Location Bank makes sure your data is everywhere it needs to be. About Location Bank Location Bank is a leading MarTech platform that enables brands to centrally manage and sync their digital location data across key digital platforms. By delivering consistent, verified business information at scale, Location Bank helps brands enhance discoverability, build trust, and thrive in an AI-first digital landscape.
