Amap product analysis report!

Navigation software has become an indispensable tool in our lives, which can solve some of our pain points in unfamiliar environments.

1. Product Overview

1. Experience the environment

Product experience: Amap

Software version: 11.13.0.2925

Phone system: MIUI 12.5.10

Experienced by: Dabai

2. Product Overview

Slogan: "Professional navigation, accurate data"

Product introduction: It is a map navigation APP under AutoNavi Software Co., Ltd.

Official introduction: Amap is a free map navigation product provided by AutoNavi Software (NASDAQ: Amap), a provider of electronic maps, navigation and LBS service solutions. Amap’s data covers mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, covering 337 prefecture-level cities and 2,857 county-level and above administrative units; navigation supports multiple methods such as GPS, base stations, and the Internet. It can automatically generate multiple route plans such as "shortest", "fastest" and "most economical" for selection, and can select the optimal bus/driving route based on real-time traffic conditions.

3. Product development history

(1) The first stage: arduous exploration and technological accumulation (2002-2004)

AutoNavi's entrepreneurial team has been involved in the GPS field since the 1990s. After AutoNavi Software Co., Ltd. was established in July 2002, AutoNavi's R&D team, after arduous exploration, based on the characteristics of the country's basic map data at the time, finally developed a set of data collection tools and editing and processing platforms with independent intellectual property rights after half a year.

Technological exploration and innovation have brought business opportunities to AutoNavi. In August 2002, AutoNavi, Aisin AW, Fuji Ten and other companies jointly established Beijing Aidifi Navigation Technology Co., Ltd. and began to focus on the development of the in-vehicle navigation electronic map sales market.

[Major Events] In July 2002, AutoNavi Software Co., Ltd. was established.

[Major Events] In August 2002, AutoNavi, Aisin AW, Fuji Ten and other companies jointly established Beijing Aidifi Navigation Technology Co., Ltd.

[Major Events] In January 2003, AutoNavi completed the development of data collection tools and editing and processing platforms with independent intellectual property rights.

In June 2004, AutoNavi became the first private enterprise in the country to obtain Class A surveying and mapping qualifications for navigation electronic maps and passed the ISO9001 certification. After obtaining Class A surveying and mapping qualifications, AutoNavi began to collect data on a large scale and gradually built a high-quality database.

[Important Events] In June 2004, AutoNavi became a national Class A surveying and mapping qualification unit and became the first private enterprise in the country to obtain Class A surveying and mapping qualifications for navigation electronic maps.

(2) The second stage: growing and leading the industry (2005-2009)

After obtaining the Class A surveying and mapping qualification for navigation electronic maps, AutoNavi has been committed to exploring and innovating business models, providing customers with integrated solutions and expanding its business areas while developing and accumulating navigation electronic map database content and navigation engines.

AutoNavi's leading core technology and innovative business model have enabled AutoNavi's products and services to achieve outstanding results in the three major business areas of automotive navigation applications, wireless Internet location service applications, and government and enterprise applications, and have also established AutoNavi's leading position in China's navigation industry.

[Major Events] In August 2005, AutoNavi acquired Beijing Tumeng Technology Co., Ltd., a leading basic map service provider in China.

[Major Events] In August 2005, AutoNavi began to provide electronic navigation maps to BMW, Honda and other car models. It also provides local search services for websites such as Sina and Google.

[Major Events] In May 2007, AutoNavi acquired Xiamen Navit Technology Co., Ltd.

[Major Events] In October 2007, the data collection operation in Tibet was completed, marking the completion of Amap's real-scene data collection covering the entire country.

[Major Events] In January 2009, AutoNavi became the exclusive sponsor of the navigation map and application service project for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

(3) The third stage: successful listing and full transformation (2010-2014)

On July 1, 2010, AutoNavi was successfully listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market in the United States with the stock code AMAP, marking a new historic leap in the company's development.

[Important Events] On July 1, 2010, AutoNavi Holdings Limited was successfully listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market in the United States with the stock code AMAP.

In September 2010, AutoNavi obtained the "Internet Map Service Class A Surveying and Mapping Qualification" issued by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation. This is AutoNavi's third Class A surveying and mapping qualification after obtaining the Class A surveying and mapping qualification for navigation electronic maps and the Class A surveying and mapping qualification for aerial photography. In October, AutoNavi was listed in the 2010 Deloitte China Top 50 High-Tech, High-Growth Companies.

[Important Events] AutoNavi was listed in the 2010 Deloitte China High-Tech, High-Growth Top 50.

During the Expo, all designated navigation terminal devices of the Expo were equipped with Amap. Whether traveling between cities or within the Expo Park, visitors could fully experience the convenience of Amap in road navigation, real-time traffic, route planning, etc., creating an unforgettable Expo experience for all exhibitors and visitors.

Amap was also awarded the "Shanghai World Expo GIS Service Special Contribution Unit" award by the China Geographic Information System Association.

