Home » Business Intelligence and Analytics Software » ArcGIS Business Analyst
ArcGIS Business Analyst, developed by Esri, is a powerful GIS software that helps businesses make data-driven decisions. It integrates demographic, business, lifestyle, spending, and census data with map-based analytics to support market planning, site selection, and customer segmentation.
Available on desktop, web, and mobile platforms, it offers tools for analyzing markets, optimizing territories, and creating impactful infographics and reports to drive strategic growth.
Demographic Mapping: The feature shows data such as age, income, and family size on maps. Businesses gain a clear view of area characteristics, and the clarity supports accurate market targeting.
Site Selection Tools: Potential locations undergo review with drive-time, trade area rings, and threshold analyses. The process identifies the best sites for expansion or reduction, which ensures decisions match market potential.
Customer Segmentation: Customers fall into defined groups based on preferences and behaviors. Lifestyle and spending data form the basis of segmentation, allowing precise marketing strategies.
Market Analysis Workflows: Workflows assess market potential, sales forecasts, and consumer profiles. Proprietary and Esri data combine to reveal trends and opportunities for growth.
Territory Design and Optimization: Automated tools establish balanced sales or service territories. Variables such as customer distribution and demographics strengthen operational efficiency.
Infographics and Reporting: Custom infographics and reports deliver insights to stakeholders. Visuals summarize data clearly, and communication of findings becomes straightforward.
Color-Coded Maps: Maps use gradients to represent variables such as population or spending. Patterns stand out visually, and high-potential areas appear more obvious.
Smart Map Search: Locations filter through criteria such as population or purchasing power. Target areas emerge with precision, and planning gains stronger direction.
Points of Interest (POI) Search: A category or keyword search reveals businesses, facilities, or landmarks. Competitors and resources appear on maps, and location-based decisions become better informed.
Global Data Access: Coverage extends to over 170 countries with more than 15,000 variables. International market analysis gains depth, and the scope ensures regional relevance.
Drive-Time and Walk-Time Analysis: Areas reachable by car or foot within set timeframes come into view. Businesses measure customer accessibility, a factor critical for retail and service planning.
Benchmark Analysis: Key metrics provide comparisons across sites or trade areas. Performance differences become clear, and resources receive allocation with greater accuracy.
Integration with ArcGIS Ecosystem: The platform operates on desktop, web, and mobile. Compatibility with ArcGIS Online and Enterprise supports smooth workflows.
Custom Data Integration: Proprietary data combines with Esri datasets. The analysis gains context, and deeper insights arise from internal information.
Business Analyst Assistant (Beta): An in-app AI tool guides users through workflows and responds to questions. Complex tasks feel manageable, and usability improves for beginners.
| Edition / Product | Pricing Info | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Web App | Not publicly listed | Included with Creator user type license; contact sales required. |
| Advanced Web App (or Advanced Bundle) | Not publicly listed | May include Pro extension; user type and credits vary. |
| Business Analyst Pro (Desktop) | Not publicly listed | Includes Web App, Mobile App, credits; price depends on package. |
| Enterprise (on-prem) | Contact sales | Tailored deployment, unlimited scaling. |
| Estimated benchmark (via G2) | ~$30 USD/user/month (annual billing) | May apply to lower-tier SaaS; not official Esri pricing. |
Price details: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-business-analyst/buy
| Competitor | Pros of ArcGIS Business Analyst |
|---|---|
| Alteryx | ArcGIS Business Analyst stands out with its vast global data, covering over 170 countries with 15,000+ variables, which delivers deep location-based insights. Its seamless integration with the ArcGIS ecosystem supports desktop, web, and mobile use, and this versatility fits various workflows.
Users praise its demographic mapping and site selection tools, which outshine Alteryx’s broader analytics focus. The Business Analyst Assistant (Beta) simplifies tasks, and this ease helps beginners navigate compared to Alteryx’s steeper learning curve. |
| Salesforce Maps | ArcGIS Business Analyst offers a rich data library with demographic, lifestyle, and spending insights, which fuels precise customer segmentation and market planning. Unlike Salesforce Maps’ sales-focused tools, ArcGIS provides advanced spatial analysis like suitability and threshold tools, and this depth enhances site selection.
Reviews highlight its customizable infographics and reports, which communicate insights more clearly than Salesforce Maps’ sales-oriented outputs. Its global data scope also surpasses Salesforce Maps’ narrower geographic focus. |
| Tableau | ArcGIS Business Analyst excels in location intelligence with features like drive-time analysis and points of interest search, which are more specialized than Tableau’s general visualizations. Its blend of Esri and user data creates richer spatial insights, and this strength boosts market planning.
Users rate ArcGIS highly for GIS task usability, and its multi-platform access offers flexibility Tableau’s desktop focus lacks. Color-coded maps and territory tools further strengthen its spatial analytics edge. |
| Competitor | Cons of ArcGIS Business Analyst |
|---|---|
| Alteryx | ArcGIS Business Analyst lags in general data analytics compared to Alteryx, which excels in data science and automation. Users note occasional slow performance in ArcGIS for unclear reasons, and this frustration contrasts with Alteryx’s reliable speed.
ArcGIS’s pricing, starting at $1,100 per user per year for the Web App, may feel high compared to Alteryx’s potentially more flexible plans. The credit-based data access system can also raise costs, which Alteryx’s licensing often avoids. |
| Salesforce Maps | ArcGIS Business Analyst lacks the tight CRM integration of Salesforce Maps, and this gap can challenge sales teams needing Salesforce ecosystem synergy. Users report formatting issues with ArcGIS infographics, which require rework and consume credits, unlike Salesforce Maps’ streamlined sales tools.
ArcGIS’s $1,100 annual starting price may seem costly for sales-focused teams, and its credit-based data model can complicate budgeting compared to Salesforce Maps’ subscription approach. |
| Tableau | ArcGIS Business Analyst is less suited for non-spatial analytics than Tableau, which shines in broad business intelligence visualizations. Users find ArcGIS’s vector icon options for infographics limited, and this restriction hampers creativity compared to Tableau’s robust tools.
The credit-based data system in ArcGIS can drive up costs, whereas Tableau’s clearer licensing suits enterprise needs. ArcGIS’s advanced workflows may also overwhelm users without GIS skills, unlike Tableau’s intuitive interface. |
