Discover how to evaluate and rank multiple retail site options in Population Explorer using demographic and spatial metrics.
Overview
Retail site selection professionals use a balance of demographic data, economic strength, competitor/ally locations and local context to choose between candidate sites. Population Explorer makes this process easier by enabling you to measure population, income, and comptitive metrics for each location in a consistent framework.
When planners compare sites, they often look for trade-offs: one site may offer higher population density but lower income; another may have better accessibility but greater competition. PopEx provides tools to quantify these differences by allowing users to analyze each buffer or isochrone individually and then view results side by side in folder summaries.
This workflow creates a data-backed foundation for decision-making. Instead of relying on intuition, planners can evaluate each site’s trade area objectively — using total population, density, gender balance, Google-integrated POIs and other demographic indicators. PopEx also supports export options that make it easy to share these insights across teams.
Comparing sites in this way helps organizations prioritize where to invest, where to expand, and where further market research is needed. It’s especially valuable for franchise networks, telecom site selection personnel, and general market analysts conducting competitive analysis or white-space studies.
Steps
1. Create Buffers or Isochrones for Each Site
Use New → Create Item to define areas around each candidate site. Select travel-time or distance-based options depending on your analysis needs.
→ Watch a quick video on creating buffers, or isochrones
2. Review Metrics in Folder Summaries
Open each site’s folder to compare key statistics, including population, income, and density. You can also export these results for detailed review in Excel.
3. Visualize and Compare
Toggle map visibility to compare overlapping trade areas visually. Adjust colors and transparency for clarity when comparing multiple locations.
Verification
Check that exported Excel or KML data matches on-screen summaries. Confirm that metrics correspond correctly to each folder or buffer.
Next Steps
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