75% Of Businesses Struggle with International Expansion.
Location Intelligence Is Your Competitive Advantage.
Expanding your business into new markets is exciting and presents significant opportunity, but let’s not pretend it’s straightforward. Plenty of successful brands at home have failed abroad. Often because they assumed global growth was a matter of copying and pasting their existing model into a new country.
International expansion rarely falters due to ambition. It typically fails because there is a lack of local understanding. That’s where Location Intelligence makes the difference.
The Shifting Landscape of International Growth
Proper due diligence, planning and research across critical performance areas is key for any expansion plans. For years, international growth has been guided by a familiar checklist of GDP per capita, broad demographic data including unemployment levels and inflation rates. The problem is this only reveals part the picture as it doesn’t tell you how people really live, work and spend time in target areas – or even how one side of a city behaves differently from another.
Global growth doesn’t follow a single pattern as markets are moving at different speeds and are shaped by very different pressures, including:
Population Shifts
Demographics are diverging across the world. For example, Africa’s population is set to double by 2050, with Nigeria on track to overtake the US as the third most populous country. Several Asian nations are also growing quickly, offering scale and youthful workforces.
In contrast, Europe and Japan populations are ageing and, in some areas, shrinking. These dynamics create uneven demand with some markets requiring businesses to adapt to younger, fast-growing populations, while others demand products and services suited to older consumers with different spending power.
Hybrid Working
In the last few years, workplace patterns have been permanently redrawn. Globally, 83% of employees say hybrid is their preferred model. In London, the shift has had a direct economic impact: workers daily spend in the city centre has fallen from 36% before the pandemic to 29% in 2024.
However, spending hasn’t disappeared it has been redistributed, with more directed towards suburban hubs, residential areas and local high streets. For companies expanding globally, this underlines the need to assess commuter flows and new spending patterns before committing to a new site.
Retail Behaviour
Physical retail remains essential but the way people shop has changed. In 2024, consumers were averaging 2.2 visits per person per month, so even with ongoing shifts, in person retail still matters. What’s different is their expectations from those visits i.e. convenience, user experience and the integration with online.
A retail concept that thrives in one region may flop elsewhere if it doesn’t fit local expectations, whether that’s warehouse-style outlets, convenience-led formats or experiential flagship stores.
Sustainability and Regulation
Expansion plans also run headlong into regulation. Since Brexit, UK environmental standards have diverged from those of the EU, while Asia-Pacific countries continue to create their own ESG frameworks. Enter a market without understanding its rules and you risk fines, delays or reputation setbacks.
On the other hand, aligning with incentives, such as tax breaks for sustainable buildings or investment in renewable energy can deliver strategic advantages.
Supply Chain Fragility
The pandemic, extreme weather and increasing geopolitical tensions have exposed how easily global supply chains can break. Expansion sites need to be chosen with established logistics corridors, port access and infrastructure resilience in mind.
More companies are building regional distribution hubs or nearshoring production to avoid over-reliance on one region. Location Intelligence supports this by mapping consumer opportunity.
Location Intelligence Is Your Competitive Advantage
Location Intelligence is more than a map. It’s a strategic layer that connects people, place and performance, bringing together sales, mobility, demographic and competitor data into one clear view. It helps you ask better questions and get clearer answers, backed by rich geospatial insight.
The global Location Intelligence market reflects this shift as it is worth around USD 25 billion in 2025, and it’s expected to nearly double by 2030 at a CAGR of over 13%. This level of investment tells its own story, that businesses are betting on smarter data to reduce risk and increase precision.
Global Growth Is About Where, Why and How
The success of your global expansion strategy depends on choosing the right sites within those new markets and adapting quickly as conditions shift. Location intelligence helps your business to grown by providing clarity across three critical areas:
1. Comparing Catchments Across Borders
Rather than relying on national averages, Location Intelligence allows businesses to zoom in and compare local catchments across countries. By identifying areas that mirror the demographic and behavioural patterns of your most profitable markets, you ensure that new sites are set up for success from the outset. This avoids the trap of assuming that a country-wide opportunity exists when, in reality, demand is clustered in very specific regions.
2. Measuring Performance with Timely Accuracy
The days of waiting months for market feedback are over. With Location Intelligence, performance data can be monitored in near-real time. Teams can track footfall patterns, compare sales performance and marketing campaign impact, and adjust their strategy based on evidence rather than assumptions. This responsiveness is crucial in international markets, where mistakes are more costly and competition is fierce.
3. Tailoring Campaigns to Local Demographics and Behaviours
Expansion isn’t just about choosing a site, it’s about knowing where your customers are and how they interact with your locations. Location Intelligence supports campaign planning by aligning marketing activity with local demographics, cultural nuances and changes in foot traffic. Messaging that works in one area may miss the mark elsewhere, location data helps tailor campaigns so they resonate locally, whether that’s adjusting the language, timing or choice of media channels.
From “Where” to “How” and “Why”
The next wave of Location Intelligence won’t just map people to places, it will integrate real-time mobility, IoT data and sustainability modelling. For businesses, this means expansion plans can be stress-tested against shifting urban patterns, environmental regulations, and even resilience to climate events.
Expansion without local insight isn’t strategy—it’s risk. Our advanced Location Intelligence platform, Periscope® provides the insights you need to analyse trends and build predictive models to confidently support your growth strategy.
Book a call with Henry, our new Head of Sales, to show you how local insight gives you the confidence to grow globally.