Patent ID: 8027868

Claim:
A method of analyzing trade area information comprising the steps of: (a) providing a computer and a computer-storage media device; (b) developing a trade area data base that covers a geographical area that includes the following sub-steps: (b1) receiving customer information that includes customer locations within a trade area; (b2) creating a buffer zone around each of the customer locations; and (b3) combining the buffer zone for each of the customer locations to form at least one aggregated area; and defining at least one polygon using the outer most boundary of the at least one aggregated area; (c) loading data contained in the trade area data base developed in step (b) into the computer-media storage device provided in step (a); (d) selecting a specific location within the geographical area covered by the trade area data base; (e) withdrawing and displaying data for the selected location from the trade area data base; (f) selecting at least a portion of the data displayed in step (e) for analysis; (g) selecting a first set of parameters for analyzing the data selected in step (f) for the specific location selected in step (d); (h) analyzing the data selected in step (f) with the first set of parameters selected in step (g) with the computer; (i) storing the data analyzed in step (h) in the computer-media storage device; (j) selecting a second set of parameters for analyzing the same data selected in step (f) for the same specific location selected in step (d); (k) analyzing the same data selected in step (f) with the second set of parameters selected in step (j) in the computer; and (l) storing the data analyzed in step (k) in the computer-media storage device.