Geospatial Insights into Consumer Behavior: Mapping the Post-Restriction Pandemic Retail Landscape in Alabama

abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has irreversibly altered consumer shopping patterns, engendering a paradigm shift in business-consumer dynamics. Leveraging geospatial tools enables businesses to pinpoint customer travel patterns, forecast demand, and augment both efficiency and customer satisfaction. This study introduces innovative GIS and spatial marketing methodologies to amass and analyze geospatial data, thereby enhancing business operations and customer engagement in southern United States cities. We devised a heatmap detailing the travel and nocturnal locations of Walmart patrons during pandemic, utilizing geolocational data to assist businesses in refining market segmentation and identifying target demographics. Our research reveals significant shifts in consumer behavior due to the pandemic, underscoring an immediate necessity for businesses to acclimate to these evolutions. Providentially, geolocational data emerges as an indispensable asset for retailers, facilitating a competitive stance through meticulous customer base analysis—crucial for discerning consumer necessities and apprehending societal tendencies.