Case Study: Imo’s Pizza identifies the best expansion markets with MapBusinessOnline

Imo's Pizza Expands Using MapBusinessOnline’s Market Analysis

Imo's Pizza, a pizza chain based in St. Louis, sought to expand responsibly beyond its existing markets in Missouri, Kansas, and southern Illinois. Their challenge was to identify the best new cities for locations within a 250-mile radius by moving beyond gut feelings to a data-driven approach. They partnered with the vendor MapBusinessOnline to use its mapping and demographic analysis service to pinpoint optimal markets based on specific customer demographics.

MapBusinessOnline implemented a solution using its Pro version to create 20-minute drive-time territories around existing stores for demographic analysis. This analysis confirmed that high household density and middle-income levels were the key indicators of success, not high income or specific ethnicities. The results provided Imo's with a clear, analytical framework for expansion, turning their intuition into compelling visualizations for planning and franchise sales. MapBusinessOnline also delivered reusable map templates, giving the company a strategic tool for minimizing risk in future growth decisions.

Imo's Pizza

Tim Hendrix

Director of Franchise Intelligence