Introduction
In the era of smart cities and infrastructures, location is everything. If we consider the USA, the third-largest country in size, then it is a hub for some renowned brands like Walmart, eBay, Amazon, etc. Even if we consider 7-Eleven, it has more than a thousand outlets in just the United States. Understanding this store location data is important for businesses to stay competitive in the market. This is where the POI(Point of Interest) comes to mind. It provides a set of geospatial information that represents significant locations, helping retailers analyze the performance of their venues and conduct market research.
In this blog, we will discover how to leverage 7-Eleven Stores‘ POI data for achieving your business goals. It will provide extensive information about
● What is POI Data?
● How POI Data Helps 7-Eleven Stores Achieve Business Goals
● How Businesses Get POI Data?
● Challenges of POI Data
● The Common Attributes of Point of Interest Data
● Example of POI Data For a 7-Eleven Store
What is POI Data?
The POI Data, sometimes called Point Of Interest Data, is a specific location or space on the map that someone finds useful. Such data can be everyday locations, such as restaurants, gardens, museums, hotels, supermarkets, medical stores, and more. Information related to these locations helps the brand identify or define the venue.
The POI data is incorporated by other location-based services, navigation applications, and mapping platforms to increase user experience by providing nearby places information to users. Here, every point can contain important parameters such as the name of the point, store opening hours, contact details, customer reviews, latitude and longitude, and more.
How POI Data Helps 7-Eleven Stores Achieve Business Goals
Let’s discover how 7-Eleven stores became successful in the market.
● Understanding Real Competition
The POI data just does not provide information about your direct competitors, but also provides details about indirect players meeting similar customer needs. For instance, a fitness brand can map out yoga studios or a gym to attract people. With the POI data, businesses can discover facilities provided by their neighborhood. This will help businesses to identify unmet customer needs.
● Identifying Complementary Businesses
Many locations often surround complementary businesses that provide non-competing products or services. Let’s understand this with a simple example. A bakery might succeed next to a tea or coffee shop. With POI data, brands can search for these business types that align well with their brand, even in unknown markets.
● Inventory & Demand Forecasting
Location-specific data is best for using trends and upcoming events that can predict the expected inventory level for future periods. Location-specific attributes, such as a nearby school or college, empower businesses to make informed stocking decisions.
● Operational Efficiency
By analyzing associated data and pinpointing specific geographic locations, POI data helps organizations to optimize not only operations, but also enhance customer engagement & improve business efficiency.
● Understanding your competitors
The POI data lets you identify the location of your competitors and helps you know entrants in that area. It enables you to forecast which locations are best for your business and which ones to avoid.
How Businesses Get POI Data?
● Professional Point of Interest Data Providers:
You have to find professional Point of Interest Services data providers who provide you with up-to-date POI data for your business. These providers feature functional metadata, subcategories, and geometric coordinates, which ensure that you get the most valuable attributes. Some POI data providers tailor services based on your unique business requirements.
● Open Data Sources:
Some POI data are available for free by using OpenStreetMap, a social project. These sources are often cheap, but they may not provide the accurate information your business needs. Open data is preferable when data is not monetized or for minor usage.
● Custom Data Collection:
For a larger enterprise, POI data collected through surveys or RFID tags is relevant to them because it comes from a specific group of people with a direct link to the business. However, it encounters difficulties and requires a high level of skill to execute.
Challenges of POI Data
● Data Accuracy
If you have outdated POI data or missing information, then it will create wrong decisions, which leads to financial losses or decreased competitiveness.
● Coverage Gaps
POI data can perform well to a limited extent. It can work for smart cities or metropolitan areas, but it might not be exhaustive in rural settings.
● Standardization Issues
Different departments or systems use varying types of data formats, which can compound the problem of integration among other service providers.
● Licensing & Access Limits
Sectors like commercial, defense, and atomic energy may have restrictions on the usage of data. This creates hurdles in making an informed business.
● Limited Granularity
Some datasets include only limited data. For example, they do not provide important store-level attributes like services or hours. Many times, they do not provide even accurate data, which can drive business in the wrong direction.
What are The Common Attributes of Point of Interest Data?
Point of Interest data contains some basic attributes about the places it provides. Some of them are name, location, function, and more. POI data includes a high level of location-related granularity, which is reflected in its attributes.
The common attributes of POI are:
● Place Name
● Address
● Franchise Information
● Geographic Coordinates- Latitude & Longitude
● Contact Details
● Services
● Zip Code
● URL
● Contact Details
Example of POI Data For a 7-Eleven Store
The following table shows a classic example of a 7-Eleven Store. It describes what POI data will look like for this brand.
Field Name | Value |
Store Name | 7-Eleven #10452 |
Brand | 7-Eleven |
Address | 1601 Connecticut Ave NW |
City | Washington |
State | DC |
ZIP Code | 20009 |
Latitude | 38.9111 |
Longitude | -77.0446 |
Phone Number | 555-0198 |
Store Opening Hours | Open 24 Hours |
Category | Convenience Store |
Subcategory | Snacks, Beverages, ATM, Gas Station |
Nearby Landmarks | Dupont Circle |
Competitor Proximity | CVS (0.2 mi), Circle K (0.4 mi) |
Website URL | https://www.7-eleven.com/locator |
Last Updated | 2025-10-14 |
Common Use Cases of POI Data
Organizations can utilize POI data in numerous ways. These use cases are as follows:
● Market Saturation Analysis: POI data can be effective in finding over- and underserved regions for business expansion.
● Competitive Benchmarking: With POI data, organizations can map rival store proximity and assess market share overlap.
● Hospitality analytics: By analyzing data on guest behavior, POI data can optimize service and experience in the hospitality sector.
● Route Optimization: The Organization can leverage POI data to improve delivery and maintenance scheduling using geospatial clustering.
● Zoning & Compliance: Point of Interest data ensures new sites meet local regulations and permit requirements
● Real Estate Negotiation: Brands can use POI context to support lease terms and valuation discussions.
● Site Selection: Businesses can use POI data to know optimal locations based on zoning and competitor density.
● Strategic Planning: Retail businesses can incorporate Point of Interest data to align store networks with long-term growth, mobility, and urban development.
● Real Estate Negotiation: Brands can use POI context to support lease terms and valuation discussions.
● Customer Experience: POI data can enhance accessibility and relevance through location-aware services in the business.
Final Words
Mapping 7-Eleven is not a piece of cake. It requires an equal amount of skills that are essentially used to drive business growth, improve decision-making, and increase customer satisfaction. POI data also needs to be maintained, which includes deduplication, integration with your system, and regular updates.
Are you looking for the best POI data services provider who can understand your business, your value, and provide you with the most precise information to establish your business? You can contact us right away, LocationsCloud, to book an appointment. We will walk you through the entire POI data process.