Factors to consider in a comparison
Many professionals define themselves based on the adoption platform.
So much so that, in the past of Geomarketing, there was a professional profile called Mapinfeiro, who were the people capable of piloting Mapinfo, the most adopted tool at the time.
Time passed and other tools entered the circuit, reaching the current moment in which we see an intense competitive scene.
The more tools that emerge, the greater the analyst's power of choice, but it also increases the complexity of their considerations regarding which platform to adopt.
Choosing poorly can cost you an entire learning curve, thousands of reais, and still leave you tied to a contract.
The last five years were even predictable, there was a traditional platform and another follower.
The desire to be the other can already be seen in the blatant resemblance between the logos and continues in “it seems but it's not” products.
Such similarity made it easier to compare. Those who wanted a lower price would hire the economic solution, and those who wanted performance would go for the classic solution.
The arrival of Mapfry brought new elements, and we understand that it is up to us to provide some means of comparing the main solutions so that you can choose the one that best suits you.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Nota | 4.5 | 4 | 2.5 |
| Facilidade de uso | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Custo-benefício | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Atendimento ao cliente | Fórum, email e agendamento | Email, chat e telefone | Email, chat e telefone |
| Pricipais recursos | Publicação de projetos para compartilhamento, base dados mais consistente do mercado, versão gratuita sem prazo de expiração | Ampla base de informações e escalas geográficas, consulta multicritério, associação de dados, relatórios comparativos e modelos de propensão | Conjunto de recursos espelhado na Geofusion, o que facilita a migração de clientes, bem como evidencia seu posicionamento seguidor |
| Usuários | ~8000 (a maior parte na versão gratuita) | ~2500 (base 100% pagante) | ~3500 (muitas são contas criadas para teste) |
| Vantagens | Base de conhecimento para aprendizado, metodologia validada, fundada por profissionais com muita experiência | Histórico de entrega de resultados, diversos cases de sucesso, profissionais reconhecidos pelo mercado passaram por seu quadro de funcionários | Sistema de créditos de análise permite usos pontuais e varia conforme uso |
| Desvantagens | Faltam recursos como exportação de dados, relatórios comparativos, desenho de bairros | Plataforma complexa, preço inviável para indivíduos e mesmo pequenas e médias empresas | Interface antiga, metodologia de dados inconsistente, recursos que constam na versão gratuita da Mapfry são cobrados a parte. Sistema de créditos de análise pode sair caro se o uso for mais intenso |
| Faixa de preços | Começa com um plano gratuito, com versões pagas na faixa de R$ 540 a R$ 1.580/mês | A partir de R$ 2.500/mês em contratos de, no mínimo, 1 ano, podendo superar R$ 15.000/mês se incluir módulos de leads PJ e modelos de propensão | Período de teste por 7 dias em plano completo, acessos a partir de R$ 1.200 em versões iniciais, podendo superar R$ 4.000/mês em versões mais completas |
| Principais clientes | Grupo 300 Franchising, Majô Beauty, Nutty Bavarian, Hypr, Mude, Drogalider, Suport Smart, Oliver's Pizza | Heineken, McDonalds, Oxxo, Cacau Show, Danone, CNA, Ambev, Boticário | Cargill, Petland, Grupo Trigo (Spoleto, Koni) |
| Tempo de mercado | Desde 2020 | Desde 1996 como consultoria | Desde 2017 |
| Quantidade de funcionários | 8 | +100 | 18 |
1. Learning Curve
The lack of time will prevent us from learning to use so many tools, we must choose those that are the most powerful among the easiest to use
Complex platforms will require extra effort to understand and this is the case because their development values the amount of functionality more than the ease of use.
Descriptively, these platforms have several features, but not everyone is able to extract value from them.
Simplified, even minimalist, systems are obvious in their proposal and easy to learn.
New features must be released in composition with the set, never added to a list.
Many people who were beasts at Mapinfo gave up when it came time to teach the analysis functions to someone else, and more accessible tools took that place.
This process continues to take place and more objective platforms, such as Mapfry, now take the place of the tools that replaced Mapinfo.
2. Cost of adoption
Anyone who wants to master programming, statistics, demography, geography, and marketing can perfectly create a platform to call their own and never pay for it.
Those who want to get the result faster will prefer to use a ready-made platform.
With the exception of Mapfry, the other companies work in a similar way, offering their services in plans that combine resources and market data for a group of users in long-term contracts.
Since they are similar in so many ways, it's easier to compare your proposals.
A specific feature, a segment module, quality of support, or competitive price are the main competitive variables.
It turns out that Mapfry brought new elements when developing an ideal platform for those who are starting up to advanced analysts:
- Its simplified access leads directly to the geographical analysis environment
- The pricing policy is transparent and evolved to deliver value, saving everyone from surprises
- Analysis support is contracted separately, allowing each company to create direct links with the consultant who will assist it
3. Simplicity is power
It is common to fall into the temptation to search for the complete tool.
But the reality is that 80% of the analyses will be possible with 20% of the resources.
The other 20% of the analyses depend on the development and maintenance of the 80% of resources, this is expensive and explains the discrepancy in commercial policies.
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Look for the tool that fits your most common needs and treat exceptional cases as an exception.
4. Free or paid version?
While in the exploratory phase, learning or solving specific issues, it doesn't make sense to make large financial commitments or sign long-term contracts.
Now, if you depend on a tool to do your job, then there is no doubt, it is in your interest to ensure that this company continues to offer it and you must start hiring.
If the tool comes to you through a contract made by your company's purchasing department, be aware of the purchasing and renewal policies.
Have a plan B if your current contract undergoes a revision or a cost-cutting program.
If that plan B has a free plan or is affordable, it can become plan A in times of transition.
5. abetting
Heavy and complex tools lead to more support calls, sometimes to solve simple problems like changing a password.
Availability is an important factor, many professionals prefer to use non-business hours, with fewer interruptions, to carry out their analyses.
Lighter platforms and self-service require less support, with more tutorials and ways to solve problems.
You may still need someone for strategic discussions.
In this case, we recommend that you hire a dedicated consultant and get the job format right.
6. Integrations
It's pretty hard to imagine a platform that has everything you need, so be prepared for cases where you want to integrate it with other sources.
This can be an integration where you upload the data or a native type, where you just have to enable it in the system.
7. security
Geomarketing platforms have market information, you must ensure that the data is correct and that they are from legitimate sources, after all, they will be the basis for your decisions.
Another aspect to take into account is the technological update.
Older platforms receive fewer updates, and some parts may have been unrevised for years.
That means more vulnerabilities.
More modern platforms receive more attention and possible flaws are quickly corrected, since their technologies are in wide adoption.
8. Collaboration and sharing
Nobody does anything alone and rarely is the analyst the person responsible for the final decision.
Collaboration in the construction of the analysis leads to consensus regarding the opportunity. The more people feel part of the process, the more likely they are to act as indicated.
Some tools are totally aimed at individual analysis, and it is a challenge to transform the reading of the analysis into some presentation format that can be shared.
Consider this in your assessment, many hours of competent analysts are devoted to assembling and updating presentations.
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Authors' note
This is a comparative material developed by the Mapfry team, based on our perspectives and with probable inference errors regarding competing platforms.
The market is dynamic and may have changed or we may even lack knowledge.
Even so, we chose to publish this article to facilitate your decision-making process and to present our differentials in a transparent way, as we already do with our pricing policy and our knowledge base.
We hope to have helped, if there are any serious errors, we ask that you inform us so that we can correct it:
hello@mapfry.com