Geolocation Proving to Be a Difference Maker for Carter's, Sleepy's

For Sleepy's, the challenge is showing site visitors the inventory that's available in their market. Due to the size and cost of shipping its product — mattresses — Sleepy's entire inventory isn't available across the country. Geolocation technology is helping to solve this problem.

Sleepy's is targeting product offerings according to the market in which the visitor lives. For example, a shopper in Alaska who searches for "firm mattresses" will only receive a small percentage of the results that a shopper in New York who uses the same search terms would.

We're identifying a visitor's ZIP code via their IP address, and we've mapped every ZIP code in the country to the distribution center it's closest to, said Valeiko. (Sleepy's has seven distribution centers across the country.) This information then enables Sleepy's to only display inventory that's available in that area.

In addition, Sleepy's is using geolocation for targeted regional marketing campaigns. It's doing this without having to ask for or requiring a visitor's ZIP code, which provides a better shopping experience.

We can let the customer know up front what we're able to deliver, the promotions available in their market, said Agrapidis. This makes for a better shopping experience, happier customers and increased revenues for Sleepy's.