Consumers are increasingly becoming more powerful through their phones as they are able to get exactly what they want through the tips of their fingers.
According to Google South Africa, more South Africans are starting to use the function of "near me" to search for not only food outlets but also medical services.
“That much is evident from looking at the top 10 'near me' Google for 2019 so far which include restaurants near me, pharmacy near me, KFC near me, dentist near me, jobs near me, parks near me, doctors near me, McDonalds near me, and PostNet near me.”
The search engine’s SA branch said the searches reveal how South Africans have come to rely on the location-based search function to also find businesses "near me". Google SA claims that the only non-business related searches in the top 10 are for parks and jobs.
“While there is clearly a fair amount of brand love - 'KFC' and 'McDonalds' win the fast food wars, while 'Spar' is clearly our favourite supermarket - the number of more generalised searches shows that South Africans are open to exploring their options. Where previously they might have been stuck going to the first doctor or pharmacy they came across, they can now see all the alternatives available to them.”
South Africans tapping into Google Local Guides to search for outlets
Consumers are increasingly becoming more powerful through their phones as they are able to get exactly what they want through the tips of their fingers.
According to Google South Africa, more South Africans are starting to use the function of "near me" to search for not only food outlets but also medical services.
“That much is evident from looking at the top 10 'near me' Google for 2019 so far which include restaurants near me, pharmacy near me, KFC near me, dentist near me, jobs near me, parks near me, doctors near me, McDonalds near me, and PostNet near me.”
The search engine’s SA branch said the searches reveal how South Africans have come to rely on the location-based search function to also find businesses "near me". Google SA claims that the only non-business related searches in the top 10 are for parks and jobs.
“While there is clearly a fair amount of brand love - 'KFC' and 'McDonalds' win the fast food wars, while 'Spar' is clearly our favourite supermarket - the number of more generalised searches shows that South Africans are open to exploring their options. Where previously they might have been stuck going to the first doctor or pharmacy they came across, they can now see all the alternatives available to them.”
Consumers can also get information pertaining to trading hours of the businesses concerned, ensuring they don’t waste time driving around trying to find an open pharmacy in an emergency.
When it comes to picking which of these options to take, Google’s Local Guides programme makes things a lot easier. Local Guides allows users to review, add photos, answer questions or add unverified locations and be rewarded with Guide Points.
“Whenever people search for locations near them, they can see the reviews for those places. Having this information at hand can be the difference between a great meal out and a total disaster.”