Market Finder

MARKET FINDER

By Capricorn Rising

Statistical illiteracy is no handicap for marketers!

We give non-technical business marketers a super easy tool to interrogate complex Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) datasets.

• Its instant by drawing live from the ABS
• Its intuitive, with buttons and tickboxes
• Its graphical, with Heatmaps by area displayed

It’s a Marketers Dream.

Our Marketer simply:

1. Chooses the characteristics of their target market, then
2. Browses maps of cities and regions to find hotspots of where their target clients live.

They end up with an amazing curated list of areas to target for their product.

How?

We deliver curated Heat Maps. 

How?

We do this by taking various user selected ABS data-sets and represent the relative differences in values between any ABS statistical data area. 

Simple interrogation of each dataset is possible prior to multiple selection of more than one data-set using simple formulas (min, max, average, percentage of etc).  Each data-set then can be dropped onto a map of any chosen area and will display as a heat map over the relevant geographical area with a pop-up display of the chosen data.

While heat-maps for a single data-set is not new, where Market Finder innovates is by layering disparate and interrogated data-sets one on top of the other, altering the aggregated heat map accordingly, in real time.

To be clear, while the ability to add various layer datas on top of each other over a map is not new (such as https://nationalmap.gov.au), what is unique about Market Finder is that the data of the layers is aggregated effecting the intensity of the heat-map areas; or conversely reducing the intensity if a data-set layer is intended by the user to be applied as a negative value.

What does this mean?

It means if you are seeking to instantly identify any ABS data that possesses certain attributes (and perhaps not possessing certain others) to a certain region or area, then Market Finder does this with the added benefit of presenting the results in an intuitively understandable heat-map format. This is perfect for:

1. Marketers in a Hurry
2. The Statistical illiterate, such as the general community.
   The drag-and-drop of data-set icons, simple interrogation and aggregated heat-maps make exploring statistical data simple.
3. The low-resourced data user, such as the not-for profits, small and startup business.
4.  Unlike big business who can afford fancy economic and demographic studies or reports, small-business and start-ups simply can’t and due market diligence can mean the difference between the life and death of the enterprise.
5. All levels of Australian Government.
   With Market Finder’s method, government is not only transparent in an accessible way but also accountable in a meaningful way, building civic trust between citizens and government.

What is the potential?

Once all data-sets are imported into the Market Finder database we unleash massive potential for massive, user-generated,  data-set mash-ups, not limited to all other government open-data such as ABS, ATO, BOM, crime statistics, education, voting habits and so on……

The technology enables a user to choose a geographical area, do some simple interrogation of each data-set, layer multiple disparate data-sets and then creating custom mash-ups such as voting-habits against weather-patterns at crime hot-spots etc. etc.

The Use Cases become limitless.

Use Case of this Proof of Concept and Demonstration

Scenario 1: How a Start-up Business Can Improve Prospects Of Early Success

This start-up proposes to help homeowners install clean energy technology.  The start-up is in boot-strap mode and needs to make sharp targeting of potential customers across Australia quickly and efficiently.

Using Market Finder they are able to identify clusters of potential customers that fit their proven profile of high-rate conversions. Specifically they were looking for clusters of households that possess:

1. Current low solar-panel penetration rate.
2. Low unemployment.
3. High participation rate in the workforce (multiple members of a household earning income).
4. Target age range (avoid areas with high density of aged population who are less interested in long term home improvements).
5. Medium to high household income.

Market Finder instantly locates clusters of likely customers in a chosen area or region.

This enables the start-up to instantly and without cost to:

• VALIDATE A BUSINESS MODEL: Confirms there is a market for a successful startup.
• SALES: Identify likely potential customers for immediate prospecting.
• CASH-FLOW: Apply for a bank loan based on market research using statistics fully derived from ABS.
• CAPITAL: Pitch for Capital investment with credible ABS data to prove the valuation of the startup, and present the data using Market Finder heat-map aggregation visualisation, which - critical in the fast-paced VC industry - is rapidly understood by the investor.

