Managing franchises by hand can become insurmountable when a brand grows as quickly as Pelican’s Snoballs did. See how they unlocked the secret to smart territory management and data-driven decision making with Mapline’s Geo Analtyics.
Twenty-two years ago, in the heart of North Carolina, a 13-year-old girl envisioned a business inspired by a fluffy, snow-like delicacy straight from New Orleans. With unwavering dedication, she turned her dream into the national sensation, Pelican’s Snoballs.
Fast-forward 16 years later, and Pelican’s had soared to become one of the fastest-growing dessert franchises in the U.S.
Yet, a considerable challenge loomed – that they were managing everything in Excel, with no visual data whatsoever. This led to significant problems, including overlapping franchise territories and difficulty assessing sales performance and identifying ideal areas for growth.
The management at Pelican’s knew something had to change.
“Efficiency is the biggest impact,” says Adam Aldridge, Operations Manager at Pelican’s. “It’s more efficient planning trips and adding locations now.”
With Geo Analytics, it’s easy to assess new franchise areas in minutes. They just open a map displaying demographics, store performance, and heatmaps for ideal conditions. From there, they can calculate anything else they need to know, such as population data, hiring challenges, or fulfillment costs.
When it’s time to lock in a new territory, they can effortlessly establish precise boundaries in a matter of seconds, ensuring there’s no overlap.
This clear line of sight empowers franchise owners to supercharge sales at every location.
“When we started using Mapline, we were immediately able to identify human errors just by seeing them on the map.”
But Pelican’s didn’t stop at territory mapping: they went full steam ahead and used Geo Analytics to optimize their routes and streamline inspection procedures.
With Geo Analytics, brands like Pelican’s create detailed maps, optimize routes, and access intuitive dashboards with real-time data in seconds.
From logistics planning to in-depth analysis of demographics and other key data, Geo Analytics offers unparalleled clarity and precision to drive informed decision-making and strategic success–all while taking location into account.
And that’s exactly what Pelican’s has tapped into. Now, one 13-year-old girl’s dream is on the brink of reality: spreading delight to children all over the country. With hundreds of stores across 19 U.S. states and the power of Geo Analytic sat their fingertips, nothing stands in their way.
Aldridge says Geo Analytics was the game-changer they needed.
“Now we’re able to see where we’re going and where our company is growing the most. Mapline makes us more data-driven.”