In September 2012, AutoNavi became Apple's map service provider in China and officially launched the service on September 24. This has greatly accelerated AutoNavi's progress in the entire mobile Internet field and caused a huge sensation in the entire industry.

In the same month, AutoNavi was awarded the "Most Valuable Brand in China's Satellite Navigation and Location Services Industry in 2012" by the China Satellite Navigation and Positioning Association. AutoNavi Map won the "Best Practice" award at the 2012 China Internet Conference for its outstanding product performance and user experience. In February 2014, Alibaba acquired AutoNavi for US$1.1 billion in cash.

(4) The fourth stage: Alibaba’s full acquisition of AutoNavi (April 2014 to present)

In April 2014, AutoNavi officially reached a merger and acquisition agreement with Alibaba Group. Alibaba will acquire the remaining 72% of AutoNavi's shares for a purchase price of US$5.25 per ordinary share or US$21.00 per American Depositary Share (ADS).

The business scope of AutoNavi is wholesale and online sales of electronic publications; information service business in value-added telecommunications business; call center business in the second category of value-added telecommunications business; surveying and mapping services; design, production, agency, and publication of advertisements; import and export of goods, import and export of technology, and agency import and export; sales of computer software and hardware and peripheral equipment; technology development, technology transfer, technology consulting, and technical services, etc.

2. Market Analysis

1. Current status of mobile map development in China

Figure 2-1 Scale and forecast of mobile map users in China from 2015 to 2020

According to the data from iMedia Research, the user scale of mobile maps in China shows that the number of people using mobile maps has been increasing, with the fastest growth rate from 2015 to 2016 , at a growth rate of 9.8%. This year has a lot to do with the improvement of the functions of Amap and Baidu Maps after they were launched . In the later period, as the mobile map market gradually became saturated , the user growth was not so obvious, but the number of people using mobile maps continued to increase, and the trend was still obvious. According to the data from iMedia Research, it is expected that the number of users of mobile maps will exceed 850 million in 2022 .

Summary: The number of mobile map users has increased from 605 million in 2015 to 768 million in 2020, an increase of nearly 30% . It is expected that the growth rate will reach 40% by the end of 2022. The growth rate has gradually slowed down in recent years. This phenomenon is the same as many Internet products. The market was in the blue ocean field in the early stage, map navigation technology was not professional enough, and the corresponding services were not perfect , so there was a lot of room for growth. In the later stage, the product positioning of user needs became more and more precise, and professional technologies such as map positioning, navigation, and big data continued to develop, resulting in an increase in the number of product users. In the later stage, the market tended to be saturated and the growth rate gradually slowed down.

Figure 2-2 China’s mobile map app activity in Q3 2020

Judging from the data, China's Amap and Baidu Maps have the largest number of users, while the number of users occupied by Tencent Maps and Sogou Maps is obviously not as large as that of Amap and Baidu.

The real reason behind the data is that Amap relies on the internal resource cooperation of Alibaba and AI technology support , and connects with Ele.me to provide users with local life service functions , continuously improves functional products, and improves the accuracy of geographic information . It occupies a favorable position in market competition and its comprehensive brand competitiveness is in a leading position in the industry.

Figure 2-3 Major mobile map user awareness

In terms of user awareness of major mobile map products in the third quarter of 2019, Amap ranked first with 88.3% user awareness, relying on the popularity of Alibaba's life services, mobile travel resources and in-car navigation . Baidu Maps, as an important product of Baidu, plays an important role in voice intelligence, driverless driving and other fields , and its user awareness followed closely at 86.7%.

Summary: By analyzing the current status of China's mobile map market, it can be found that Amap has the best usage and market share. The reason is that Amap is constantly improving its functions in driving, public transportation, walking, cycling, taxi and even train navigation, especially accurate public transportation and subway information, and the continuous improvement of a series of functions such as the smart voice system reminding speed limits, cameras, traffic lights, etc. when driving. The user experience of using the product is constantly improving, and the number of users is gradually accumulating and increasing.

Development forecast: With the development of technologies such as big data and blockchain , more and more people are using geographic maps and services based on location. The number of active users of map applications in China has reached nearly 800 million, and the growth rate has slowed down. China's map application industry has entered a mature stage.

Users' demands for mobile maps mainly focus on two aspects: on the one hand, the demand for scenario-based applications of mobile maps for online travel and mobile transportation will increase in the future; on the other hand, new products such as driverless cars and Internet of Vehicles will also provide incremental space for the map industry. Therefore, the future development direction of China's mobile maps will be towards a complete ecological system and continuous development in the direction of artificial intelligence .

2. Industry Macro Environment Analysis (PEST)

(1) [P] Political environment

The Surveying and Mapping Law of the People's Republic of China was officially implemented on July 1, 2017, strengthening the supervision of Internet map services and tightening the access control system for drones used for surveying. Promoted the sharing and application of geographic information results:

In 2018, developers and local governments issued a number of regulations to safeguard autonomous driving.

