London, UK. 20 December 2019 - GBG (GBG:AIM), the global specialist in Identity Data Intelligence, today announces a collaboration with location technology company, what3words, to enhance location data for retailers and logistic companies, enabling them to reach consumers in highly dense populations and traditionally ‘hard-to-find’ markets.
GBG’s location intelligence solution, Loqate, is used by over 15,000 businesses around the world, including Ralph Lauren, ASOS and GymShark. From a single, global API it combines rich data from 249 sources to verify and validate delivery addresses in real-time, giving a seamless checkout experience and the most accurate premise-level data.
Founded in 2013, what3words provides a simple way to identify and name 3m x 3m square – anywhere in the world – with a unique three-word address. For example, ///filled.count.soap will take you to the precise front door of what3words’ London office. Another key benefit of the technology is its universal use case. Addresses aren’t standardised globally, causing mistakes and failed deliveries. Available in over 35 languages and optimised for optical character recognition (OCR) scanning, what3words smooths cross-border logistics.
The integration of what3words into Loqate’s platform is a logical step in the continued support GBG is providing customers as they expand into mega- or hard-to-reach markets where logistics and address formats can vary greatly, such as in India or China.
As well as access to Loqate’s suite of location-based services, retailers will now be able to offer consumers the option to add their what3words address at the check-out field, and from a single touchpoint. By providing more accurate and human-friendly addressing data, logistics companies will be able to deliver to the correct place, first time, and without the need for asking for additional directions.
With every failed delivery costing retailers across the UK, US and Germany an average of $17.78, businesses need to ensure they are efficiently reaching every customer, every time in order to stay competitive.
David Green, Managing Director at Loqate, a GBG Solution, says: “As consumers, we demand more from our online services than ever before – we expect everything to be quick, easy and convenient. Slick customer experience and trust has never been more important.
At Loqate, we take pride in being at the centre of the location universe, providing the world’s most trusted location data. Our collaboration with what3words means greater access to location data in countries with poor existing address systems, without having to ask our customers to integrate multiple technologies into their online checkouts or systems. We’re thrilled to be building out this capability with what3words and look forward to launching early next year.”
Chris Sheldrick, Co-Founder and CEO at what3words, says, “We are very excited about the potential of our collaboration with GBG - a global leader in location data and technology. By integrating what3words, Loqate has further enhanced the data available to retailers and logistics companies, enabling more precise and faster deliveries anywhere in the world with just 3 words"
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About Loqate, a GBG Solution
Loqate is the world’s most trusted location intelligence service, helping every business in the world reach every customer in the world, with a single global API for geocoding and verification.
Over 15,000 businesses rely on Loqate every day, including Hotel Chocolat, IBM, Ralph Lauren, Bank of America, giffgaff and GymShark to reach their customers across 245 countries and territories.
Loqate is a GBG solution. Headquartered in the UK and with people in 16 countries, GBG is a global identity data intelligence specialist, with solutions across location, identity and fraud.
For more information, visit: www.loqate.com and www.gbgplc.com.
About what3words
Find your 3 word address here.
Co-founded in London in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, what3words is the simplest way to talk about location. The system covers the entire world, never needs updating, and works offline. A 3 word address is a human-friendly way to share very precise locations with other people, or to input them into platforms and machines such as autonomous cars or e-commerce checkouts. It is optimised for voice input and contains built-in error prevention to immediately identify and correct input mistakes.
The free what3words app, available for iOS and Android, and the online map enable people to find, share and navigate to 3 word addresses in 38 languages to date. A 3 word addresses in one language can be switched instantly into any other supported language, and even looked up in one language and shared in another. what3words can be easily integrated by businesses, governments and NGOs into apps, platforms or websites, with just a few lines of code, and products are available for free or for a nominal fee for qualifying NGOs. Its partners include Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Domino’s Pizza, Lonely Planet, Airbnb and many of the UK emergency services.
what3words has a team of over 120 people, across offices in London, UK, San Francisco, USA, Johannesburg, ZA and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The company has raised over £45 million in capital from investors such as Intel, Aramex, Deutsche Bahn, SAIC and the Sony Investment Fund.