Max Gladwell

Is your company (or client) positioned to take advantage of geolocation as a business strategy? We look at seven that just might be.

The geolocation trend is bigger than most of us realize. Granted, it’s premature as a broad business opportunity. But make no mistake. Geolocation will become as broadly relevant and valuable as social media itself in the coming year(s).

Consumers will benefit by gaining better access to information based on geographic relevance i.e. geospatial awareness. This means that anyone running a consumer business, whether online or off, will be able to participate and ultimately benefit from a geolocation strategy using Twitter, Google, and other geo-based services. A few will be able to integrate geolocation to the very DNA of their business models.

In the following, we look at seven companies that are uniquely positioned to explore this next great frontier.

1. General Motors

This applies to all car makers. GM just happens to have the OnStar system, which gives it a slight advantage. As soon as cars become fully web enabled, it will be quite easy to integrate geolocation apps with the navigation systems. In addition to the static info you get about restaurants, airports, and points of interest, you’ll get real-time info about everything going on around you—restaurant wait times, available parking spaces, live video, and where your friends are located. You’ll also be able to program the system to push select types of notifications, such as if an accident has occurred on your current route or if a friend has come into range. This might also be available in a head-up display. In an ideal world, Audi teams up with Apple to offer the first tablet-like device integrated with the dashboard that will offer this feature package in the 45-mpg A3 TDI. It’s only a matter of time before Apple expands into the automotive market, just as Microsoft has with SYNC, and Audi seems like a great fit.

2. Greenopia

Geolocation is fundamental to the Greenopia model. The company started with printed, Michelin-style guides to green businesses and services for Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. It also provides that same info for more than 50 cities through its website. Starting in January of 2010, you’ll gain access to that same info using the Greenopia iPhone app, which is powered by Geodelic. Now you can dynamically locate green businesses across all categories from wherever you happen to be. The app features the addition of Yelp reviews as well as one-click directions. The missing piece is a social component ala Foursquare to make finding and supporting local green businesses more…social. It’s also worth noting Greenopia’s recent partnership with American Express, the undisputed king of geo-commerce data.

3. Amazon

Every Amazon account is anchored by a shipping and/or billing address, which means that Amazon knows more-or-less where you are when you login. This is largely true of any online retailer; Amazon just happens to be the largest. It’s possible that Amazon users would be willing to share or broadcast purchases, which could be viewable by geographic area. Why would they do this? It’s not entirely clear at this point. But if the successful launch of Blippy is any indication, people are ready to share their purchasing decisions. Amazon would simply provide local context. You wouldn’t necessarily have to reveal your street address. Rather, you could share based on a select geographic radius. In turn, this data stream would show what people are buying on Amazon around you. Yes, this is reminiscent of Facebook’s Beacon, only with more user control.

4. Zumbox

The first paperless postal system is a platform based on verified street addresses. This is what enables mail to be sent online (paperless) the same way it’s sent offline (paper) to save on mailing costs and reduce waste. It also means that every street address in the U.S. is digitally connected, enabling secure communication on a one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-one basis using a universal-yet-finite and publicly available contact point: the physical street address. Zumbox can leverage its platform to become a major player in the geolocation space, enabling users to broadcast information within a geographic area and quickly access local deals. We’re not at liberty to speculate further because Max Gladwell founder Rob Reed works for the company.

5. Zillow

Zillow provides quick and easy access to real estate information including home-value estimates based on aggregated data. Plus, Zillow’s users are urged to “claim” and register their house (provided they own it), which associates them with a fixed geographic location. The possibilities for a geolocation strategy are fairly wide, as Zillow can open some of its data for external consumption while aggregating additional geolocation data to add value for its two major constituencies: consumers and the residential real estate industry.

6. CitySearch

Despite Yelp’s total dominance in the local space, CitySearch can continue to be relevant if it plays its cards right. We see this a bit like the challenge MySpace faces in rebuilding its brand and repositioning itself relative to Facebook. In order to do so, though, CitySearch has to get much further ahead of the curve in terms of its geolocation strategy. For example, launching Facebook and Twitter integration in December of 2009 is not exactly ahead-of-the-curve behavior. Most of the CitySearch data has geographic coordinates, which can form rich streams of valuable info. The challenge is that CitySearch needs to simultaneously address its community, mobile, and real-time strategies in order for geolocation to have maximum value for its consumer and business users alike.

7. Netflix

As with Amazon, Netflix knows where you live because that’s where they mail your DVDs. It’s conceivable that Netflix could enable users to broadcast what movies they are currently renting/watching such that the information could be filtered geographically and accessed through Netflix or third-party sites. We don’t know if being able to see what movies are being watched in your neighborhood (potentially in real time) would be useful or not. But stranger things have certainly happened.

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