(2) [E] Economic environment

my country's fast-growing markets such as tourism, mobile travel, and life services provide incremental space for mobile maps; my country's car ownership has increased year by year, driving the development of the in-vehicle navigation hardware equipment market for map companies; my country's layout of the Internet of Vehicles has brought new growth space for the mobile map industry.

(3) [S] Social environment

my country's urban public transportation is seriously congested, and map companies are cooperating with transportation departments. The "Traffic Brain" was launched to ease traffic congestion. With the upgrading of consumption in my country, tourism has become a daily consumption for residents. Using mobile maps to query point information has become a normal practice; China has proposed "Made in China 2025", specifically in the automotive field, unmanned driving. New energy vehicles and other new slow-moving energy products. Mobile phone car navigation provides two-dimensional service.

(4) [T] Technical environment

Users participate in the collection of geographic information and upload POI data updates and traffic conditions and other information to the platform; the advancement of my country's geographic surveying and mapping technology and the improvement of the Beidou satellite navigation system have greatly improved the accuracy and comprehensiveness of mobile phone map information: the development of artificial intelligence and VR technology has improved the accuracy of geographic information.

Summary: From the perspective of the macro-environment analysis of the Chinese mobile map industry, the development prospects of Chinese mobile maps are still good. From the perspective of the political and social environment, it is very necessary to build a management system for mobile map navigation in response to the tight traffic environment. Judging from the current technical means and economic environment, the capital that can be invested in the research and development of technology is constantly increasing. Both the country and enterprises have invested a lot of capital in this regard.

3. Business Model

(1) Value-added services for map-related businesses

Through value-added services such as real-time traffic conditions, online navigation, and third-party life service resource integration, Amap is committed to integrating many third-party information and business services with location as the link, occupying more smart terminals, integrating various life services and e-commerce, and ultimately solving various needs of users in mobile life in one stop, and developing a large number of users. Leveraging a large user base and active customer base to attract merchants and generate capital reflux, there are three main ways:

① Provide location-based services to local life service merchants and obtain service fees

Amap provides data in exchange for regular service fees or authorization fees and receives a certain profit share based on the number of completed orders in order to obtain a stable cash flow. For example, AutoNavi has also added a "taxi" business to the map section, cooperating with Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache to obtain service fees and commissions.

② Earn advertising fees through search projects

First, Amap imitates the business model of Baidu search engine and adopts the method of keyword search bidding ranking, so that merchants with high bids can get more attention and charge fees. In addition, Amap has designated a portion of certain mobile phone projects as advertising areas, and merchants bid for the right to place advertisements in exchange for service fees. Finally, Amap builds a big database to conduct in-depth mining of search data, providing data support for merchants to carry out targeted advertising and precision marketing, and obtain corresponding consulting fees.

③Value-added services for merchants at map points

With a large user base, we provide merchants with different levels of special marking services. When you open a map of a certain area, the merchant will be prominently displayed. We charge corresponding fees based on the map display level, which will help the merchant gain more attention.

(2) Pre-installed software on mobile phones and client-downloaded software in cooperation with operators

The company cooperates with many mobile terminal manufacturers such as Samsung and Motorola to provide them with pre-installed navigation data and software. In order to make mobile phone use more convenient for consumers, mobile phone manufacturers will selectively pre-install some excellent software, so they must pay certain licensing fees to the software providers. However, with the popularization of free software, this share is gradually decreasing.

(3) Traffic monetization <br />Due to the characteristics of the Internet, free products will continue to dominate the market, gain more market share, create a larger user base, and ultimately achieve a profit model through traffic monetization. Amap will cooperate with mobile operators in traffic management, including targeted traffic and traffic rewards, and generate profits by sharing traffic fees.

(4) Internet location services

As one of the few civilian companies in the Chinese market with top-level surveying and mapping qualifications , Amap will provide processed surveying and mapping data or location-based positioning and navigation technology to other companies that integrate location. For example, the well-known cooperation between AutoNavi and Apple China Maps, and AutoNavi's previous cooperation with Sina, Alibaba, Tencent, and JD.com in basic maps, providing map API services to 120,000 websites such as Ganji.com and Soufun.com and third-party developers. At the same time, more GPS information feedback is obtained to improve the basic map data.

4. Marketing methods

(1) Online Marketing

① Establish a professional company website , provide a detailed and clear introduction to the company's main business, provide free network maps and provide channels for free software downloads. A professional technical discussion and exchange area is set up on the website to provide a communication platform for Internet technology experts such as location-based technology. Through registration, their influence can be enhanced and customer stickiness can be strengthened. In addition, set up a feedback area to communicate with consumers in a timely manner, understand the room for product improvement, and enhance product competitiveness.