Data Sets Used

http://stat.abs.gov.au/itt/r.jsp?databyregion#/

Multiple Datasets imported into Excel COME from ABS 2011 Census Data for Fitzroy Region down to SA2 level which provides ease of access to statistics from the ABS and other sources on a particular geographical region.

Rockhampton (SA3) - View data

• Berserker (SA2) - View data
• Bouldercombe (SA2) - View data
• Emu Park (SA2) - View data
• Frenchville - Mount Archer (SA2) - View data
• Glenlee - Rockyview (SA2) - View data
• Gracemere (SA2) - View data
• Lakes Creek (SA2) - View data
• Mount Morgan (SA2) - View data
• Norman Gardens (SA2) - View data
• Park Avenue (SA2) - View data
• Parkhurst - Kawana (SA2) - View data
• Rockhampton - West (SA2) - View data
• Rockhampton City (SA2) - View data
• Rockhampton Region - East (SA2) - View data
• Rockhampton Region - North (SA2) - View data
• Rockhampton Region - West (SA2) - View data
• The Range - Allenstown (SA2) - View data
• Yeppoon (SA2) - View data

A backend database was made but we had data authentication issues when loading the database onto the web server.

Awards

Sensational Hack

• As Market Finder empowers statistical illiterate uses, it is highly suitable for the general public.
• The drag-and-drop UI is easy and fun to use.
• The resulting stories that heat-maps generated from mashed-up data-sets will be intriguing and revealing to the general public, business and industry..
• For our Proof of Concept we used 2011 Census data

Innovation Presentation of Economic Data

We believe the Market Finder is innovative in presenting 'headline' economic data because users can interpret the data via mashup with other ABS data in a way that is relevant to them.

Also, via mashup with older census data, this contemporary data adds a new lease of life and relevancy to the older data.

Into The New Hack

While the capabilities of our Proof of Concept is illustrated via a Use Case of a start-up business, an infinite array of other Use Cases are possible.

For example, citizens can determine for themselves the liveability of one street / suburb to another street / suburb by choosing multiple data sets that are of interest to them. They may choose:

• “locations of schools”,
•  “median house prices”,
• “age of population 5-9yo” and create a hot-spot overlaid on a map so they can find the best street close enough to the school, yet affordable enough for their budget, that may also have young-people that their child would able to friend.

In the same way, Local Government can review Liveability of its locality in deciding where it might need additional community investment to increase liveability.

It might also use data sets to visualise where the economic growth opportunities exist and promote them to the local business community.

Best Queensland Oriented Business Related Application

Market Finder represents the next level in supporting business, old and new, because it enables the user to explore where their market demographic lives, on a micro level.

The Queensland Government supports a diverse range of programs, information and funding for encouraging and supporting existing and startup businesses. Especially clever for start-ups, they are able to:

1. Determine how big their proposed market really is prior to launching (superior prior preparation).
2. Prove to potential investors and financiers the market size via official ABS statistics that have the highest integrity not only because the stats are from the ABS but also because the data can not be tampered with prior to the rendering of the visualisation. The output is “direct from the horses mouth” so to speak.
3. To aid success of start-ups, the capabilities of Market Finder to pinpoint with razor sharp targeting the hottest prospects means the start-up not only limits wasteful marketing spending, but also improves their viability and growth by enabling them to acquire customers faster and cheaper.

Innovation is Key

• Why Market Finder is an innovative use of open government data sets is because it enables a non-statistician to see the data without thinking about what the data is saying.
• Reading raw numbers means you need to do interpretation.
• Graphs are more useful but still require you to learn the format of the graph in order to understand the story it’s telling you.
• A picture however is intuitively understood: heat maps are the easiest way for the general public to intuitively understand data and statistics and to determine spatially where the market is.