② A unique and vivid product endorsement format to enhance brand image. In 2013, we signed a contract with Lin Chi-ling, the "national goddess" who has extremely high popularity, influence and professionalism, as our brand spokesperson. In addition to print endorsements, Lin Chi-ling's goddess baby voice has also been embedded in the entire map and navigation process, launching the first celebrity real-person voice navigation in the domestic map navigation field. Auditory experience is an important part of map navigation. Goddess Audio not only provides functional services to users, but also adds fun to users' lives.

③ Targeted advertising such as online patch ads. Place short and sharp advertisements on famous portals and video websites to increase brand influence. For example, in early 2013, AutoNavi Map launched a series of themed advertisements called “AutoNavi Map Knows Everything”, which cleverly displayed the many life services integrated by AutoNavi Map to the audience.

④ Promote through social interaction platforms such as Weibo and WeChat, and use them to understand the public’s needs and suggestions at the first time.

(2) Offline Marketing

① Movie marketing: In conjunction with the domestic premiere of Steve Jobs, Amap took advantage of its publicity and launched fan marketing as Apple's exclusive map service provider in China.

② Reached a strategic cooperation with Strawberry Music Festival. At the music festival, AutoNavi presented many demonstrations combining driving scenarios with music, allowing young participants to experience the convenience brought by AutoNavi and enhance AutoNavi’s brand effect among young people.

③ Gaode is also combining its own products with O2O marketing , leveraging its role as a localized life service portal and promoting through group buying, coupons, hotel reservations, etc. in cooperation with e-commerce companies. In particular, the cross-border marketing with Alibaba is closer. For example, with the navigation assistance during the Double Eleven shopping spree, consumers can use Amap to find the specific locations of offline discounted stores. Cooperation with e-commerce companies such as Alibaba also helps to increase brand awareness.

④ Theme advertising based on the user's perspective and its own advantages, including advertising placed on buses, taxis and other means of transportation to guide users to their destination; advertising placed in subway stations to indicate "transfers are coming up", etc. In addition, there are advertising street battles and customized services combined with specific locations. Aiming at the needs of active people in various places, combined with the functions of Gaode Map, practical function information such as finding a designated driver, taking a taxi, and avoiding traffic jams are provided.

⑤ Launch the AutoNavi LBS Application Competition , a product development competition for IT practitioners and development enthusiasts. On the one hand, it promotes its full set of cloud-to-end LBS solutions, and on the other hand, it reserves talents for the company's development.

(3) Create a good corporate image

① With "openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and innovation" as the corporate culture and "knowing where you are, finding what you need, and keeping your mobile life under control" as the corporate mission, we have established a good internal incentive mechanism to mobilize the enthusiasm of internal personnel.

②Good crisis public relations skills. At the 2013 CCTV 315 Gala, CCTV stated that Amap's location-sharing service would collect user accounts and passwords and transmit them to Amap's servers in plain text. In response to CCTV's questioning, AutoNavi apologized to users in its first statement and stated on Weibo that the old version exposed in the gala two years ago had been repaired as soon as possible, and users' privacy issues would definitely be protected by AutoNavi. Before negative comments were formed, AutoNavi had already responded to and clarified the public's doubts regarding the issues exposed by CCTV. It did not avoid the negative aspects and used positive responses in exchange for positive understanding from the society, demonstrating the image of a mature enterprise that responds appropriately, is sincere and responsible.

③ Actively assume social responsibilities . During the Ya'an earthquake in 2013, AutoNavi donated 1.5 million yuan to Ya'an, including 1 million yuan in cash and the AutoNavi navigation application worth about 500,000 yuan. Based on its own platform advantages and combined with location, it launched the Gaode Map "Ya'an Missing Person Rescue Platform". Amap, which has spared no effort in earthquake relief and disaster relief, has been praised as "carrying love with maps". It interacts with users through emotion, demonstrates a corporate image and attitude full of positive energy, and has won rewards and recognition.

3. User Analysis

1. User scale

Figure 2-1 Comparison of active users among Amap, Baidu Map, and Tencent Map (Unit: 100 million people)

According to data from Alibaba's "2021 Fiscal Year Report", the average daily active user number of Amap has now stabilized at around 100 million , and it has gradually evolved from a navigation tool to a cross-scenario, multi-functional life service platform that provides directions on the road. In addition, according to data from QuestMoblie,

In June 2021, the monthly active user scale of Amap reached about 630 million , an increase of about 100 million from 530 million in the same period of 2020, with a growth rate of 18.9% ; among them, 68.8% of newly installed users came from Baidu Maps and 17.5% of new installed users came from Tencent Maps.

Baidu's monthly active users lag slightly behind. According to Baidu's annual report data, the monthly active users of Baidu Maps in 2020 were 316 million.

Summary: Amap’s user scale has become the leader in China’s mobile map APP industry. Its maps cover all modes of travel and have the most operational functions. The respondents generally rate it highly and use it for a long time, which shows that Amap’s user experience and stickiness are high.

2. User Tags

Figure 3-1 Amap user tags

Data source: iMedia Polaris Internet Product Analysis System

In terms of gender:

Men account for 60% and women only account for 40%.

Data reasons The reasons are as follows :

①There are more male drivers than female drivers, so the demand is higher.

②Men have a stronger sense of geographical direction than girls, so they use map navigation more often.

③ In daily life, most people are driven by men, so they have a greater demand for navigation.

In terms of age distribution:

Among them, more than 40% of users are young people under 24 years old, and 30% of users are people aged 24-30. Generally speaking, young people are the main user group of Gaode.

The reasons for the data are as follows :

① This group of people have just entered society and have great demands for travel, tourism, self-driving tours, etc., so they frequently use map navigation software;

② The users of this group do not have a very regular lifestyle and are more mobile, so they are not that familiar with the region and therefore have a great demand for map navigation;

③For users around 30 years old, they have a great demand for taxis, so this group of users is also the main users of map navigation.

In terms of economic income:

From the consumption level point of view, the users of navigation software are all of medium consumption level, and the group with income below 10K accounts for 80% of Amap.

Summary: Overall, most of Amap's users are still young people, most of whom belong to Generation Z. This type of user has great demands for travel, traveling, driving, etc. Most of them are male users who are good at location navigation. This also shows that Amap can provide additional functions based on this type of users, and can dig deep into user needs to improve the product.

3. Core users

1. Car owner

Car owners often encounter traffic jams in cities, are unfamiliar with routes in strange places, and cannot find gas stations or parking lots. At this time, they need mobile maps to provide various navigation functions such as real-time traffic conditions, map planning, and searches for nearby gas stations and parking lots.

2. Mass users

Users' demands for public transportation, subways, taxi services, location searches, route planning, scenic spot information, etc. are constantly increasing, so the use of mobile maps is gradually becoming normalized.

4. User scenarios

①Scene 1: College students

Basic attributes: Male, 20 years old

User behavior: I like to go out and play on weekends

User characteristics: College students, like to travel to different places

Usage scenario: Xiao Ming is a college student who comes to a big city for school for the first time. He is very curious about the environment around him and is particularly interested in the surrounding scenic spots, but he doesn’t know how to get there and can’t find the place. At this time, his classmate Xiao Jun recommends Gaode Map to him. Gaode Map can directly find the location you want to find, and then plan the route and plan the time according to different travel methods. The positioning data is very accurate. Xiao Ming quickly found the scenic spot he wanted to go based on the location information and then had fun.

Requirements: bus enquiry, arrival reminder, surrounding search, indoor map, taxi service, scenic spot search.

②Scene 2: Driver

Basic attributes: Male, 35 years old

User behavior: Daily online ride-hailing

User characteristics: online car-hailing drivers, long-term drivers

Usage scenario: Mr. Luo is an online car-hailing driver. He accepts orders from various online car-hailing platforms every day. He is always worried about the long time of picking up and dropping off passengers, so he needs to plan his route all the time. During rush hours such as commuting, he often cannot figure out which road can avoid rush hours. Therefore, he needs to know the road conditions in advance. One day, he happened to find that his colleague was using AutoNavi Maps. He discovered that AutoNavi Maps can show road congestion conditions and the shortest route planning. So Mr. Luo started using AutoNavi Maps. He always picked up customers in the shortest time and delivered orders quickly. So Mr. Luo became a core user of AutoNavi.

Requirements: route planning, congestion reminder, traffic light reminder, gas station search, speed reminder, camera reminder.

③Scene 3: Traveler

Basic attributes: Male, 26 years old

User behavior: Traveling to other places

User characteristics: like to travel to different places

Usage scenario: Xiaotian is a loyal travel enthusiast who likes to travel in different cities. However, his financial budget is limited, so he always plans his itinerary, including the cost of taking the bus. He accidentally discovered during a trip that Amap not only has very clear bus routes, but also can update his location in real time, including the number of stops left, reminders for the next transfer, walking distance navigation, etc. It is very detailed and perfect for Xiaotian's travel to other places, so Xiaotian soon became a loyal user of Amap.

Requirements: location search, route planning, hotel and restaurant reservations, real-time traffic conditions, and real-time public transportation.

Summary: From the different scenarios in which users use Amap, we can see that Amap provides navigation functions for people who have needs for travel, traveling, driving , etc. Most of the users with this kind of needs are young groups, and their consumption concept belongs to a young and energetic consumer group. Providing navigation services to them should be very efficient . Amap is still very efficient in this area.

5. User pain points

1. Unfamiliar with the road and unable to find the way (mainly for users who are unfamiliar with the road)

Nowadays, transportation routes are becoming more and more convenient, and users' travel needs are increasing. However, due to the complexity of road traffic, when users come to an unfamiliar area, they don't know how to reach their destination. Therefore, they need mobile maps to provide detailed information such as destination search and route planning.

2. Traffic congestion is unavoidable (mainly for users traveling during peak hours)

It is mainly aimed at drivers and office workers who drive to and from get off work. Such users often encounter congested roads and traffic jams during peak travel periods. Since they cannot know the road conditions in advance, they often waste a long time on the road. Therefore, users want a mobile map product to solve this pain point of congested roads.

3. Unable to find gas station parking lots and other buildings (due to changing scenes and unfamiliar roads)

When driving and the road conditions are unclear, it is often difficult to find gas stations and parking lots, which causes great inconvenience. Therefore, mobile maps will clearly mark some iconic scenes. Mobile maps can solve this kind of pain point for users very well.

4. After finding the location, you want to get a taxi quickly (want to get a taxi quickly)

The greatest convenience that maps bring to users is that they can quickly locate the destination. However, after finding the destination with many map applications, you still need to find another software to relocate and take a taxi. Sometimes the positioning will be wrong. Therefore, mobile maps can directly connect to taxi services. After positioning, you can call a taxi with one click, which is very convenient for users.

5. I always can’t wait for the bus and I don’t know the time (for users who want to plan bus routes)

The development of transportation has led to diversified travel methods for users. Many users are accustomed to traveling by bus and subway. When faced with unfamiliar scenarios, they often need navigation to help plan their routes. At this time, there is a great demand to know where the next bus is and how long it will take to arrive at the platform.

6. Unable to find nearby scenic spots and food (for users who like to visit scenic spots)

More and more users are traveling, and the demand for scenic spots and food is increasing. There are also many users who want to check in at places but cannot find the places. The demand for precise scenic spots, travel guides, route planning, etc. is increasing. Maps can solve these pain points of users through precise positioning.

Summary: There are more and more scenarios in which users use mobile maps, and the demand is also increasing. Maps need to continuously improve product positioning, navigation, scene information and other big data as well as functional improvements to solve users' pain points in different scenarios. On this basis, we need to continuously strengthen Internet + navigation and improve new technologies such as artificial intelligence navigation . On the basis of satisfying users' needs, we need to make users feel more favorable towards our products and make more users think that mobile maps are easy to use. This is very important.

4. Product Analysis

1. Strategic level analysis

Description: All three from a product positioning perspective. With the help of artificial intelligence technology, Amap further deepens the "Internet + Travel" and expands travel content; deepens "Travel +" and strives to create a travel ecosystem. Baidu Maps also makes full use of AI technology to deepen the development of its service products. Let’s take a look at Tencent Maps. It develops its functions around massive data and precise navigation, adding special features such as street view maps and special voice navigation (such as the King of Glory voice package) to attract young user groups, while also gradually exploring travel service content.

From a strategic perspective, the future development trend of the mobile map industry is as follows:

① Artificial Intelligence + Maps

As artificial intelligence, big data, AR and other technologies are continuously applied to the field of mobile maps, technologies such as driverless driving and voice navigation have emerged. In the future, artificial intelligence will no longer be limited to basic services. Intelligent services will become a new development direction, providing users with customized services that meet their preferences through background analysis.

②Scenario-based applications

With the progress of my country's geographic surveying and mapping, satellite navigation and other technologies, as well as the collection of geographic information by user UGC, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of mobile map circles have been greatly improved. The basic functions of mobile map products based on real geographic locations are seriously homogenized. Scenario-based services will become the key to differentiated competition among mobile map circle platforms.

3. Autonomous driving

Artificial intelligence technology and national policy dividends. Driving the explosive growth of autonomous driving. In this context, the mapping industry has entered the field of high-precision mapping, which improves the accuracy of geographic data to the decimeter level and provides accurate navigation for cars in real time.

④Blockchain

Digital currency has brought about an explosive growth in blockchain projects. Its open source technology and the core idea of ​​co-construction and sharing have brought new development to mobile maps, collecting real-time geographic information in a decentralized manner. The decentralized and tamper-proof characteristics of blockchain can protect user privacy from a technical level.

Summary: From the strategic perspective of mobile maps, Amap has strong technical support and the help of national policies , providing decision-making assistance and support services to the government, which has given Amap a good empowerment. With the help of artificial intelligence technology, Amap will further deepen the "Internet + Travel" and expand travel content; deepen "Travel +" and strive to create a travel ecosystem; the development trend of mobile phone maps in the future should be more complete scenario-based applications. In addition, the country is now committed to developing the new energy vehicle industry , including technologies such as autonomous driving. Amap should conduct in-depth research and development in these areas.

2. Structural layer analysis

Figure 4-1 Amap functional structure diagram

Structure diagram description:

From the first level heading:

The content of the home page interface is the core functions that users care about most: current location, route, going to the company, getting off work, today's temperature. These basic functions are the most basic and closest to user needs.

The content of the nearby interface mainly includes some life services around the user's current location, which is very user-friendly; specifically: restaurants, drink shops, entertainment and leisure; these options make it convenient for users to quickly click on the services they need as soon as they confirm their location.

My interface is equivalent to personal customization for users. They can collect frequently used places and routes and understand historical information according to their daily operations. On the one hand, it is convenient for users to count past trips, and on the other hand, it is convenient for users to manage their own private content.

From the secondary title:

The home page interface contains the option of "Wake up Xiaode", which increases the convenience and intelligence of the software through voice wake-up; the nearby interface contains activity interfaces such as "consumption coupons", which indirectly achieves the purpose of attracting traffic and guiding customers to consume at designated merchants.

My interface contains a series of "achievement" attributes such as lighting up the city and checking in places, which adds a "master" spirit to a map software and can indeed achieve the goal of making customers more accomplished. In addition, service items: taxis, hotels, attraction tickets and other series of options can meet the user group's travel and play needs with one click, which is very convenient. The "team travel" function is even more convenient. Friends who drive in a team can view the location information of each other's vehicles in real time.

Advantages: Amap places travel-related tools/functions on the home page through the "Home" tab. The home page contains complete information and travel-related functions. Low-frequency demands can be expanded in more tools. It supports customization of home page display functions/tools, clearly distinguishes between the primary and the secondary, puts core functions in the first place, and reduces user churn.

Disadvantages: There is a lot of content, so the operation is more complicated. Both Baidu Map and Tencent Map fold the detailed tool functions on the secondary page. The homepage is simple and clear. I hope that Gaode Map can optimize the page layout and function usage.

Summary: After analyzing the structural layer of Gaode, it can be seen that the content of Gaode on the homepage interface is the core functions that users care about most: current location, route, company, get off work, and today's temperature. These basic functions are the most basic and closest to user needs. The second-level interface "Wake up Xiaode" and "consumption coupons" are also constantly increasing the user's stay and use time, and increasing user stickiness has a good effect.

3. Product experience analysis

(1) Experience on walking navigation function

Figure 4-1 User walking navigation operation process

Page description: Enter the app, and display it in the north and south way above the map. The user's icon is composed of a "circle" and "guide mark". The "guide mark" will rotate in real time with the direction of the person. This design facilitates people to determine the direction of the current moment, which facilitates the next route navigation; after searching for the address, the location information of the search address will appear, and then click on the route to enter the navigation interface. The navigation interface has refresh positioning and time, distance display, and then click on navigation to start navigation from the first perspective. The surrounding buildings are displayed in three-dimensional form, and the arrows also change with the direction of the phone.

Function description: First, enter the APP, and the system will automatically locate itself according to the GPS. First, the map shows the user's location, as well as the surrounding buildings and buildings names. There is a search bar below. The user can fill in the location they want to know. After filling in the location, search. If the search is successful, it will jump to the location interface and click on the route. Gaode will route the user's current location and destination location. At this time, the route, distance, duration, etc. will be displayed. The user clicks to start navigation, and then jump to the detailed navigation interface. When the destination is reached, the software will automatically end the navigation.

Advantages: It is convenient and fast in operation, with very accurate location information, and is also very accurate in route planning. The estimated time is accurate and the interface is clean, so there are no obvious obstacles for users to operate. The search page displays historical search records. Users can choose the historical search destination to reduce the step size and improve the user experience;

There are category options (such as food, hotels, etc.) above the search page. Click to jump to the corresponding list. You can filter and customize the sorting. It is used for scenes with clear behavior but blurred goals (such as clearly want to eat, but not clear which restaurant to go to.

Disadvantages: When there is no history (empty or new user does not generate search records) or when there are too few history, the search box is empty.

Optimization suggestions: When the search box is empty, nearby recommended places, popular places, user settings (home/company), etc. can be displayed to help users complete target address searches faster.

(2) Bus and subway navigation function

Figure 4-2 Bus and subway navigation functions

Function description: After the user enters the APP and locates his or her location, the user searches for the destination in the search bar, and then selects the bus and subway travel method. The platform sorts according to the length of the travel time, and will also consider the travel expenses. Then a recommendation sequence is made for the user to choose. After the user clicks on the selected route, he or she will jump to the detailed route. At this time, the user's route planning to the destination, as well as the walking route navigation to the platform, and every stop passing by. Passengers who are afraid of missing it can also choose to get off the bus and remind them. After arriving at the destination, the navigation will automatically close.

Advantages: From the perspective of positioning, the location of the user and destination is very accurate, and there is no navigation error; from the perspective of route planning , the data is detailed, among which the walking navigation time and ride time are displayed to the user in detail, and the user can flexibly arrange his time ; from a humanized perspective , he is afraid that the user will not find the boarding point, so he added a walking navigation, and because the user has been stationed, so he added a drop-off reminder button.

Disadvantages: For specific times, such as peak hours during work, and during traffic jams on the road, such as holidays, the speed of the bus will be significantly reduced, so users cannot clearly know how long it will take to reach their destination. Therefore, users should be recommended to use subway travel methods as much as possible. If there is no subway, they can remind users in advance.

Optimization suggestions: In-depth calculation of the time required by users based on road conditions and traffic, and provide users with more accurate route planning.

Summary: The above two functions show that the navigation function of Gaode Map can better meet driving requirements, update the road conditions in real time, and accurately predict the time. Gaode can consider adding some detailed optimizations, enriching map content, changing the car owner menu options, improving the rationality of travel plans, and better user experience.

V. Conclusion

1. SWOT analysis

(1) [S] Advantages

With strong support, professional surveying and mapping team, strong software R&D and productization capabilities, high-quality electronic map database, complete production chain, diversified products, professional map services, rich experience

Gaode is the only navigation map supplier in the country that has aerial photography surveying and mapping production capacity. The company integrates high-precision aerial photography collection, vehicle collection, walking collection and other data collection methods to ensure the comprehensiveness, accuracy and in-depthness of map data. Gaode's map coverage and PDL data are leading the way in the country. In its 09th edition map data, the number of road mileage in the country reached 2.35 million kilometers, and there are as many as 12.5 million points of interest. The advantage of Gaode ranks first in the country is that the excellent map expressiveness. In order to meet the ever-increasing navigation and location service needs, Gaode has made continuous large-scale investment in map expressiveness. The industry-leading city street maps, real-life intersection enlargement maps, 3D landmarks and cities will improve the user experience.

(2) [W] Disadvantages

The map is relatively standardized, with a small degree of distinction and a low degree of resource integration. Compared with Ctrip Meituan, there are obvious differences in the business of local life.

Inaccurate navigation in the mall and difficult to use; incomplete real-time bus coverage; hotel reservations need to jump to the APP, and the price update is not timely ; reminders such as fork intersections are not timely;

(3) [O] Opportunities

Consumers have rigid demand for maps, merchants have enhanced their location-related needs, Alibaba's financial and technical information support, and China's automobile navigation assembly rate is relatively low.

Applications with travel and transportation as the core function also have rich extension space, including life services, shared travel, e-commerce, O2O and other industries, can derive intensive demand for map services. In this way, the traffic congestion-retardation app implemented by Beijing for some severely congested road sections was developed and generated based on map functional modules and congestion big data.

At present, map functions are widely used in apps. Various life service apps such as Mobike, Meituan, and Ctrip need to call map API modules such as Baidu and Gaode and optimize them to meet their own business needs. This is also the advantage of APIs at present. With the rise of the API economy, more and more third-party service providers have opened their core services to the outside world, which also allows enterprises to focus more on the product itself when planning mobile products.

(4) [T] Threat

Competition with homogeneous enterprises is very fierce, and the piracy of traditional navigation products is problematic.

2. Summary

Gaode Map is committed to becoming the first choice app for users to "travel". From the navigation of various modes of transportation to the solution of specific problems during the travel process, such as travel restrictions, electronic eye reminders, taxi rides, bus ride codes, etc., enriching the travel scenarios of users.

In addition, it also has searches and recommendations for nearby locations such as hotels and food, which further solves the travel problem of users only having needs (such as eating) and no clear location scenarios. It meets the different travel needs of different users of different age groups, and has thus become the map app with the largest number of users active.

Let’s look at the map-type APPs in two main lines:

① Navigation

The core function of map products is navigation, helping users to reach another point as quickly and safely as possible from one point. This is also the most basic requirement of users. Map products are actually designed based on the most realistic transportation needs in real life, such as including as many travel methods as possible, providing users with the smartest and most optimized travel solutions. At the same time, some personalized functions are also being made around navigation. For example, when setting navigation, it provides diverse choices to meet the dual user experience of user hearing and vision.

②Related content and services

This is also a function that map products are based on location, and explore the needs of specific scenarios based on the destination entered by users. For example, the destination of the user navigation may be home and company, which is the most basic daily commuting scenario; leisure and entertainment on weekends, you may go to KTVs or amusement parks; self-driving tour scenarios near weekends; long-distance travel scenarios; daily shopping scenarios, etc. Based on these different scenarios, users can be provided with relevant content and services.

Here it can also be divided into general and specific scenarios. Common examples include parking lot recommendations, business hours and location introductions, nearby food recommendations, hotel recommendations, etc.; in specific scenarios, such as train stations and attractions, there will be traffic statistics, and itinerary recommendations, strategy recommendations, etc.

Therefore, in addition to increasing efforts to develop your own hard technology and increase your core competitiveness, you can also make related content and services better, so that users cannot satisfy their ability to use when using the product, and also make users feel good and want to use it.

Author: Dabai

Source: Dabai